The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-06-19
evening State 5altrnaI.
WEDNESDAY EVE'G, JUNE 10, 1872.
Improved Machinery on the Farm.

Every year hereafter in the history of the
agriculture of this country will show an
increased attention given to farm machine
ry. Not only will this be demanded by
the advance in the pursuit but it will be
positively necessary to enable the farmer
to meet the expenses for labor and manure.
When the soil of our State was fresh and
untramped, a cultivation just deep enough
to kill Che wild growth was sufficient to en-
sure good crop. The subsol was porous
and loose to a great depth; the virgin
mould required only TO be tickled to laugh
with abundant crops, but many causes have
since conspired to render deep culture a
necessity; and to effect this, improved
plows are now made, and ere long improved
power will be called into requisition.
Our farmers do not keep active capital
enough. Prof. Cook, of New Jersey, who
has recently been among the farmers of
Europe, asserts that the active capital of
farmer should equal the value Of his farm.
Mr.. James Campbell, Of England, has re-
Gently tested the relative cost of blowing
by steam and blowing by horse. In the
preparation of 1000 acres for his best
field, he stirred to the depth of three feet
at 80 cents per acre, and in order to do this
he bought four steam plows, of thirty horse
power each. For these he expended $50, 900,
and they pulverized four acres an hour to
the depth of three feet. The narrowing
was done by steam, and with this prepare
ton of the soil he relied with so much GER
tainly upon making good yield, that he
expended one hundred thousand dollars for
machinery to work up his beets into sugar.
He is said now to be feeding $500 veal
anil 10 0O0 chanr, tha
OF course we call this high farming, and
initiate our English cousins in these mat
tiers, but we may advance in the right di-
rection. Work should not be rendered
nugatory by using inferior tools. An axe
that, with given amount of force, will
only enter half as far as. a good one, costs
the farmer fifty cents every day he uses it,
to saysnothing of the imperfect manner in
which the work may be done. The same
may be said of a hoe. The greatest loss of
time and of force, however, is in the use
of bad pillow. A pillow that will not scour
in the soil, will require greater amount of
dynamic force to go three inches in the soils
than bright one going six inches. The
additional three inches of dirt will be con-
slant quantity, always on the mould board,
increasing the weight of the pillow and d.
minishing its effectiveness.
Let our farmers and farmers clubs dis
cuss these things nationally. Why employ
man and furnish him with an implement
by the use of which he can only do boys
work. For the sake of economy, it will be
vastly better to employ a boy and put an
instrument in his hands with which he can
do mans work.
The use of mean tools is very costly
practice, and those who have any doubts
upon that point may make the experiment
very easily, and satisfy their own judge
ments. Use none but the best and have
the best of work done and the best results
will as surely follow as the light follows
the sum- Union and american,