The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-10-24
The New Departure in Farming.
GOOD ADVICE FOR NEW ENGLAND FARMERS

GOOD ADVICE FOR NEW ENGLAND FARMERS.
The time is coming, if not already close
at hand, when the farmers Of New England
will find it to their profit to practice more
decidedly mixed husbandry. They should
also endeavor as far as possible, to raise
such things as will feed their own families
as well as others. Those in the vicinity of
large towns and cities may find it advisable
to farm special crops; and those in the out
lying districts will surely find it remuner-
alive to raise their own meat, fruit, veg
etables, butter, cheese, poultry, etc, and
also a surplus, which will find ready mar
ket and enable them to put by little, an
nually, for future needs
But Farmer b asks, chow can do this !?
like the idea; indeed, l have always
preached upon it, but how to bring the pre-
cept in practice is more than can tell"
Let us tell you, friend, that this can be
done by cultivating a few less acres than
now comprise your ploughing fields. Take
new departure in your farming and make
few acres far more productive, instead of
cultivating so many, and receiving so poor
a return from all. Choose 40, so or GO
acres of your best meadow land for grass,
and for growing root crops and cereals, and
let the other hundred or two acres grow in
to timber and pas.urage. You shake your
head, Farmer b, and probably doubt our
statement that ''little farm well-tilled'
will prove far more remunerative than the
two or three hundred acres which you now
pretend to cultivate; and you ask, GLOW
can l bring those acres of moving and
plough lands up to a h gh state of fertility !?
Farm help is very scarce; wages are high
l believe in few years the hired men will
own the farms, what shall do?"
All, there's the rub! But your chief re-
source for bringing up those WORKOUT acres
lies in feeding what they produce to your
stock; and carefully storing up all the solid
and liquid cxcrement obtained from them,
and in the spring restoring it to the land.
Barn-yard and stable manure are worth far
more than all the manufactured fertilizers of
the country Raise your calves, raise colts,
raise pigs, feed out your produce and then
restore it in manufactured state to your
exhausted fields. You are supposed to be
an intelligent farmer, and of course you
know that leaf mold, and the decayed veg
citation of the swamps, added TO sods OF
grass, obtainable at every roadside, will
greatly increase, your manurial resources.
| The trees of your door-yard offer you a
ferti izing material which will revive youi
fields, while the Dogs and swamps upon
your farm will give you hundreds of cart
loads of muck, which should be hauled into
the barn-yard as soon as is practicable. The
compost heap has been well styled the
"farmer's laboratory" for in it the various
kinds of crude fertilizers pass through a
chemical process which fits them to feed
your growing crops. To it you should add
bushels of lime, salt, ashes, plaster and
ground bones, and fork the whole heap
over, at least once month, so as to expose
the whole surface to the favorable infu-
ences of the frost. After a little expe-
rience you will learn just what quantities
of these various fertilzing mediums to
compost; and in this way you can manu-
facture hundreds of loads of manure, far
more desirable than all you may buy at the
factories. Salt is a most desirable agent
for worn out lands; sow it broadcast this
season, and kill the myriads of worms, ETC.,
which have infested your growing crops.
1t will destroy their Larvae far better than
ANYTHING else, and revive the soil. Take
the newspapers, Friend b. read, learn and
digest, and then become your own chemist,
and mix your compost-heap scientifically
and with very little expense you can learn
how to reclaim your barren fields. In
crease your dairy resources; make guam
| titles of cheese and butter. Fill up YOU
poultry-hOuse, or build a new one, and
make it warm and comfortable for the
feathered focks; feed them with egg-pro-
ducing food; and then fill yeur purse witt
the greenbacks obtained from the sale Of
all these things. But don't attempt toe
much for mortal man man to do. Pu
down the bars. Let the pine, spruce ant
hemlock trees grow up in the outlying
fields, and if needs be, plant over the hill
sides with seeds of maple, chestnut and wal
nut trees. Plant for posterity-so tina
your grandchildren will rise up ant
call you blessed. Increase your available
resources in every possible way. Plan
fruit trees of all kinds also the small fruits
raise quantities of vegetables. Your stool
will fatten better upon pumpkins, potatoes
cabbages, turnips, beets and parsnips, thai
upon diet composed of hay and meal
And above all, don't try to compete will
the grain growing prairie lands of the grea
West. Raise what corn you wish to fec
ont, but don't depend upon it for marke
purposes. Raise your own rye and wheat
| OuiAi'hNN iii b hNiN9 VI PNHfNNN'i wy ~
usually paying crop. Persist in thi
course from year to year, and take our wor
for it that in five years your bank accoun
will show decided improvement, and Will
your fields will inform your neighbors tina
intelligence has entered into their culture
and the new departure at which, perhaps
they were inclined to laugh, has proved I
most profitable investment
Do you know what one acre has beer
made to produce in New England? If not
listen a minute, while we copy from thu
records. One acre of land has been know
to produce 40 bushels of wheat, 1870 bush
els of shelled corn, five tons of Englisl
hay, and other farm crops, in one season
Now look at your two or three hundre,
acres, and calculate their product by Thu
one.
Depend upon it, friends, the great amour
of land you cultivate will surely deplet'
your purses. Take heed to your ways
therefore, and commence the new depart
ure in farming, remembering that
"a time there was, ere England's began
When every rood OF ground maintained III
"