Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-10-22
"A Little Land Well Tiled.

From Brussels letter in the Chica
go Tribune we extract the foliewin,
to show what can be done on a small
area of territory. The correspondent
after discussing the prosperity of tn,
people, coal and iron interests, &c, thu
speaks of Belgium and her agriculture
achievements:
"Belgum is only a small patch O
territory, containing barely 1O,4O(
square miles; but on this little area
pendence 5,400 souls! Can your read
ers realize that on space not exceed.
ing one-fifth that of Illinois there is
concentrated the population of Illinois,
Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota? But
such is the fact.
Not only does Belgium produce
sufficient food for her population, in
Guiding barley for the manufacture of
beer, Of which large quantities are con-
sumed, but she grows nearly enough
sugar beets to supply her people with
what 'sweetening' they need; and in
the mountain districts of Ardennes
grapes enough are grown to produce a
considerable part of all the wine con-
sumed in Belgium.
previous to the French occupation
the land was held in vast estates by
the mobiles and priests for the benefit of
few pampered families, and, as con-
sequence, the country was badly titled
by an ignorant, Superstitious and pow
erty-pinched peasantry. But as fast as
the lands, under the operation of the
French laws, became the property of
those who farmed them, the system of
tillage improved, and the condition of
the people changed from pauperism in
to independence.
"There is now no hereditary land
monopoly and no idle land in Belgium.
Not an acre is devoted to deer parks,
pheasantries, or ether sporting purpo-
ses, for the enjoyment of a luxurious
and dissolute aristOcracy, while masses
of men are starving for bread. AS /
travel through Belgium see swarms
of men, women and children cutting
down and gathering harvest of grain
and grass, where the wheat will yield
80 or 40 bushels to the acre, the oats 80
to IS bushels, and the hay q to tons
per acre; while the ensuing product of
flax and of root crOps-pOtatoes and
beets-will be beyond the American
of possibilities. The straw
berries, red raspberries and gooseber-
ries brought,to market, while not supe-
rior in flavor to those sold in Chicago,
are twice or thrice as large.
"TheSe enormous yields of a9ricultu-
raj and horticultural products are not
in consequence of a better soil or eli
mate than in America, but are the re-
suits of heavy manuring, deep plow-
ing and spading, subsoiling, under
draining when required, irrigation
when possible, watchful hoeing and
wedding, free use of guano and other
fertilizers for top-dressing, and careful
and storage of crops, where
by nothing is wasted, lost, or allowed
to rot in the field. This perfect system
Of tillarge never was adopted or thought
of until the land became the property
of the cultivatOrs of the soil, and the
relation of landlord and tenant ceased
to exist. The price of land in Belgium
ranges from $500 to 81 900 per acre, and
a fair average would be S400 to $500;
but there is very little offered for sale.
Brussels possesses park which for
extent is unrivalled in Europe, and be-
fore long will have no superior in
great forest of Soignes,
which extends from the suburbs south
to the edge of the battlefield of Water
loo, distance Oftwelve miles, and with
q width of four or five miles. This
large tract has great variety of hill
and dale surface, with some small
streams flowing through it. 1t is dense
ly crowned with tall forest trees one or
two centuries old. Through this great
forest the Belgian Government, to
whom it belongs, is constructing broad
drive-ways and bridle-paths, and lakes,
cascades, bridges, grottoes, and other
decorative works. But it is 80 extern
sive that it will take generations to
them ALL"