Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-11-05
farm ano AOuseboIq.
Profit of big Crops.,

'FRONT.' OF Big crops.
There is a iacination in big things"
especially with farmers. "A big farm
big crops" big flock OF poultry. &C.,
seem to be the aims of various people. and
all they think they need to make life de
>irIblc. But in the effort to obtain their
desire they almost invariably come to
grief. In a few eases only we hear of the
failures; generally the victims subside and
make no sign. But If one with more tact
and sAill than others makes partial sue
cess even At pecuniary loss. the end of !:
j. never heard, and it keeps coming TO the
surface among the eGueat wonders. Thus
We haNe the 10000 acre farms of California.
Yielding whole ship-loads OF wheat and
prncely fortunes each year--on paper.
Thus We have the l20 bushels OF corn per
acre. the fifty bus hel~ Of wheat, the barrels
OF eTanberries per square red, aud the
mammoth roots, pigs, and oxen. Also,
We have chickens Matched by steam. and
poultry yards with their focks OF 1000
each. But when we come to investigate !
these matters they dwindle away. either 10
estimates made by incompetent or too
>augune persons. or to success attained !
at q much greater cost than is consistent
with profit or possible with those who work
for a living.
or late we have heard and read much of
little farms well titled" of thorough
bred cattle that mature at two years old
Of grinding, cutting, and steaming food
Of finding new farm beneath the old one
of growing the crop of two acres upon one
and Of many other. modern improvements
in agriculture. But will they pay ? that Is
the question 10 be decided. II man can
pasture ten COWS upon 100 acres of land.
that cost him 1000. it will not pay him to
improve his land at a cost of &C, 600 more
10 double its capacity for pasturing. II
farmer can make 900 pounds of beef up
90 such pasture as he has. in four years,
ont Of native steer. it will not pay him
10 stall-ieed 4 short-horn TO make as much
in TWO years. II IS also unquestionable
that the use OF ten dollars worth OF labor
and steamiug apparatus, TO make eight
dollars worth OF pork, is Improbable; and
if fifteen bushels of wheat. or one ton OF
lay. can be raised on an acre by ordinary
cultivation, at a cost Of $40, it will not pay
10 expend sl2 for fertilizers TO double the
crop. The fact IS that increased e1pendi-
ture, for the purpose of increasing the
amount Of our crops, is thing to be very
;,
Increased crops are very desirable to have.
and many farmers are tempted 10 purchase
much-vaunted fertilizers at very unprof-
table prices. or TO incur much other ex-
pense TO procure them. without a cores
pondiug advantage. A case in point we
find recorded in the proceedings of The
Eimira y. y Farmers Club, recently.
Pres ident Hoffman remarked that lie had
viewed the instructive sight. at the annual
county exhibition, of fify-tive bushels OF
Diehl wheat from an acre of ground. and
2l0 bushels of ears of corn from another
acre. The instructive part of this exhibi-
ton certainly would be supposed to con.
sist in the fact that the raising of these
large crops was more profitable than the
usual crops Of half the quantity. Blu,
Mr.. C. 5. Mccain, who raised the corn
stated that "his acre of corn did not pay
for its cost by great deal. Fifty-twC
loads OF manure were used upon it. ano
every load was worth 81. Besides this
the labor was very great, as everything
was done to encourage the growth" TIVE
hundred and ten bushels of ears is eQHa
to 100 bushels of sheiled corn, or littl,
more; and this is the exact quantity tina
many agricultural writers make the stand
ard at which farmers should aim. Mr.
Mccain has done great service by mall
ing this statement. Ii will 60 far 70 recon
Gle many farmers to their more moderate
but profitable crops. Twenty-Five bushel
of corn on an acre of well cultivate,
clover sod would, in truth, be more salts
factory result than 100 bushels at cost o
sl0i worth of manure. II. then, farme
can be sure of thirty-fye or forty bushels
per acre for his average crop. let him con
slider that is doing fairly, and leave vel
alone. We have no doubt that simila
tale could bave been told as to the Dieh
wheat We could tell such tales ourselve
of big crops, expensive drains. and ia
animals that did not pay their cost. 1t il
well TO endeavor to improve our method
of cultivation in all reasonable ways. Blu
il will not pay to expend more than l0'
cents to gain a dollar.-[N. Y. Times.