The Portland daily press., 1874-10-26
Profit Of "Rix Crops.n

There is a fascination in ''big things" es-
pecially with farmers. "a big farm" ssbig
crops" big flock Of poultry, &C., seem to be
the aims of various people, and ali they think
they need to make life desirable. But in the
effort to obtain their desire they almost inva-
riably come to grief In few cases only we
hear OF the failures; generally the victims
subslde and make no sign. Butiif one with
more tact and skill than others makes IA par
tlai success even at pecuniary loss, the end
OF it is never heard, and it keeps coming to
the surface among the current wonders Thus
we have the 40,000.acre farms of California,
yielding whole ship-loads of wheat and prince
Iy fortunes each year-On paper. Thus we
have the 120 bushels of corn per tacre, the fif-
ty bushels of wheat, the barrels of cranber-
ries per square rod, and the mammoth roots,
pigs, and oxen. Also, we have chickens
hatched by steam, and poultry.yards with
their focks of 1000 each. But when we
come to investigate these matters they dwin-
die away, either to estimates made by incom-
retent or too sangaine persons, or to success
ses attained at much greater cost than is
consistent with profit or possible with those
who work for living.
Oflate we have heard and read much of
"little farms well tilled;" of thoroughbred
cattle that mature at two years old: of grind
ing, cutting, and steaming food; of finding a
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 to be
decided. II man can pasture ten cows up
on 100 acres of land, that cost him 1000, it
will not pay him to improve his land al cost
OF 81, 900 more to double its capacity for pas
turing. If a farmer can make 1000 pounds
OF beef upon such pasture as he has, in four
years, out of native steer, it will not pay
him to stal[feed a short-horn to make as
much in two years. 1t is also unquestiona-
BILE that the use of ten dollars worth of labor
and steaming apparatus, to make eight dol
lars worth of pork, is Improbable; and tiff
teen bushels of wheat, or one ton of hay, can
be raised on an acre by ordinary cultivation,
at cost of $40, it will not pay to expend $12
for fertilizers to double the crop. The fact is
that increased expenditure, for the purpose of
increasing the amount Of our crops, is thing
to be very closely Investigated before it is in
CURED. Increased crops are very desirable
to have, and many farmers are tempted to
purchase much-vaunted fertilizers at very un-
profitable prices, or to incur much other ex-
pense to procure them, without correspond
ing advantage. A case in point we find re-
corded in the proceedings of the Elmira IN.
Y.) Farmers Club, recently. President Hoff.
man remarked that he had viewed the in
struct;ve sight, at the annual county exhibi-
ton, of fifty-fve bushels of Diehl wheat from
an acre of ground, and z1O bushels of ears of
corn from another acre. The instructive part
of this exhibition certainly would be sup
posed to consist in the fact that the raising of
these large crops was more profitable than
the usual crops of halt the quantity. But
Mr.. G. s. Mccain, who raised the corn,
stated that ''his acre of corn did not pay for
its cost by great deal. Fifty-two loads of
manure were used upon it, and every load
was worth 50. Besides this, the labor was
very great, as everything was done to en-
courage the growth" Two hundred and ten
bushels of ears is equal to 100 bushels of
shelled corn, or a little more; and this is the
exact quantity that many agricultural writers
make the standard at which farmers should
aim. Mr.. McCann has done great service
by making this statement. It will 90 far to
reconcile many farmers to their more moder-
ate but profitable crops. Twenty-Five bushels
of corn on an acre Of well cultivated clover
sod would, in truth, be more satisfactory re-
suit than 100 bushels at a cost of $104 worth
OF manure. If, then, farmer can be sure of
thirty-five or forty bushels per acre for his av-
erage crop, let him consider that is doing
fairly, and leave well alone. We have no
doubt that similar tale could have been
told as to the Dehl wheat. We could tell
such tales ourselves Iof big crops, expensive
drains, and fat animals that did not pay their
cost. 1t is well to endeavor to improve our
methods of cultivation in all reasonable ways,
but it will not pay to expend more than loo
cents to gain dollar.-N. Y. Times.