The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1875-11-11
Unlimited Capacity of Growth.

! ii said that Iowa has twice as much
arabic land as all ireland, and if so it
could maintain double the population of
that island, or say ten millions. Bavaria
is about halt the size OF Illinois, with a
soil not nearly so fertile, yetit supports
nearly five millions of human beings. IL
linois could therefore easily support ten
millions. Indiana, Missouri, Kansas and
several other States could support near
ly or quite as many. California and
Texas could each, we presume, support
double that number, and these and all
other fertile States are bound to be
thickly pcopled sooner or later. The
second centennial of these United States,
will therefore, IN all probability, be eel
cbrated by population of at least two
hundred millions, an increase that
would be obtained by only doubling in
about forty-four years, which is a very
slow rate as compared with that of the
past.
What proportion OF that population
will be colored and proportion Chinese
no ono can tell, nor what may be the
boundaries of the United States q hun
dred years hence but happily we have
no need to enter upon such questions.
The present and the immediate future
are our special care. Present duty is
ID occupy this fair and fertile land with
good population as rapidly as practi-
cable.
The way Of increasing the population,
and also 10 promote education and social
happiness is to reduce the size of farms.
Small farms are, as a rule, much better
cultivated, more productive and more
profitable than large ones, and they
bring the population much closer to-
gethcr, thereby enabling them TO support
better schools and churches, as well as
better roads, stores, factories and work
shops. In this way intelligence, con-
vcniencc and comfort are all promo
ted.
In France, By the law ofcqual inheri-
lance, man s farm is shared by all his
chIidren, and is subdivided TO the utmost
practicable extent, with a family on
each portion large enough TO sustain one
France is, in consequence Of this ar
rdngement, probably the richest agri-
cultural country in the world. Every
acre rs cultivated 10 the best advantage.
Poultry, or whatever pays best, is care
fully attended TO. Enough wheat is usual
ly raised for the whole population, with,
in favorable years, a surplus for export.
1t was the savings of these agricultural
families, with those Of the mechanics !
aud artisans supported 10y them, which
were loaned 10 the government to pay
its cnorm Gus war expenses and war debt
10 Prussia. No country but one in /
which almost every body had something
10 lend To its government IN time OF
heed coul have paid off that debt so
quickly.
Small farms have several other advan 1
tagcs: they obviate, 90 great extent, de- /
pcndeace on hired men. They relieve .
the women Of the family from the bon
dagc Of cooking for and tending a great
10 lschold. The farmer can supervise
every part of his farm personally, and
make it almost like garden IN beauty
and fertility. The animals can te keep,
as in France, in an enclosure or park,
thus saving all the expense and waste OF
land in fencing, except for boundary
fences, which may also be omitted some
day, as is done on the Continent of
Europe, and in Vineland, n. j.,
where it is found cheaper and better for
all interests to fence in the animals
than TO fence in the crops. The subdi-
viding Of farms will begin when desira-
bic rev land becomes scarce. When
this reform is carried out the product
i've power Of the country will be greatly
increased, and the saving of timber will
be very grcat.-N. Y. Witness.