Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-02-19
Spending Money JudIcIousIy.

Every farmer can spend money, but
the secret worth knowing ID how to in
vest where it will bring the largest re
turns. But what might be q good invest
ment for one farmer would be ruinous to
another, circumstances or thorough
knowledge of the business in hand max
ing the difference. Investing five or ten
thousand dollars in COW may answer
for the breeder who has reputation
sufficiently extensive to enable him to
dispose OF her progeny at corresponding
prices, but for man who does not pos
sess this qualification such stock would
be OF little value. 1t is just as important
in any kind of business to know how,
when and where to dispose of products
as 1t is TO produce them, and the man
who neglects to inform himself in regard
10 both branches is very likely to fall far
short of great success. But majority
of our farmers possess discretion and in
telligence enough to do far better than
they are now doing, and if great strides
cannot be safely taken let the steps be
short and frequent, all tending, how
ever, toward improving the soil and its
products as well as the animals kept
thereon.
First and most important of all is the
necessity of keepirg up the fertility of
the soil, which, it must be confessed, is
almost the last thing thought of. In fact,
those who break up the virgin lands Of
our country take the cream from it, leav-
ing restoration or even preservation to
those who may come after them In the
older States, where much of the land has
Tor many years been stigmatized as Who'll
ly or to great degree, barren, farming
is constantly and steadily improving as a
a VI Al.
many of our country readers, especially
those residing in the Western States,
think that statements which are tre-
quently circulated through the press re-
gardlng the application of fifty to one
hundred dollars worth of manure per
acre to land are rather overdrawn; but
we can assure them that such invest
nents are made, and prove to be in o
majority OF instances very judicious
ones. Then, again, the understanding
and subsoiling of entire farms at cost
of ten to fifty dollars per acre may ap-
pear to be very iRjudicious where only
ordinary farG crops are raised; but the
owners of these farms find such invest
ments much more profitable than putting
their money out at to 10 per cent.
man who finds it very difficult to
make living from land costing five to
ten dollars per acre is very slow to be-
lieve or understand how another man
can afford to pay 500 per acre for near.
ly or quite worn-out land and then re-
store fertility at cost of fifty or hun
dred more, and still make money out of
the operation. This, however, is being
done, and will continue until a single
State in the future shall produce more
than our whole forty do at the present
time. In many portions of the Old World
the farmers have. long given up the idea
that land must necessarily become barren
by age and continuous cropping. The
yield obtained upon millions of acres in
Europe, which have been under cultiva-
ton for centuries, is now more than
double that obtained from our new lands.
1t is not climate or adaptation of crops
to soil which make the difference, but
fertilization and superior cultivation of
the soil and crops.
Probably ore of the first questions our
farmers will ask in answer to the above |
is: " Where is the money coming from |
to make these improvements" True, |
there may be some inconvenience at the |
start in securing the requisite funds 10 |
make the changes necessary to double |
the average yield of the various kinds of |
grain and other farm crops; still, they |
are not so difficult TO obtain az a major |
ity of our farmers may think. For
instance, we will suppose that farmer |
in good wheat-growing region of coun-
try is now obtaining only fifteen to |
twenty bushels per acre, and that he |
gets on an average one dollar and |
twenty-five cents per bushel. Now, If |
he can, by an extra outlay of twenty |
dollars per acre the first year, and FIVE |
annually thereafter, increase the product |
ten bushels, he will get twelve dollars
and fifty cents Of the twenty, back
the first crop, and seven dollars and fifty
cents over and above the five extra
invested each year thereafter. On fifty !
or 100 acres an extra ten bushels per
acre would amount TO a considerable
sum, and wipe out In two years the in
debted9ess necessary 10 put the land in
a condition 10 produce this increased
Weld. This is no visionary problem. but