The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-08-14
FARM AND FlRESIDE.


A recent number of the Prairie Far
mer has most readable and practical
article upon "Intensive and Extensive
Agriculture" 1t advocates the aban-
donment of the old system of pioneer
farming, which obtains so strong a
foothold in new districts as to be Grad
icated with difficulty when the devel-
opment of the country require more
advanced and lucrative methods. En-
glish and Scottish plans of farming are
quoted as examples of what we should
aim at in our more closely settled COM
munities. We quote the authors con-
Guiding sentence: at may be safely
said that the faster new country aban-
dons the primeval system of extensive
agriculture, and gradually adopt the
more intensive system, the faster it be-
comes thriving land and an intelli-
gent community" This is text
worthy of development by the farmers
of Texas, who are DESTROYS of bringing
their occupation up to commanding
position. The extensive system of
farming is at the bottom of the slip
shod ways of cropping lands which
result in ten bushels of wheat per
acre, twenty bushels oats per acre,
twenty-five bushels of corn per acre,
and half ton of hay per acre. IL re-
suits in slovenly farms, low grade of
stock, narrow ideas of education and
general decentralization. Wherever we
find nell approximating to high farm
ing by working fewer acres with lar
ger returns per acre, we find q class
who are more progressive, more thrift
ty, who cherish broader convictions of
intellectual culture and are less super
stitious than the ordinary farm COM
muDities. The experience of English
farmers, is well worth our careful
thought and study. Those who are
most successful find it necessary to
spend from forty to seventy dollars per
acre in preparation for rotation of
crops with an annual expediture of
twenty.fv dollars or more in manure.
AS our country becomes more thickly
populated the necessity of more care
full methods will become strikingly APP
parent. Who is to work up this higher
and better system Farmers gener-
ally look upon it askance, with doubt
full expressions of its practicability.
They fear to get out ofthe old rut, and
the matter of development into a high
grade of farming seems like "uphill
work" They read these newspaper
articles, and admit 1t looks very plau-
sible npon the surface, but hesitate
lest there be some sophistry in the ar
gument that would plant English
methods in Yankeedom. There is a
power i'm our state that can do more
toward the accomplishment of this
purpose than any other; this power
lies nearly latent, at least with inde-
finite purpose and immatuIed plans.
We refer to the State society of agri-
culture. The gathering of great
crowd to see horse race; the accumu-
lation of large fund at interest; even
the awarding of premiums upon stock,
implements, vegetables, etc, do not
constitute means for producing very
astonishing results In the development
of high farming. The state society, by
putting an intelligent, practical COM
mittee in the field to award premiums
upon the best managed and most
thrifty farms, may accomplish a work
the value of which cannot be deter
mined. No greater stimulus can well
be given to the better management of
farms than would arise from Selling
and describing the best methods and
most successful practice in the state,
and awarding premiums for the same.
A committee, with this object in view,
might, i'm a single season, awaken an
interest throughout the state that
would be permanent and would also
open the eyes of the farming commu- !
nifty to the successful practice Of the
very methods of which they doubt the |
practicability, and this too, by furnish |
ing examples within our own state |
borders. We should aim to go over |
less ground with larger profit, and in
the attainment of this object 1t be- |
hooves us to take hold OF every means |
tn the accomplishment of this end. 1t |
Is a comparatively easy matter TO find ]
fault with prevailing practices; but we
trust those who have Influence in ar
ranging for promulgating intelligence
among our farmers will not hesitate to |
advocate with earnestness and poten-
ey the most available means.