Daily Kennebec journal., 1876-05-03
Miseellat1eoMs.
FANCY FARMERS.

No class of men have been ridiculed so
much and none have done so much good
as those who are denominated fancy farm
ers. They have been in all times and
countries the benefactors of the men who
have treated them with derision. They
have been to farmers what inventors have
been to manufacturers. They have ex-
perimented, for the good of the world.
while others have simply worked for their
own gain. They tested theories, while
others have raised crops for market. They
have given dignity and glory to the oc-
cupatiOn OF farming it never had before.
Fancy farmers have changed the wild
boar into the Suffolk and Berkshire the
wild bull of Britain into the Short-horn;
the mountain sheep, with its lean body
and hair fleece, into the South down and
the Merino. They have brought up the
milk of cows from pints to gallons. They
have heightened the sirloin of the bullock,
deepened the udder of the COW, enlarged
the ham of the hog, given strength to the
shoulder of the OK, rendered finer the
wool of the sheep, added feetness to the
speed of the horse. and made beautiful
every animal that is kept in the service
OF man. They have improved and has
tened the development of all domestic
animals, till they hardly resemble the
or eatures from which they sprang.
Fancy farmers introduced irrigation and
undertaking, grinding and cooking food
for stock. They brought guano from Peru
and nitrate OF soda from Chill. They in
troduced and domesticated all the plants
we have Of foreign origin. They brought
out the theory of rotation of crops as .
natural means of keeping up and incIeas-
ing the fertility of the soil. They first
ground up gypsum and bones and treated
the latter with acid to make manures of
peculiar value. They first analyzed soils
as means of determining what was wanted
to increase their fertility. They intro
duced the most approved methods OF rails
ing and distributing water. a.sa
Fancy farmers or fancy horticulturists
have given US all our varieties of fruits,
vegetables, and flowers. A fancy farmer
in Vermont, few years ago, originated
the Early Rose potato, which added mill
lions of dollars to the wealth of our cOun-
try and proved to be most important ac-
cession in every part OF the world where
it was introduced. Another of these same
fancy men originated the Wilson straw
berry, and another the Concord grape. II
was fancy farmer that brought the Usage
orange from Texas to the northern States.
Among the men in this country who were
classed as fancy farmers at anearly day
were Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and
Livingston. The first introduced mules
the second, the cultivation of improved
rice; the third, the use OF land plaster;
and the fourth, the raising of lucerne.
After them came another race of fancy
farmers who introduced Arabian horses,
Spanish sheep, and the improved breeds
of English cattle and swine. These fancy
farmers added Immensely to the wealth Of
the practical farmers of the country.
What we want. to develop the agricul-
ture and horticulture of the country to
their fullest extent, is a large number OF
fancy farmers,-men who work for pleas.
ure rather than for private gain. These
are the men who will perform experiments,
and give the world the benefit of them.
These are the men who will bring in new
grain, new vegetables, and new varieties
of animals. These are the men who will
devote their time and money to the i'm
provement of old varieties aud the crea-
tion of new ones. The country is sadly
in need of more fancy farmers.-Chicago
Times