Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-05-11
Cultivate an Extra Acre.

To the Editor OF the Free fress and Times.
Noticing the large tracts of land lying idle
on many of the farms in this part of the
State, and presume 1t is the same in many
other parts, which with a li*le labor might
be made to produce excellent crops, has in
duced me to appeal to the farmers to put
forth little extra effort this season, to re-
deem this land from its present valueless
condition.
In view of the almost certainty of a gen.
eral European war, and consequently the
great demand which will he made upon this
country for breadstutts, it seems to me that
the farmers should exert special efforts III
the Agricultural de partmeut OF this State,
this year. Should the war continue only
one year, there will he demand upon the
United States for all the surplus grain it can
raise. 1t is estimated that 450, COO, 600 acres,
or seven eights of the southern territory, is
now lying idle or uncultivated, and owing to
the uncertainty of the Western crop, from
the grassEopper plague, etc. it is very i'm
portant that we should cultivate every foot of
ground possible. Nearly every farmer has
from one to twenty acres or more of land "
ing idle every year; pasture land that Is not
cleared, and which does not produce over
half the feed it would if properly cleared,
plOwed and re-seeded; meadow land. that is
run ont which would produce double the
value in grain that it does in hay; and land
not properly drained, etc. In most cases
this is the best land on the farm, and with a
little labor can be made to produce the best
crops. There never has been more flvOra-
BILE time for doing this kind Of work. Nearly
all the plOwirg was done last fall, and we
have had an uncommonly favorable spring for
doing our work, fully "A month earlier than
last season, and help has not been as plenty,
or ms cheap, for twenty years. \ little more
push with the help usually employed, will do
most of this work, and now is the time to do
it. Let us not look back this fall. should
grain be selling at the old war prices. and
regret that We did not spend a little more
time, or few more dollars i'll incr, asing our
crops.
Many farmers are getting along with as
little help as possible, or are doing what they
can themselves and letting the rest go un-
done, claiming that the times are so hard
they cannot afford to hire This looks to me
like penny wise and pound foolish" policy.
Keep no more help around you than You
actually need, but do not sacrifice the farm
to the cry of hard times.
IL Ditf Dttu Il tlutStltH Win lbl
several wears past, whether corn and wheat
could be grown with profit in this State, and
from the statistics, | should judge they had
decided in the negative. am not prepared
to say, that, ut the price flour and meal have
been selling Mt for the last few years, they
could he grown nj IL profit; but | do know
that it takes considerable small change to
buy flour Tor family, year. If there has
been any doubt heretofore. the advance in
fhe price of flour this Spring has turned the
scale in favor of wheat, and larger acreage
has been put i'll this spring than usual
While foreign war will effect our grain mar
ket i'll general. | think it will he more partie-
ularly iclt i'll the wheat nnd corn market.
In this State there ARE u little over .O0O.-
600 acres in farm crops. over 2.OOO,00O
acres i'll woodland. and about 100000
acres in pasture. OF this Loo. 900 acres
only nbout 1000 acres are sown to wheat
and Ii, 900 Acres planted to corn, with an
average of about II bushels of wheat, and 81
of corn to the acre VIII it pay us then to
raise these crops ? With the present high
price of wheat and corn. and II prospect of
still higher. is there any other crop that will
pay us we'll The ar'rnge per acre OF oats is
ilbou, - bushels. and of hay a little over II
ton Icr nrrr. lis tillnhlr land divided into
fnrms ut leo acres gives looOO ia ms. Now
If each of these farms wnnld clear up and
sow t" wheat. or plant to corn. only two
ncrcs uf this lille land. We would have AO.- |
coo extra bushels of wheat, or 1iO, 600 bushels |
of corn. worth more than cnonsh To pay all |
the taxes ON the GNdhr land IN the State for |
one year Giclt Britain is the great wheat |
market Tor tht. world They require an an |
nllnl importation oi ahuut SO.tNO, uuO bush |
els. In lS12 1t wle $4,000 uou. Many have |
snrpos, Il that Euesia Is the hrnViost contrib |