Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-06-20
3arm anO tonssboIo.

Why Es. |

Why Esti
On riding past clergymsn's nouse
the other day | saw Bro. r. hauling
out dressing upon a piece of ploughed
land which he was about TO plant, and
l Judge he was putting on about four
times as much manure 10 the acre as
farmers in Maine commonly use. He
was an Englishman, born and trained
in England, aud said he, al don't un-
dersland how Maine farmers cultivate
the soil. or how they manage. Ii is all
puzzle TO me. Here they own their
land. get il cheap, and cant get a liv-
ing of of it. don't understand it. Nv
father has paid $50 rent per acre for %
acres and has done it for 20 years, and
would be glad to pay that rate for 30
acres more if he could get it,"
The secret OF success, is clean and
thorough cultivation, and make it rank
and rich with manure as far as titled.
The soil naturally in England. is no
better than here, but the farmers iced
it, so their soil Yields immense crops.
Why not do the same here? WHY
try to cultivate four acres, and give
the four only the manure which one
acre should have?
Why should a good sensible man
make slave of himself by starving his
land?
Why not devote two months each
year to manure making, and let nothing
prevent? If this should be faithfully
done throughout Maine, each year for
five years, the productions of the soil
of our noble State would be more than
quadrupled. There would then be no
sending West for bread. No groaning
over poor crops. | often ask men, why
90 over so much land with SO little
manure? What do you gain by IL:
"O!' they say, 1--WE have always been
in the habit OF it, and that is the way
my father managed"
Most of the farms in Maine are starry
ing TO death. If their owners were
only half as hungry they would at once
cry out for bread. One acre on the
average can be made to produce more
than is now raised upon three.
For example, We may take the hay
crop and how much on the average is
taken from the acre, OF all the fields
moved even in The State of Maine
About half a ton, possibly three quar-
tiers, while at least one aud half tons
should be the average, and much OF the
land ought TO yield as high as three tons
10 the acre.
Ii is an encouraging sign that there
are few farmers waking up to :he
matter of high cultivation. In about
twent y.nye years this sort of culture
will be common, and farmers will pillow
up no more soil than they can manure
heavily and cultivate thoroughly, and
il those twenty-five years which are tc
be wsded through with experiment.
and disappointed hopes could only b,
jumped over by single bound and W,
cone at once into the work OF thorough
culture, what a saving of time and ia
crease of prosperity. There is DO gooC
reason why Maine NAV not becom,
almost all Eden" in fertility and hom'
attractions. With her grand anS
diversified scenery. her mountains
hills, rivers, lakes and forests; will
abundance OF minerals in soil and rock
waiting for the lucky man; with he
extended coast range; with her mex
haustible resources OF muck in tue in
terror, which is only waiting tor braii
and mu G to prepare and cart bacI
upon the high lands from which mos
of it came; with sea weed, musselbe,
and fish on the coast 10 make tn
fields richer than most men now max,
their gardens.
l think il is now an universally &C
knowledged fact that the great mass o
the population of our country, and evel
thousands who never yet touched
plow or hoe will have TO turn thei
brain and hand TO tilling the soil, an,
both wise and happy will be the new
made farmer who undertakes TO do o,
more than he can do well, making hi
ground rich and cultivatiIg it thorough
ly. Work only half done, or performe,
in a sloyenly manner will not pay.
BENJAMIN DODGE.
West Lebanon. Me.