Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-05-15
Notes on Agriculture.
ny a LIFELONG FARMER.

NJ LIFELONG FARMER.
Ofall the pursuits known among
civilized nations that of tho farmer
is the most ancient and honorable.
The man who skillfnlly cultivates
the earth on which be treads does
his duty towards his fellowmen and
yields obedience to the laws of God,
and man il Natures nobieman.
Since the earth was formed and
fashioned and man has existed it
has been essential for his well-being
that a large portion Of mankind
should he tiling rhe soil and extri-
eating from the bowels of the earth
his natural sustenance. That part
of the globe which we inhabit yields
abundantly of the commodities most
conducive to our health and comfort
with only limited amount OF sci
entific knowledge. But while we
glory in our present advantages in
havinga fertile soil and abundant
facilities for the transportation of
our surplus productions we should
bear in mind the fact that there is
ample room for Improvement. If
all our labors were performed in a
proper manner we should be blessed
with greater remuneration for
them. Let me point out in this de-
sultory sketch some of the errors in
our vocation. In the first place we
try to cultivate too much land. In
stead of scratching over large
area as great many farmers do,
we would raise better crops and
harvest them with = great deal less
labor by confiniIg ourselves to a
smaller number of acres and Guilt
waiting our land more thoroughly
and applying more fertilizers. The
great desideratum is to obtain the
largest crops with the least labor
and maintain the fertility of the
soil. The man who annually raises
and takes from mis- field large guam.
titles of grain and returns nothing
back to compensate tor the exhaus-
ton of the soil ia sure to make a
failure 10 the end. There is no soil
80 rich that it cannot be made un-
productive in series of years by a
bad system of husbandry ard there
are very few soils so sterile that
they cannot be made to yield COM
petence by proper management.
One great error with the majority
of farmers consists in keeping too
much stock and in some instances
letting it perish for want of proper
food and shelter If one third of all
the stock in the country were dis
pensed with | have no doubt our
profits would be greater. We ought
to raise better quality of stock
than what is to be found on most of
the farms in this country. Good
stock will always bring a better
price and pay for the labor bestow-
ed on it than stunted stock will.
A great many farmers are embar.
assed by by running in debt and
and having to pay interest while
trying to live beyond their income.
Let us hope that the lesson taught
us by the hard times through which
we have passed will be beneficial in
the future.
In the present state of things it
is not easy to determine what Is the
most profitable crop to cultivate,
but if we vary our pursuits and
have abundance of different pro-
ducts to spare some of them will
be in good demand and bring a
good price. Too many of US get
discouraged and emigrate for our
own good. This country has its
advantages and its disadvantages
as we'll as other countries and we
need not expect to find spot on
the face of this earth without draw
vucko III sUme suape. L nave IIved
in Wisconsin more than As years
and have never seen the wolf (of
starvation) yet. We have had to do
with rust, smut and chinch bugs in
our wheat, with early and late
frosts on our corn and other produce
tons of our farms and with hard
tiuCb III 2CucIdi OuL 6uCD rs UhVb
acted prudently have been blessed
with plenty. Let us all endeavor
to make some Improvement in the
management of our farms; do our
work better whilst we realize that
if our vocation ia a toilsome one it
is a healthy business. Would it not
be beneficial to US as q class if we
would establish a farmers club in
every vicinity in our land and dis
cuss the various topics relating to
our farming operations. A vast
amount of useful Information might
be disseminated and our calling ele,
waited. Let no man who guides the
plough suppose that his business is
not deserving of deep thought and
mature deliberation.
Every farmer in our land should
take and read some agricultural
paper and thus add the experience
of others to bis own.
MOSES W. DARNALL,
Hurricane, Wis, MAY 8. 1879