The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-10-14
Less Land and Better Tillage.


ferent parts of Minnesota this fall, our
conclusion is strengthened that it
would pay the farmer to cultivate less
land, and cultivate what they do work
better; though, as a general rule. it
cannot be said that farmers, to any
very great extent, neglect the proper
cultivation of their fields. A great
improvement in this respect has TAX
en- place during the past few years;
and nowhere is it more manifest than
in the neighborhood of Mortified.
Less straw is burnt, and it is a source
of great qualification to know that the
farmers are generally saving the ma
nure from their stables and applying
it to the farms. A few years ago few,
if any, of the farmers thought OF such
thing.
Now, with a high tillage, it does
seem that as much, and may he more,
grain could he raised on fewer acres
than is produced now. BY doing 50 it
would lesson the expense of seed, as
we'll as it's cultivation and harvesting.
With ground thoroughly prepared and
by the use of fertilizer, such rs ma
nures and plaster, thirty bushels Of
wheat to the acre would not be a great
average on the old lands of the State.
This could not be accomplished in the
same fields year after year, but while
one field on the farm is put into wheat,
another should be producing tame
grasses, such as timothy and clover;
another to corn and oats, and still an
other to potatoes and vegetables, TINS
establishing regular rotation OF
crops, the effect of which would all
the time be going through the neces-
sary preparation to produce big crop
of wheat when it's time came.
The fact has become apparent to
the farmers of the old settled portions
of Minnesota, that the soil needs rest.
It must sleep. The cultivation Of
wheat in the same field year after year
will wear out any land. Even the
rich, fat soil of Minnesota won't stand
it. There is an end to all things.
Seeding down these old wheat fields to
grass, for two or three years, a Won
derful change in the product Of grain
will occur. It gives it rest, and recu-
perates it's producing elements.
It is notorious that as general rule
the small farm Of forty acres produc-
es more in proportion to the larger
farms of one hundred and sixty and
more acres. and why? Simply be-
cause the small farmer has more time
to work it thoroughly and effectually.
Look into Carver county where there
are so many small farms. Why their
owners have got rich off of forty acre
hOmesteads. Such thing as a fail
ure of crops has never been known by
them. The older we grow the more
satisfied we are that less land and
better tilliage will pay the average
Minnesota afarmer.-1Tibune
As it is well known to our readers,
this has been one of the principles
which we have warmly advocated for
the past year. We have written line
upon line bearing on the subject.
Why! Because in this new country
we are liable with q few good crops,
to overlook the great laws of nature.
and in the excess of our blindness
lose sight of the fact that our land is
grown weaker and weaker, ultll all
of sudden it fails altogether and we
stand on the verge Of dispair, and
heap hard epithets on our misnamed
''misfortune, and cast around for
some other ''new country to immi'
CRATE tn. One object further is. to
impress upon our friends the fact
that our soil being good now, we
should keep it 50 by proper care in
stead of waiting for a failure, and
then begin to recuperate the wasted
energies Of the soil, necessitating a
long and expensive process.