Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1880-02-26
AGRICULTURAL.
American Farm Animals.
NO. 2,

EIOWH tudt laIt Wv p w ~ "
TO live stock should add to the profit
abIeness of farming is conclusive. Ih'
cxperience of vast numbers of farmers
has demonstrated lis correctness. Bu
it will not do to lay down an absolute
rule that all farmers should breed or
feed domestic animals. There are cases
in which this would not be advisable
In exceptional circumstances it may
be best for landowners and cultlvator!
not to own or use any farm animals
many more in which those used to dc
the needed work for the farm are
ell it is advisable to keep. In the VI
cinity Of large cities vegetable culture
NAV be much more profitable than
animal culture; on some soils and IN
some localities the growth of grains
may be most profitable. These cases
however, are exceptional circumstan'
ces in which exclusive attention to the
animal is best. The percentage OF
American farmers for whom it Is wise
to ignore the production Of either veg
etable products or animals is very
small.
The United States must long con-
tlnue to export agricultural products
in large quantities. Unlike such a
country as England, with large pop
ulation on a small, territory, We have
a very large area Of good agricultural
lands compared with our population.
Cur agricultural production is largely
in excess Of the possible consumption
by the present population. The pol
lev Of our Government is TO encourage
the utilization Of all the valuable land,
and tie advantages Of absolute owner
ship Of land are such that we may
confidently expect steady increase
in the area Of cultivated land until al!
in the country, suitable for tlIlage, h as
been made use Of. 1t must be many
wears before the manufacturing, min
ing, commercial, and "non.proiuclns
classes Of our population become so
numerous as to be able to consume the
surplus products which the whole body
Of American farmers will annually
place on the markets. All agricultu'
raj products are not equally we'll suit
ed for expectation. Some are more
perishable, more bulky in proportion
to value, in less general demand than
are others. The same general rules
apply TO the choice Of articles to eX-
rort from countries and to the seIec-
ton of articles to be sold from the
farm.
Emerson's apt saying: "That which
is bad for the bee can not be good for
the swarm" has clear application
in thi; matter. 1t is better, other
things equal, to export the mannfac-
tured article, rather than the raw ma
terial: the condensed rather than the
dilute the high priced rather than the
low priced; the products which take
least Of valuable fertility from the
soil rather than those which take more
Animals and ANNA! products are bet
ter suited for expectation, for each Of
these reasons, than are grains or
grasses 1t Is not to be expected that
our agricultural exports will be excIu-
sively confined to animal products,
but it is almost absolutely certain that
these will continue to be among the
most important ofall onr exports, even
if they do not take the first place.
In our comparatively newly settled
country, we do not appreciate as we
will in future years, the Importance OF
outstanding the fertility Of our soil.
The soil was made to be used; it is
impossible, in farming generally, to
avoid some loss Of soil material. But
the soil should be used, not abused;
and the loss should be only that which
is unavoidable. Hence, as the country
grows older, it will become an increas-
ingly important question, what We can
expect from our farms and from our
country with least loss to the soil in
proportion to the return made. And,
for both farms and country, it will, as
rule, be found the animal better
meets the case than does the plant.
As is the case Of different farms, so
different parts Of the country are not
equally we'll adapted to the raising OF
farm animals. Each class of these
animals is able to adapt itself to a
wide range of climate and Of food but