The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1880-01-17

PROFITABLE FARMING.
How a Bucks County Farmer Clearc d
$4,000 Off One Hundred
Acres OF Land

The Reading Pa correspondent; % the Phila.
delphia L,dy'r furnishes the following:
Farming as a general thing. i not cun.idcre
very profitable employment, nor do farmer. IN
many sections o: the State retire upon fortune.
made by tlinythe soil bu, there arc some farmer.
who accumulate good deal Of money by proluc.
ing variety Of articles which years a 20 were no,
considered part Of their bushes. 4 visit re.
Gently 20 the farm Of Mr.. Christophcr Shearer.
i've miles north Of Reading. gave me good idea
Of progress. This farm contains 100 acres, and
has upon IL an orchard Of Bartlett pears. which
occupies 10 acres there are also ~ acres in
peaches and apples, and another apple orchard
which occupies l. acres Of land. From 10 90 90
acres are planted in tobacco. and the balance o.
the land IL planted in potatoes rye. strAwbcrrie-
artichokes willow tree. for baskets. AMI nursery
ofpeaeh trees. There is also a large pond for
gathering ice. 20 supply an immense refrigerator.
in which the fruit !. stored AMI kept until tie
market is favorable Cor its sale.
The crops gathered this year were Loco bush
els OF pears, which sold on an average 81 50 her
bushel: the peach orchard, which il quite youn.
produced 800 baskets. which sold for Il. per ba.-
ket. From the apple orchard there were picked
1000 busheg, which sold from 81 o. 81 so per
bushel. The apples tina, fell from the trees. and
those not con,idcrcd worth sending 90 market.
were sent TO the cider press and from them 2Oo
barrels OF juice were obtained. which i. now in
large watts. TO remain until i, becomes vinegar.
selling at IL cents per gallon. The patch VI to-
bacco yielded from 500 90 1000 pounds per acre.
and sold nj 10 cents per pound. In addition t.
this 100000 Of tobacco plants were sold At 81
per 1000: 1900 bushels Of Jerusalem arti.
ehokes were raised, for the purpose Of feeiin 2
cattle. but most Of them were cold in New York.
at from $3.50 to - per barrel, for picking pur-
poses, most Of them being used in Restaurants nj
bar-rooms as appetiEers or for lunch. The sale Of
willows produced sloo ,hi. year. and from the
nursery $500 was obtained by the sale of your; ;
peach and apple trees. Last spring four acres
were planted In Strawberries. and 1t is expected
that next year at lsas, i0.ooo quart. will be gath
cred. Notwithstanding the long dry spell in this
section OF the state. grapes enough were gathered
10 make coo gallons Of wine, which readily sells
for ~ per gallon. Mr.. Shcarer also purcha.ci
grapes enough from his neighbors 60 make 500
gallons more. On the other portions e the land
there were gathered IS tons Of hay. loo bushels of
potatoes. and $50 bushels Of rye. There wa. also
sold $500 worth Of ice. the pond yielding more
than was necessary for supplying the refngera-
tor, and $500 was received from other farmers for
storing fruit. dc.. in the ice house. The entir.
cost Of farming the land. including fertilizer. was
for the yesr. $1,000. The products amounted 60
over 1000. quite respectable profit loo
acres Of land"
Commenting editorially upon the above the
Lancaster pa Nee Era says:
by departing from the usual track in which
our agrieulturists have become 50 accustomed 90
tread. this progressive farmer manages 60 clear
about eight thousand dollars of his hundred acres
This will, no doubt. open the eyes Of some u our
slow-going Lancaster countians. but tho details
are given and may be accepted as reliable. Truck
gardeners living large cities have been known
10 realize much as . thousand dollars from n
single acre in favorable seasons, and our most in
teiiigent agrieulturists agree in saying that We
must adopt some other than the present methods
o. farming We desire or expect to compete with
the cheap lands Of the far West. Through the
medium Of small fruit growing and pear and ap-
pie orchards Il Is believed this be best accom-
plished. How profitable 4 small piece of land can
be made under proper culture is shown by the re-
suits on the farm already alluded to. IL Is n mat
ter that concerns every ter ofthe soil very nearly
and We commend the article TO their careful at
tention."