The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-10-22
The Agricultural situation.

For the last quarter of century
at least the influence of the agricul
tural press and agricultural writers
nave been to encourage farming and
the love of rural life; and to encour.
age young men and middle-aged
men in fact all whom cities have
not enriched, to become farmers
Nearly every year many letters
reach us from the cities from those
4 who love rural lifel wishing to aban
| don city life, and 10 hecopfrs@tillers
of-the soil, saying that they are moi
content to be dependent consumers,
but desire to be independent produ-
GERS of the staple articles of life.
1t is a pet fancy with many, that
good, square, old fashioned farming
won't pay, but that there are by
ways of tiiiage, novelties, improve
ments, some unknown or untrodden
path to sudden fortune. They have
fanciful notions running through
their brains, such as sheep raising in
| Colorado or western Texas; or rails
ing oranges in Florida, or the wine
business in California, or spring
wheat growing in Minnesota;
while the truth is that the fewest
number of persons succeed on a
single speciality, and those few
came up to that speciality by de-
grees from the common level of
general farming. -....
He may become a market gar
dener or a dealer in garden truck,
or small fruit Culturist, or a grain
farmer, OF he may greatly increase
his stock in numbers, or improved
breeds and take most of his money
from sales of beef and wool, milk
or butter. But the present situa-
ton tells us that the Increase in the
production of Southern fruits and
vegetables has seriously damaged
market gardening as it is called.
The great crops of corn in the Yves
tern States have made pork too
cheap to leave any margin of profit
for raising hogs or pork for market.
Also many other branches of farm
ing have been rendered prof.Iess
by the railroad transportation, thus
bringing our produce in competi-
ton with the southern and western
portion of the country.
But on the other hand strong and |
permanent grass fields yielding two |
tons Of hay per acre are a profitable /
possession. They give more profit, !
with less risk and less outlay for la
Dor, than any other branch of farm
ing Improvements an having tools
has done much toward the profit
Of the hay crop, and the ordinary
farmer can hardly fail to master the
difficulties of the hay field Our
hay crop is harvested at from one
dollar to two dollars per ton And
IT Is TAR easier to keep up the ferti-
ity Of the grass field than OF II grain
field or a garden patch. Such min
eral and condensed manures as lime,
ashes, plaster, phosphates, bone
dust, etc, will make restoration 10
a grass field and enable their owner
to sell hay without selling his farm
by the ton. But to sell his hay and
restore nothing to his grass fields is
a ruinous policy.
In attempting to farm it without
hay, the farmer is lifting without
ever he is pulling a load with the
weight on the hind wheels; he is !
saving with broken saw; he is
blowing with dull p'ow; he is cut.
ing with broken axe. With grass
md hay as a basis, we may have .
grains, fruits, roots, stock, manures ,
tic with which to enrich the soil;
md then all triumphs 81 our arts
re possible. And to ali who pro-
,ose to buy farms I would say, look :
harply into it's capacity to grow !,
nutritious grasses, and also learn !.
What means may be available for :
erti3izing such fields. You NAV :
onvert that grass into milk and it's +
arlous products; into beef, into ma =
ure fer various crops, or yon may !
ell Il by the ton. according to the :.
acts OF your locality. The greatest j
britt ana the largest profit 1 have !.
ouced among farmers, were those ;.
mo made the hay crop the leading :
rop OF the farm. And In fact it is :,
he only crop that we can raise to ;,
be profit of The farmer. For we =
now that the hay crop is The ioun- ;,
alton of all other crops. 1t is in -
lct the great platform upon which :,
i good farming is to rest; for all !
Their crops are in a great measure !.
ependent upon the hay crop, and =,
ne hay crop alone.-A. b. Eduqht. I,
! Dirigo Rural. =