The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-12-01
.iGRICELTURAL.
Uses of Largo Farms.

fGRICtLTCRAL L..
Uses of Largo Farms.
Francis ID. Mpuiio,. ia The Journal Of the Ameri.
can Agricutturdf .fssoeiufion for October
Wo now turn from the dry details Of de-
scrption which set forth after some feeble
manner the extent aud practical uses of the
great farms VIC have considered. Whether
he DO political economists or poet, practical
farmer or philanthropst, thcre is hardly
any man who will not recognize that in this
spot moro than, perhaps, In any other Oh tho
continent we havo the concentration and
capitalization of century of labor and of
thought. For there has never been much
poorer farming country than that which ex.
tends along tho Atlantic coast from Maine TO
Delaware, and II is to the glory of agricul-
ture and to industry that. in defiance of nat.
ural obstacles, exactly here should have been
wrought out to its fullest success the prob.
lem of how to obtain tho largest and most
valuable return from tho least susceptible
land. 1t is to display by the force of con-
trast, to tho greatest extent possible, the
nature OF the promise of the past that have
set forth the scenic resources, tho romantic
episodes, aud the historic events of this val
lcy-in direct opposition. one might say,
with the practical achievements Of which it
is now tho scene. Atlantic coast farming
had reached that point, not very many years
ngo, when the best advice to be givon to the
energetic and adventurous young man of
this part of tho country, by the sage and
philosopher, Horace Greeley, was eco
West" Ho went West, and the millions of
acres of land placed under tillage through
tho exercise of his best qualities attest TO
tho solidity and judgment of tho advice.
But, as one result of this, there has como
upon us that possible bane which accompa.
mics grandeur of rcsources-tho desire for
extent, rather than excellence in results.
We have como to think that % farm of so 600
acres is the snmmun 6onnm for tho farmer.
by this means close and skilful and scien-
tific farming was in danger of being lost to
us. Tho hundreds of thousands Of square
miles and tho millions of cattle seemed likely
to swamp us with their stupendous capacity
to answer TO tho absolute necessities Of men.
1t was temptation-I am prepared to admit
always Is temptation when we havo oppor-
tunity for snowy success, without tae bur-
don of tho necessity for accurate and close
toll. But tho old eaying, that ho Is o
public bcnefactor who makes two bladeB
OF grass grow whore auo grew before, does
not appear to recognize, after the modern
fashion. that breadth Of scope and perfection
and comprehensiveness Of result should be
Z
is, therefore. the moro crcdtablo to the man
who out of mcdiocrity brings excellence, and
with scantity encouragement achieves pur-
poses which in the end become vital in tho
good they do to humanity. 1t required such
n man as Mr.. Havemeyer 10 show what
could bc done where he happened to be, by
using largo resources with discrimination,
and adopting all methods which should in
the wiscst judgment tend to produce abso-
lutely the best results. 1t required such q
man as Mr.. Mills to establish the fact that
12O head OF horned cattlo and twelve horses
could be kept for seven months on tho pro-
duct of thirteen acres of land at $l5 head.
when tho average had been $50 head for
twenty head of cattle on 100 acres of land.
MIR. Mills, with his silo and ensiiago and Mr..
Havcmeycr, with his model farm including
the slo, have solved the problem of tho agri-
culture of tho future. In the matter of en-
silagc. for instance, it only takes n little
thought and lit.le foresight to discern
what grand result must grow from it's gon.
oral encouragement amongst farmers. Gene
rally spread over the Eastern States for
instance, this method of feeding cattle
would very soon result in argmenting to an
enormous extent tho value of tho Eastern
States themselves, and it is, therefore, to be
seen that while this part of the country Ia
without the boundlcss prairics and savannas
of the West. and consequently unequal to
the production Of grain to any important
extent, it iias tho capacity, if il will employ
the skill, t. engage TO the fullest extent in
that kind Of farming which is the most I'M
iortant to crowded populations. 1t is one
of the magnificent conclusions of our splcn-
did system of railroad transportation that
we can sustain our grain-h fields OF tho out
skirts of our civilization, and thus leave
room for the cultivation and growth of pro.
ducts which not only will not bear transpor-
tation, but which arc required OH the instant
to answer the immediate necessities of q
vast and growing people. Dairy farming is,
IN fact, necessary concomitant Of life amid
large POPULATIONS. Our great cities and
towns must have their milk, their butter,
their cheese and their eggs, just as they
must havo their garden truck, easily acces-
sibo and ready to be deposited at their
doors constantly and in unfailing quantities.
To effect this, in thickly settled country,
it is easy to SEQ that the farms must be com.
paratively small, and utilized to the fullest
capacity of their acreage.