Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-16
The Science of Farming
Philadelphfn Recora

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An absurd idea seems to exist that it is
easy enough to be farmer, but the falla.
cy of the theory is gradually being
demonstrated. One of the greatest
changes produced in France by the revo.
luton of 1889, was the succession of real
estate Primogeniture, fraught as it had
been with the oppression of the peasan-
try, who were liable to forced labor, and
little less in bondage than the Russian
serfs, or the negro in this country twenty
years ago, was viewed with horror and
speedily enacted against. Grand Seig-
neur mansions were razed to the ground,
and the land gradually came to be par
celled out into minute divisions. But
the new system was not a success by any
means. On the contrary, the agricultural
condition of the country, which had been
bad enough, became gradually worse.
II took nearly half a century to teach the
new owners of the soil how to cultivate
it. Even now the agriculture of France,
except around the great cities, cannot be
regarded as in a tlourishing condition for
a country naturally so fertile. Poor men,
who knew nothing of the science of
agriculture, undertook to till the soil
Such crops as they most required were
gathered from the fields year after year.
There was nothing in the shape of
manure given back to them, and so
the ground became gradually exhausted
and the yield continually less. 1t may
be set down as natural law that for
value received from the earth equal value
must be returned, and it has been clearly
demonstrated that under ordinary condi-
fc q
the successful prosecution thereof de-
mands capital and high order of intel
ligence. What has been the experience
in France is. in a measure, the case in
this country, and the fact is beginning
to be realized. In ante bellum days the
vast plantations in the South were ex-
hausted by the cotton crop only to be
given over to the "bush." Since the
war the shlftless mode of farming pur-
sued by the negroes has only yielded
them meagre subsistence by a constant
change of "truck patches During
the present year, however. the farmers
in some sections of the South have
brought to their assistance
higher order of intelligence.
have expended capital in fertilizlng
their grounds, and are blessed with fruit
full crops accordingly. Most of the lands
of New England are in a measure ex-
hausted, and the men who till them have
not, as general thing, money to put fer
tilizers on them and keep them in condi-
ton. The same process is going on in
the West. Thousands and hundreds of
thousands Of acres have had magnificent
crops drawn from them year after year,
and nothing in the shape of manure given
back to them, just as millions of trees
are felled and only a few hundred
planted. If agriculture is to go on in
this manner, the time will yet come, with
all our boundless territory and virgin
soil, when we will get little return
from a large portion of our lands
unless heavily MANFRED, the means to
secure which will be held by capitalists
who will expect heavy interest on their
money Nearly a century ago Thomas
Jefferson bemoaned the decay of agIi-
culture, but what would he have said
now, when farmers go reckessly ahead
as though on the principle that as pos
terity has done nothing for them they are
bound to do nothing for posterity.
There is no reason why farm may not
become more valuable with each sue
ceeding year, but to insure this the far
mer must understand the science of agri.
culture, and be as generous toward
Mother Earth as he would have her be
to him.