The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-01-25
Bill Arp on Intensified Farming.


We farmers thought we werC
mighty nigh ruined year before last
and we grunted and groaned around
amazing, but with last years crop we
got out of that scrape pretty well
! The fact is that farmers in the south
never did go into winter quarters bet.
! ter supplied with food for man and
beast. But we must keep a digging
pillow deep, and harrow, and roll, and
| ditch, and drain, and intensi-
| fy, as Mr.. Freeman saws. Intensity
is a good word about any kind of
labor, whether of mind or body. We
| have got to intensity sooner or later.
for the world is filling up mighty fast,
and there used to live philosopher
| by the name of Nautilus, who said
that mankind would finally be de-
Stroyed by starvation, for the world
didn't grow bit and folks were in
creasing every day, and it was only a
question of time when mankind would
Starve. l don't know about that. Man
is mighty smart animal, and Provi-
dence never made amiStake, and there
will be some way to feed us, sure.
There is no telling how far this inten-
styling business can go, and we have
already found out that the air feeds
plants more that the soil does.
Clothing was getting pretty scarce
when the cotton plant was discovered
and the loom and the gin were invent
ed. Wood was nearly all used up in
Germany when coal was discoy-
cred. Steam came along in a
good time, but steam takes too
much fuel and will play out before
long, and electricity take its place.
The sewing machine was invented
just when the women was mighty
tired Of plying the needle and thread,
and so it is with every want. They
are always supplied just at the right
time, and that gives me faith to be-
lieve they always will be. Faith is a
good thing to have-plenty of faith.
Providence hasn't failed to provide
the ways and means for six thousand
years, and we can afford to trust Him
awhile longer, reckon. Mr.. Nautilus
never dreamed of five bales of cotton
to the acre and $50 bushels of corn,
but it has been done-dOne by in-
tensifying. Bayard Taylor wrote
about two Indian jugglers who
planted an orange seed in the
ground before him and covered 1t up
with a tin can, and in two hours it
came up and put out its leaves and
branches, and doomed and bore fruit,
and he pulled an orange from the lit
tie bush and cut it, and he says it was
no fraud or deception, for he watched
them every minute, and he said the
only solution was intensifying the
elements of nature and forcing her to
do her work quickly. How's that
1t takes us all summer to raise an ear
of corn, but suppose we knew the Sc
cret of the Indian jugglers and could
raise it any day, what then
Nobody would starve, would theyp
We know that we can hurry
nature of fertilizers and stimulautS,
so if we can hurry her some, maybe
there Will way be found to hurry
her good deal. We don't need it
now, but the time will come when we
will and then it viii be found out.
AIS well that ends well. This world
fits us and we fit the world, and there
is no danger ahead. When the world
is DESTROYED or comes to an end, hui
manity win have another aud better
one all ready. 1t would be like NOV
ing into a new house. Solet the years
roll on, and let every man do his duty
to God and his fellow men and be
calm and serene.