Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-08-07
AGRICULTURAL MATTERS.
FARM rRoBLRMs.
How Can All the Products OF Farm
He Mafuruad IN Itf


How Can All the Products OF Farm
ne Returned 60 Itf
Following IS : paper read before the
6olebury, Bucks Co., Farmers Clnb by
DR.. A. NJ. Diokie; The products Of farm
in this inquiry maans, OF course, the raw
or unmsnufaotured products. These are
grass, the different grains, fruits aud |
vegetables--suoh OropB as the farmer |
produces by oultlvating the soil the |
question then IL how shall these be re- |
turned 10 the aoil. so that exhaustion |
shall not be the result OF the farmers
operations II 10 Absurd TO suppose they
will be returned in the same shape in
which they are found by the farmer after
he has by his labor produced them and
has them in the form Of hay, corn, oats,
wheat, straw, fodder, &C., for IL they
were TO 90 back to the farm In that form
the farmer would be working for nothing
and boarding himself, and had better 60
into some other business.
Agriculture in its primitive stages was
pursued that the husbandman might
supply himself with food for his own sub.
sistenoe, not that he should thus supply
the wants OF others. But in the develop.
ment Of civilization division OF labor and
diversity in occupations were introduced,
many, in fact most Of them, differing
widely from the Agricultural and tending
10 the production Of articles Of necessity
or luxury for him. Thus the makers Of
clothing, Of implements, Of household
goods, &c., down TO the producers Of
luxuries and mere trinkets, are comprised
in the industrial world, all Of whom are
mot producers of food, but who must be
fed, and furnished with raw materials,
products Of the farm, mine and forest.
With this general advancement In the
demonstrations Of industry the farmer be-
comes something Of o manufacturer, in
that instead of selling the raw products
Of his fields to supply food to those who
need 1t, he transforms them into different
shapes, and thus sells beef, pork, mutton,
wool, milk, eggs, sugar, poultry, butter,
cheese and whatever manufactured pro-
ducts he may have to dispose of. To pro
duoe these advanced articles he must keep
live stock to consume the products Of his
farm and turn them into the other forms
which he may sell. These are Of course
products OF the farm, and by the sale OF
these to those who want and will buy
them he ia disposing OF what may be called
the advanced products Of his farm. II Is
true these advanced products make GER
rain draughts upon the fertility OF the
farm, but not in form OF raw material,
and are much less exhaustive than the
sale Of grain. The farmer then who keeps
enough live stock to consume all the raw
products, and TINS convert them into ad.
vaneed products which he may sell, can
by restoring to the soils without waste
the droppings and manure made by these
animals increased by the straw and othel
refuse, coarse litter, 60, practically re-
store all the raw products Of the farm.
We use the phrase restore "without
waste" In practice this is never done
There is always greater or less degret
Of waste Of fertilizing matter on the farm
But II all the raw products of the farm
are fed to animals, and only the products
Of these animals, as butter, eggs, WOO
and fat animals sold there need be bu
little exhaustion of the land. OF oours,
the bony frames Of animals sold will CARR
off some Of the mineral matter OF the soil
mostly phosphates, and these will hRv,
to be restored from an extrinsio source
The other mineral matter carried off il
the carcasses Of animals sold for food ar,
small, and really insignificant in amount
and need not be taken into consideration
Ii, however, q man turns his raw farm
products into milk and sells that he vii
soon exhaust his farm, unless he draw
largely on extrinsic sources for fertilizers
Selling milk will impoverish farm a
quick as selling grain. II our neighbor
hood the dairy is the strong hold of tn
farmer, lie feels he must not relax hi
grip on this, and 1t becomes very MIC
question now since the introduction Q
the creamery system how he shall pro
duce milk and sell it at the Dreamer
without impoverishing his farm. The lon
and short of the matter ia he cannot
1t. He may feed all lis crops to his COW
and buy feed produced elsewhere, an
still il it all goes through the COWS I
make milk to sell as milk, his farm begin
to suffer Immediately. This Ia eAsil
susceptible Of proof, bat do not feel tina
! am called upon at present to argue tn
question.
The farmer may keep all the COWS h
can, produce all the milk possible, but {
keep up the fertility Of his farm he mus
make butter at home and feed the skin
milk to pigs, calves and poultry. q
shall sell butter, pork, eggs and poultry
and by careful husbandry Of the fertil
izing materials that may be made unde
this system he can return TO the farm yer
nearly all the products of the soil, hav
pay for his labor, and keep up and eve
increase its fertility by the addition Of
small amount Of phosphstes each yeal
Such method of farming is adapted I
our section, but it Is NOT adapted to UNI
versal application, Many farmers 4
other localities distant from large citie
must sell grain and rear live stock to sci
Generally speaking these farmers are 0
new or virgin soils that will bsRr consiG
cradle depletion before showing signs
exhaustion. But this time will CON
when exhaustion of land will be reache
under such treatment.
In the western part Of this stat
especially in Washington county, Ian
was wonderfully increased in fertility /
the last quarter Of century by the shee
husbandry praetioed there. No extrins
sources Of fertiliziHg materials have bee
sought, but by keeping sheep, and col
Stunning the raw products OF the farm b
these animals, the fertility has increase
amazingly, and the farmers have grow
rich. This then must be the answer
the first part of my questions. Tt
products of the farm may be returned I
the land through the live stock kept O
the farm, and sales OF advanced {
manufactured products made.
Comfortable Homes.