The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1884-07-19
Farming In High Latltudcs.

ip 70 settlement a sufficient extent of
Jerfitory TO constitute two great em-
Dires. The natural resources of the
through which these roads
pass are chiefly agricultural. It has
been demonstrated that the soil and
climate are well adapted to the produc-
lion Of wheat. The yield of the grain
IS quite large and the quality most ex-
cellent. Up to the present time the at
tention OF the settlers has been directed
almost entirely to the production of
wheat. The recent decline in the price
Of that staple has had discouraging eff
feet. Farmers have been led to believe
that the price of wheat in the Chicago
markets would never be less than one
dollar per bushel. They have been
taught that wheat was sthe plant of
civilization" and the demand for IL
would increase with the progress of the
people in all parts of the world. They
have also been informed that the area
of territory adapted to the profitable
production of wheat was somewhat
limited. Recent experiments and in
vcstigation show that wheat is adapted
to greater range Of latitude and a.
larger variety Of soils than any standard
crop. IL succeeds well in tropical IT'S
in temperate climates By means of
irrigation it produces bountifully, yield
ing two crops year, in countries where
there is a deficient rainfall during the
growing season. Tunis, Algeria, South
Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India,
Asiatic Turkey, and several countries in
South America, all bid fairto compete
with Russia, Canada, and the United
States in supplying the countries in
Western Europe with wheat. Several
OF these countries possess great advar-
tages over us in the matter of cheap
labor. Some of them only want better
means of transportation 70 successfully
compete with us.
The present Indications are that the
price Of wheat will remain low. This
of itself furnishes q good reason why
farmers who live where it Is a leading
crop should give attention to other pre-.
ductions. There are besides grave OBJ
jections to giving entire attention to a
single crop. II it fails on account of
bad season or the attack of insects the
farmers are Lett in q bad condition.
Observation shows that insects injurious
ito any particular crop multiply very
fast when this crop covers large pro-
portion of the ground, and remains in
cultivation during several successive
years. A single crop is likely to ex-
ihaust the soil Of the elements necessary
ito produce it. This is especially true
of wheat in most parts Of this country.
The decline in yield was very rapid in
some parts of New York and Virginia,
where it was sown year after year on
the same ground. The production Of
wheat has been kept up in England dur
ing q very long period, and the yield
Is as lnrge as ever, but excellent
management has been required to
enable farmers to make it paying
crop. 1t takes its appropriate place
in q system of rotation, and the
soil receives special fertilizers the sea-
son 1t is sown. In some portions
of Turkey it has been raised for many
centuries as an almost exclusive crop.
The land, however, hos been allowed to
remain fallow alternate years, but it is
plowed several times during the season.
The soil is very rich in mineral SUBJ
stances, and the climate singularly
adapted to the production of wheat.
In India and Egypt wheat has been
raised for centuries on the same ground,
but 1t is irrigated, and the water that is
let ON the land contains all the requisite
elements Of fertility Examples Of
raising many successive crops Of wheat
on the same land without resorting to
iallowing or irrigation are not numer-
GUS In any part of the world.
A variety of crops is desirable for
many reasons A single crop furnishes
only at certain seasons OF
the year. 1t is likely to require more
hands and teams than can be obtained
ut the times when they are most wanted.
and to leave them without employment
during entire months. In country
having very short growing season the
of the ground for crop.
the seeding, and the harvesting
are crowded into an exceedingly
short period. The delay of even a few
days will cause failure or result in
The ruin Of the crop that has been raised
Farmers to be prosperous need remun-
erative employment most of the time.
The greater the number Of crops raised
The better Is the prospect of having such
Some may be planted
early and some late. Some will re-
luire no cultivation and some will need
I during most OF the growing season.
some can be harvested in the summer,
tome in the early part OF the fall, and
still others on the approach of winter.
The prosperity of the farmers in
he New England States and in
Eastern Canada is chiefly due to
he fact that they have remune-
'ative employment during nearly all the |
ear. They raise q great variety of |
'rops which give employment to men
md teams from the time the frost leaves
he soil till the snow covers the ground. |
During the winter the farmers are en-
'loyed in taking care of stock or in
and fishing. In the portions
i the Northwest that have been recently |
'pened up to settlement, there is little
'romise Of finding profitable occupations
outside farms. There are few or no OBJ
,ortunities for numbering, mining or
ishing. As yet there are few manufae-
cries of any kind, and few raw ma
erials TO work up. For these reasons a
diversity of farm interests is desirable.
{ should be the study of farmers to
scertain what new branches of in
ustry they can engage in with profit.
Apart from the matter of shelter dur
lg the winter there appears To he no