Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-10-15
IMPROVE THE FARM.
Large Tracts u Land Not ~ Profitable -
| Properly Conducted Small Farms.

| Large TroctS q Lana NOT ~ Profitable ~
Properly Conducted Small Farms.
! Farmers want moro land. They
seem possessedpwi an ambition tc
have their boundary lines circumscribe
tas mary acres as possible. They seem
to think that the advice given by the
old lady to, her husband, in Edward
IEggleston' story of the Hoesier school.
master, when he was about to buy land
after they had gotten to ..Injianne." to
git a plenty while you're gitten, is
good enough to be improved upon; and
so they not only get as much as they
can when first buying farm. often
making a cash payment which would
have paid for small but large enough
farm, then run into debt for two OF
three times more land than is actually
needed. Then, after years of pinchins
economy, and they have succeeded in
paying for their first purchase and
have gotten little cash or stock ahead,
instead of using their means to improve
their farm, and make things more tidy
and home like. put up better, more con-
venient and comfortable buildings, put
music. pictures, books, papers, good
stoves, washing machines, ETC., into
their houses, they simply 60 and buy
more land. Of course this is not al
ways true, and the tendency is not so
strong that way as it was a few years
ago. Yet there is much room for i'm
provement in this direction.
As rule our farms are too large.
There are some conditions under which
extensive farming pays; and arguments
may be advanced in support of large
| farms. To run farms of five hundred
or one thousand acres successfully and
profitably requires capital so large
that but few farmers cap command It.
1t also calls for an executive ability
rarely met with in any ealing Of life.
The idea that any fool can farm must
and is giving away, even in regard to
the small farms; and the time will come
when it will be found and admitted that
to successfully manage thousand acre
farm on an intensive system VIII re-
quire man to be fitted for his work by
natural endowments and long and care
full preparation.
Problems connected with agriculture
are among the most serious and mo-
mentous of the age. The wants of the
world for food and clothing are ever in
creasing. These must be supplied by
the farmer, and in adequate quantities,
or there is suffering. To meet this de-
mand the farmer must be recompensed
so that he can live comfortably and
happily, SO that he may maintain and
improve his intellectual condition, so
that he may keep up with the onward
march of civilization. But while he is
to be thus recompensed his products
must be given to the world at such
prices as will enable mankind to buy.
10 accomplish these ends will require 3
more careful system of farming than we
have been wont to employ. twill add
all our resources,
We as a people have been spreading
over this continent at such 4 rate that
there seems to be but comparatively
little land left for occupation. But we
are spread too thin. If the $4,000. 900
of people of the United States were oc-
cupying less than half the area they are
now. and the agricultural and manu-
featuring resources properly developed,
they would be better Off and the cOun-
try would be richer. The income from
our farms could easily be doubled. and
in doing that their value would be
largely increased. While farmers are
desiring and adding more acres to their
farms, they are not using what they al
ready have and rave been fencing and
paying taxes on for years. 1t is hardly
possible to 90 onto farm. where the
land is at all broken, without seeing
more or less land lying idle which
might be made as profitable Us any on
the farm with little extra work. If
a slough runs through a field it is
allowed to take its winding, tortuous
course, occupy a strip of land from
one to three rods wide in the richest
part of the field, on which nothing
but rank weeds and briers can grow.
Such a strip of land is unsightly; it
is nursery ground for the propa-
CATION of noXious weeds; it affords
a harbor for destructive insects and ver-
min, and it takes just as much to fence
it as any part of the field, is taxed as
high. and the slough does not answer
the purpose of waterway as we'll as
it might be made to- The course of the
run should be made as nearly straight
as possible so that team can be driven
along side; or if the fall is not too great,
the run can be made broad and shallow
SO a team can walk over it. Then if it
is seeded with redtop or blue grass. all
washing will be prevented. The slough
then will serve as drain much better
than when its course is so winding and
choked up with weeds. and need not
occupy more than four or five feet Of
land.
Besides these there may be seen, on
many farms, patches of brush or grubs.
worthless for any purpose, but simply
encumbering the ground.
Would it not be well, instead of buy
ing more land, to try and improve and
make available that on which interest
and taxes are being paid?
Even if no more land is to be bought
an effort should be made to make the
farm as paying as possibly by having 4
all in USE Now after the summers
work is over put the men and teams at
work on such Improvements. 1t Will
pay if the farm is still to be cultivated,
and it will pay if it is to be solI.-COie-
mans Rural World
Mnfhar Gooeo