The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-17
Cultivating Small Areas.
NIL lnfr

The general desire to cultivate as much land
as possible has prevented the thorough tillage
of the soil in many respects; but the labor usu-
ally bestowed on large fields would be mora re-
munerative If applied to smaller tracts. 1t often
happens that In the attempt to work over large
surface the blowing narrowing and seeding are
not performed in a manner to secure the best
results in termination and growth 1t Is known
that larger amount of produce can be raised on
garden plot. in proportion to space, than in
the fields which is not due SO much to the rich
soil of the garden to the excellent cultivation.
The seed bed of garden Is made as fine as pos
sible, the manure used Is we'll decomposed.
and the grass and weeds are kept down from the
start
The same attention that Is given to the garden
may be applied to the fields, but more labor will.
of course. be required. 1t is in the proper use
of labor tnot land) that farmers derive their
profits. They value their fields as the source
from whence comes the wealth, when in reality
the soil should be considered as only the recep-
tacle of that which is to be changed In char
acter and rendered marketable. 1t is by labor
that the soil Is made to yield generous crops
but that labor may be misapplied or wasted. A
farmer may work industriously to secure crop
from twenty acres planted in corn, though a
larger yield may be secured on ten acres with
the aid Of fertilizers and the same labor than
was used on the twenty. The larger the yield
on any given space the lower the cost, proper
tionGtely, of the crop. A crop cannot be valued
according TO the space 1T occupies, but In proper
ton to the cost Of production; and the first item
to be considered is the rental or interest on the
value Of the land.
It is commended that sometimes circumstances
prevent the restriction of the labor to small
fields, as the yield would be insufficient with
some crops, but the aim In such cases should be
to occupy the ground with those crops which
permit of thorough cultivation, as the besIowal
of the labor, if done intellgently. Is equivalent
to a certain amount of capital, and will get it's
reward when the crop is marketed. What Is In
tended here is to impress upon the farmer the
Importance of more thorough tillage. But few
fields have the seed beds made as 1ne as garden,
and yet the preparation of the soil before the
seed is sown is more important than any other
duty connected with growing crop. Labor Is
often supposed to be saved by not using the
cultivator until compelled by the rank growth
of grass and weeds. and the harvesting is often
postponed to as late period possible, owing
to too much land being cultivated.
No farmer should cultivate more land than he
can we'll attend TO- There ia nothing gained By
distributing the labor and manure Everything
In the way Of thorough cultivation should be re-
moved, and every yard of distance saved in
travelling over the ground to grow crop, by con-
centrating the labor, lessons the cost. Small
areas may be made profitable and remunerative,
and, In proportion to capital and labor required,
give good returns to the farmer when large fields
can only be cultivated at a loss.