The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-06-09
Culuvaring Small Areas.

The general desire to cultivate a,
much land as possible. has prevent
ed the thorough tillage of the soil il
many respects but the labor usual
" bestowed on large fields would
be more remunerative if applied u
smaller tracts. 1t often happen,
that in the attempt to work ovel
large surface the blowing, harrow.
ing and seeding are not performed
in a manner to secure the best re-
suits in termination and growth. II
is known that a larger amount Of
produce can be raised on a garden
plot, in proportion to space, than in
the fields, which is not due so much
to the rich soil of the garden, as 10
the excellent cultivation. The seed
bed of a garden is made as nne as
possible, the manure used Is well
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, not land, that farmers de
rive 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 receptacle of that which is to be
changed in character 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 In
dustriously TO secure Il crop from
twenty acres planted in corn, though
a larger yield may be secured on IL
acres with the aid OF fertilizers and
the same labor than was used on
twenty. The larger the yield on
any given space, the lower the cos
proportionately of the crop. Acrp
cannot be valued according to ehe
space it occupied, but in propo'lon
to the cost of production, ari o
first item 10 be considered Is the
rental, or interes, on the vale OF the
land.
1t is copsended that pmetlmes
circumstances prevent thgestrlctlon
of the ls0or to small feds, as the
yield would be insufficient with
some crops, but the am in such
cases should be to occupy the
ground with these crop which per-
nit of thorough cultivtion, as the
bestowal of the labor, If done intel
llgently, is equivalep to q certain
amount of capital, nd will get It's
reward when the cro IS marketed.
What is intended hre is to impress
upon the farmer ~ importance OF
more thorough flage. But few
fields have the Sed-beds made as
fine as garden, All yet the prepare
ton of the soil before the seed Is
sown is more important than any
other duty ~conIected with growing
a crop. Labork- often supposed 10
be saved by not lsing the cuitivator
until compelled by The rank srowth
of grass and VESTS, and the harvest
ing is of5en POSTPONED To as late a
period ss possible, owing to too
much land being cultivated.
No farmer should cultivate more
land than he can well attend TO.
There Is nothing gained by distrib-
utlng tae labor and manure. Eve
rything in the way of thorough cul-
tivatiol should be removed, and
every yard of distance saved 10
travelling over the ground to grow a
crop, ant by concentrating the la
Dor you lessen 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.