The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-05-12
THOROUGH CULTIVATION.
A Plan That Has Been Tested with Salts
factory Results.

factory Results.
The farmer is under a strong tcnipta.
ton to attempt to do too much. Every
spring many farmers plant more ground
than they can properly manure, and
put in crops which they can not thor.
oughly cultivate. Every autumn these
men have very lisht yields per acre,
and feel that while they have tried to
do great deal they have really accom-.
plished very little.
If these farmers would make a radi.
cal change in their methods, they would
certainly secure more satisfactory re.
turns 1t pays better to do small
business in thorough manner than tc
carry on a large one without the means
for its successful prosecution.
In France. the land is held in small
lots, and farm business is done on what.
to the American. seems very small
scale. Yet the farmers of France are
quite prosperous, as is demonstrated by
the fact that they loan, in the, aggre-
gate, large sums of money to the Gov.
ernment. The recuperative power OF
France, manifested since the close o..
the war with Germany. has been the
wonder of the civilized world. This
power is largely due to the prosperity
of the land-holders. and this is secured
by the concentration of capital, fer.
tilizers, and labor upon small areas OF
land.
If examples nearer home are desired,
they are furnished by market gardens
near all our large cities. These men
work on small areas. They manure
heavily and cultivate thoroughly. They
obtain immense yields. There is no
secret about their success. 1t is largely
due to concentration. These men do
not cultivate two acres if they only
have labor and fertilizers enough for
one. Wherever they attempt to cult.
vate, they are liberal with manure and
unsparing with labor. With them this
course is II necessity. Land is very
costly, fertilizers are expensive, and
the labor employed represents a largo
amount of cash. The circumstances of
the farmers are very different. Land is
abundant and comparatively cheap, his
yards furnish u quantity of manure,
and he docs not have to pay his help
rs high wages rs tho gardener who is
near city. Yet the conditions of sue
cess in the production of large and
profitable crops are the same in both
cases. Whether it is close to city or
far out in the country, whether it is
farm or garden, u little land we'll
manured and thoroughly cultivated
pays II great deal batter than large
area which is poorly TILED and to which
only half enough fcrtilizing matarial is
applied,
In planning for active work. the
farmer will do we'll to study concen-
.ration. 1t will be far hetter to keep
half OF field in grass, ii there is only
manure enough for half of it, than to
plow the whole and spread the fer
tilizer over the entire area. Such II
method will save y good deal of useless
labor, and will yield much larger per-
centage of profit than can be secured
by following the opposite course. The
same rule applies to labor. 1t will not
pay to plant ~ larger area than can be
promptly and thoroughly cultivated.
Tho plan recommended in this article
Is not put forth rs an experiment. 1t
has been thoroughly tested and proved
10 be entirely satisfactory. IN. Y. Ez,
gnsiHer