Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-05-10
THOROUGH CULTIVATION.
A Plan That Has Been Tested with Salts.
factory Results.

factory Results.
The farmer is under strong tempta-
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 light yields per acre,
and feel thai while they have tried tc
do a 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 i 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 verv small
scale. Yet the farmers of France are
quite prosperous, aS is demonstrated bv
the fact that they loan, in the a@gre-
gate, large sums of money to the Gov
ernment. The recuperatiye power of
France. manifested since the close OF
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 20 concentration. These men do
not cultivate two acres if they only
have labor and fertilizers enough for
one. Wherever they attempt to culti-
vate. they are liberal with manure and
unsparing with labor. With them this
course = = necessity. Land is very
costly. fertilizers are expensive. and
the labor employed represents a large
amount Of cash. The circumstances of
the farmers are very different. Land is
abundant and comparatively cheap. his
yards furnish Il quantity of manure.
and lie does not have TO pay his help
as high wages IS the gardener who is
near Il 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 a city or
far out in the country. whether it is 4
farm or a garden, 4 little land well
manured and thoroughly cultivated
pays great deal better than large
area which is poorly titled and to which
only half enough fertilizing matarial is
applied
In planning for active work. the
farmer will do well to study concen-
.ration. 1t will be far better to keep
half of field in grass. if there is only
manure enough for half of it, than 70
plow the whole and spread the fer
tilizer over the entire area. Such a
method will save 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.
The plan recommended in this article
is not put forth as an experiment. 1t
has been thoroughly tested and proved
to be entirely sa' isfaetory.-N. T. Ec-
angiBeT.