The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-07-26
WHAT SMALL FARMERS CAN DO.
Atlanta Constitution.

Jolho uio pdl IlSuldI SoIdLC, Jul uC
makes great mistake when he en-
cages in farming On an extensive
scale.
Prince Krapotkine, who has made
a careful study of the subject in
France, gives number ofinstances
in the country districts around Par
is, where comparatively ignorant
farmers have made small market
garden enormously productive.
One farm is mentioned by him OF
two and seven-tenths acres which
produces annually 125 tons of mar
ket vegetables of all kinds. The
owner of this farm by building walls
to protect his land from cold winds,
by whitening the walls to secure ali
possible radiated heat, and by the
constant and judicious use of fertili-
zers has his little farm in a produc-
tive condition from the first of Jan
uary to the last of December. By
simple and expensive means he
has practically located his farm in
the tropics.
A French gardener does not care
what kind of soil he starts with. He
would be satisfend with an asphalt
pavement, because he makes his
soil, and so much OF it that he has
to sell it to keep his place from being
gradually raised above the level of
the surrounding country. When a
farmer once understands the laws of
chemistry he has no difficulty ia
making soil that contains all the
materials needed for plant life.
Prince Krapotkine speaks of one
gardener who has covered half an
acre with a glass roof, and run
steam pipes supplied by a small
boiler under the ground sheltered by
this covering. The result has been
that he has cut every day for ten
months from 1000 to 1900 large
lunches of asparagus, a product
which under ordinary conditions
would require sixty acres of land.
But this result has been surpassed
by an English farmer, who has
made a one acre mushroom farm
yield him an annual income otS5O0O.
Under the French method of cul-
ture it wonld be possible to make
one square mile support 1000 hu.
man beings. On such a scale Of
productive capacity this country
would support population of 5000.
100000. Even when we knock of
a fair per centage for mistakes, ex
agerations and unfavorable condi.
tions, it will be seen that we are IL
no danger of having an over crowd
ed population for many centuries tt
come. There is no reason why oul
eastern farmers should go west fol-
more elbow room. Their grea
drawback is not the want of more
land; it is the possession of too much
land.
In some localities in Switzerland
the traveller on the plains or in the
velleys looks up to towering preci
pice 1000 feet above his head
When he laboriously climbs to the
summit, expecting to find nothing
but a bare rock, he sees before hin
the smiling expanse of productiv,
fields, with pretty cottages dottins
the landscape. The peasant pro
prietors started with only the naked
rock under them. They carried tn,
rich soil of the valleys in baskest OF
their backs up the steep mountain
side, and went to work with a will
until they transformed their sterile
patches into blooming gardens.
The success OF European farmer,
with all the forces of nature agains
them should be an inspiring lessor
to our tillers of the soil. The Amer
lean small farmer has only to unit,
brain work with hand work to max,
himself independent and comtorta
bic Ii not rich. But without thi
union Of the brain and hand Their,
can be no great and permanent sue
cess.
A man went into Sandersville tn,
other day riding in cart drawn BY
one OK. His load consisted of him