Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-08-24
TO FARM SUCCESSFULLY.
Suggestions for Marylantl-Views
of Statistician Snow.

OF Statistician Snow.
Those who compile statistics for the
government in the Department Of Agri-
culture at Washington are Of the opinion
that change must soon be made In the
present methods Of farming in Maryland
In other words, that if agriculture In
Maryland, Virginia and Delaware were
pursued under different conditions than
now that II would he more profitable, and
viewed in this light change must sooner
or later come.
To reporter of The Sun Mr.. u. W
Snow, assistant statistician, said: THE
leading crops in these States cngross al
most the entire attention Of the farmers.
while Il Is a diversity in farming, with
the special care Of the smaller crops, which
is going to pay. Cereals cannot be grown
with great profit In this part OF the coun-
try where the exhausted land has been re-
juvenated with expensive fertilizers.
whilst the rich products Of the virgin glebc
lands Of the West are placed within easy
reach by the small cost of transportation.
WESTERN COMPETITION.
I'm this competition with the West,
where the yields per acre are also mucl,
larger, the older States must inevitably
fail unless system which is at once far
more rational and economical shall be
pursued. Many Of the Western farms
have recently been purchased ut very
small cost from the government. The
cost Tor operating the immense acreage
with all the latest improved machinery Is
small. Taxes are low. and the cost oi
bringing 10 market is growing less and
less each year When these facts are con-
sidercd, beside big yieldsand no fertiliz-
ing, II is easy TO understand how corn
and wheat can be placed in the Eastern
farmers hand as cheaply. and, indeed,
even more chcaply in some cases, than il
can he produced by the Eastern farmer.
FARMERS MUST LEARN DIVERSITY.
This diversity Of occupation which
the farmers must learn applies as well 10
all productive indust rics. hut il can he
laid down ms law that agriculture is
most profitable. and, therefore, farm lands
more valuable In States where there is the
smallest number III workers in agricul.
turc, including in this term NIL farming
operations. This is easily understood,
from the fact that the cereals have thus n
much larger proportion of consumers no,
directly engaged in production.
NO better example of this is seen than
in the reports from the State of Virginia.
Still such Encouragement of occupations
for large number of people Is more cast
Is spoken Of than made. 4 practical
remedy is at hand. however. There should
bc greater variety Of crops raised than
is done. and in this diversity the West
cannot for many years hope to compete.
INTENSIVE VS. EXTENSIVE FARMING.
Instead Of extensive cultivation Of u
great field Of one kind, there should he
the intensive kind, that is a concentration
of attention on a variety of crops in small
patches. \ larger proportion Of the farm.
ers Of these States should engage in rails.
ing pcrishablc garden truck than is the
case, and the more attention paid 10 such
minor crops the better will be the result.
These fruits and vegetables are especially
valuable TO the farmer on account Of the
demand for them near home and the nee
cssi,y Of immediate consumption. The
item In frcights saved is also considerable.
Moreover, the fact that the goods are pei
ishable and will not stand the handling
gives them not Il little value.
TnE FARMERS CURSE.
"The curse Of the farmers of this neigh
borhooi, as have said, during and since
the war, has been their desire to cultivate
every acre of ground and 10 work the
land all they could. This extensive meth
od of farming has left the State full OF
worn.ont land, II having but served TO
rob the soil of nuirimcnt without yielding
commensurate return 10 its owners in an.
other way.
ut Is a mistake IN suppose that the
yield in cereals per acre in Maryland land
the same il very nearly true for Delaware
and virginia) has declined greatly in re.
cent times The statistics Of this depart.
ment running hack only about twenty
years do not hear out such a statement. -
This steady cropping aud rohbing the
earth Gifts nitrogen, hydrogen, phOspho.
rus and other constituents without max
Ing a return by crtilizing has had lis ex.
hausting effect. and there is no doubt but
that 30 years ago our fields were more fer.
tile than now. But after all the yield per
acre will compare iavorahly with that OF
the West.
HEALTHY COMPARISON.
Between the years 1870 10 1879 the
average yield for Maryland was 81 bush
els, during which time there were num.
her of seasons when the weather was ia
vorablc TO large yield, During The years
following Ia this date the weather has
been against the farmers. conditions that
may not he repeated again for years. and
the yield was somewhat smaller. In Nir.
ginia the average Tor the first decade was
90 bushels and for the other period il de-
clinc,l to I; bushels. Now, take Kansas.
II has rich black lands. which can be-
turned up at depth of or 10 feet. and
upon which crops are GROVE rs well on
the inverted soil as an The top soil The
highest yield for this grand soil was but
~ bushels. The reason Of this small yield
is the fact that the immense farms are only
skinned over and far less than lis maxi
mum produce, Is taken thercfrom. On the
other hand. the largcs, yield per acre in
wheat il shown in the return from The nj.
most barren lands of Vermont AMI New
Hampshire The average for the last
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