The Bossier banner., 1890-08-14
FARMER AND PLANTER.
BURIED TREASURE.
Education and Intelligence as Applied to
Farming.

whether farmers should be educated. |
1t is one of those problems which has
worked itself out. American agricult.
ure has advanced from the rude state
Of the savage and the low ranks of
mere occupation, to the heights of an
interesting and experimental science.
Regarding the subject from practical
point, it is morally impossible for man,
ignorant of the first principles of nat
nral philosophy, to become thrifty
and progressive farmer. We see daily
illustrations of the grossest viola
tions of all natural laws. Take
for example the simple item
of breaking the land for plant
ing; in most cases it needs to be broken
from four to six inches, whereas the av-
erage farmer plows about two inches
below the surface, leaving unbroken
sub-strata of iron ore that it is impossi-
BILE for the roots of plants to penetrate.
The result is all chance of capillary at
traction is destroyed, and the plant can
not endure the drought or excessive
rains as well as if the soil received
proper cultivation. AS soon as the ex-
treme heat and drought of summer
comes on, it withers away for the want
of the moisture which it fails to draw
through this hard, metallic crust. Or
when the heavy rains set in, the thin
top strata is soon surfeited with
moisture, as it can not sink through
this same impenetrable crust, and the
surplus water must remain on the
surface till carried off by evapora-
tion, and during this process the
roots OF the plant, lying so near the sur
face as to be sensible of the direct rays
of the sun, are virtually scalded to
death, while the stagnant water is ex-
haling all manner of noxious vapors.
and generating the malaria, which is
such curse to our Southern climate.
This also suggests the Importance of
thorough drainage in connection with
deep cultivation, to better insure sani-
tary comfort, which we will speak of
further on.
The subject of deep cultivation recalls
the story of the Farmer and the Buried
Treasure, which used to read at school.
At the time it made small impression,
though in later years it brings itself to
my mind with force all its own.
"a farmer had two sons, and being
about to die he called them to his bed
side and addressed them in these words:
Sons, said he, there is a treasure
buried on the old farm. l trust you
will not make the mistake so many
young men have done, of going to the
city to seek your fortune amid whirl-
pool of uncertainties and ,disappoint-
ments, while honorable employment,
rich compensation for all your labor,
and a mind free from harassing
cares and corroding temptations,
await you here in your old home.
So make this my last and dying re-
quest, that you stay at the farm and
search for the buried treasure. | will
not disclose to you the exact spot where
it lies, but if you dig deep your
perseverance is sure to be re-
warded. Do not be discouraged if
you fail to find it at once. Itmay be sew
eral years, for it is not buried on the
surface, but when found the richness of
the treasure will repay you many times
over for the years Of labor and waiting
The brothers were not long in Begin
ming the search for the hidden treasure.
All their spare moments were employed
in digging for it, and while cultivating
the land they plowed and dug deep,
never losing sight Of the hope of turn
ing up the treasure with the clods.
Harvest came on apace, and its bounties
astonished both themselves and the
neighbors The years sped on. At
length at the close of the fifth year
their harvest truly was great and
their gamers and storehouses were
full. They had begun to realize that
with every sod they turned they were
unearthing the treasure for which they
had toiled so faithfully, and they could
but acknowledge the wisdom Of their
father in bequeathing to them the rich
treasure of the soil instead of the gold.
which, though so heavy, often takes to
itself wings and flies away And that
by teaching them habits of industry
and impressing upon them the impor-
tance of proper cultivation, he had left
them rich inheritance, that would be
theirs for all time to come. And so for
us all treasure lies buried, if we will
only dig deep to obtain it.
The intelligent farmer knows that it
is to his advantage to use labor-sayinp
machinery for cultivating and harvest
ing his crops. That a few hundred dol
lars judiciously expended for the best
brands of machinery, would prove a
wise investment, if the land is first nut
in a condition to use it. No sane man
will attempt to use machinery in field
intersected by open bitches, or full of
unsightly stumps. He knows well the
value Of cultivating every foot of land
that is not pretending to take a rest.
Open bitches must be made under
ground, i. e., those tributury to the main
one. This also obviates the trouble
and expense of cleaning ditch banks.
The stumps, though making such a for
midable array, are soon an army of
fallen foes, if proper tactics are en-
ployed. 1t is a good plan to have the
hands at all odd times take up the
smaller-sized ones, then in the fall set
apart certain sum to be expended for
that one purpose, and when a hand ia
engaged all the smaller ones will be
- Il