The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-07-02

complaints are Esaue. ioi IL seChiS 90 'ii'"S
it comes quite natural for all classes OF
farmers to complain at any and all times.
For instance the reports from the entire
wheat section of the state are rather fiat
tering, and yet the majority of the advlces
come in with reservation that the results
will be gratifying eff something don't hap
pen yet.
The custom of the farmers of this State
(and others since the war has been their
desire to cultivate every acre OF ground
and to work the land all they could. This
extensive method of farming has LETT the
State full of worn out land, it having but
served to rob the soil of nutriment without
Welding commensurate return to Its owners
in another way.
1t is mistake to suppose that the yield
in cereals per acre in Maryland has declined
greatly in recent times, as statistics running
back only about twenty years do not bear
out such statement This steady crop
ping and robbing the earth of its nitrogen,
hydrogen and PHOSPHORUS without making
a return by fertilizing has had its exhaust
ing effect, and there is no doubt but that
forty years ago our fields were much more
fertile than now. But after all the yield
per acre will compare favorably with that
of the West.
Between the years 1870 and 1879 the
average yield for Maryland was % bushels,
during which time there were a number Of
seasons when the weather was favorable to
large yield. During the years following
TO this date the weather has often been
against the farmers, conditions that may
not be repeated again for years, and the
Weld was somewhat smaller. In Virginia
the average for the first decade was 20
bushels and for the other period it declined
to II bushels. Now take Kansas. 1t has
rich black lands, which can be turned up
at depth of s or 10 feet, and upon which
crops are grown as well on the inverted
soil as on 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 their maximum pro-
duct is taken therefrom. On the other
hand, the largest yield per acre in wheat
is shown in the return from the almost
barren lands of Vermont and New Hamp-
shire. The average for the last mentioned
state is 81 bushels per acre, and the secret
lies in the fact that the ground is extremely
well fortified, and that it is cultivated as
carefully as it is possible for shrewd Yam
KEGS to do it. They are enabled to do this
on account of the small number of acres
that each puts in cereals.
The average size of farm in Virginia,
as is shown in the last census, is 16S acres.
In the West the figures are in the thou
sands, while in New England the farms
have a much smaller acreage. In Mary
land there is under cultivation about two
million acres of the leading crops, corn
and wheat leading with about l,25O 900;
hay and grasses coming third. Virginia
has over one-half of its cultivated acres
given to corn alone, while in the great
state of New York, with nearly five times
the acreage of Maryland, there is generally
less acres in corn than in Mary land.
These figures tell the story. 1t pays to
farm all truck products better than cereals.
The latter are grown merely for local con-
sumption, and a large part Of the flour and
even corn of these districts is bought else
where to an advantage Thus far 1t has
been proven that it is undoubtedly best to
work cereals only to a small extent and to
secure the highest possible yield per acre
that close attention and fertilizer can bring,
and, secondly, to operate only small farms.
One thing is certain, however, that Mary
land should be able to produce as large an
average number of bushels OF cereals to the
acre as either New York or New Hamp-
shire now do. The soil is as fertile, if not
more so, and the climatic conditions permit
of better results. One more lesson that
the Northern states can teach Maryland Is
derived from the immense success they
have made of dairy farming and stock rals-
inc. All their energies seem to have been
concentrated of late on creameries on a
large scale, and ii must be very profitable
else they would not continue to increase
their plants, and yet the farmers OF this
state. whose future we are discussing, should
do even better than their Northern brothers
in this specially. The winters are short
and mild and the stock grass Of the most
nutritive kind. Despite the fact that in
the Northern states the cattle must be fed
at a great cost five or six months of the
winter season, whilst in these parts, with
careful attention they could be left grazing
nearly the entire year.
In Maryland there were last year under
cultivation about 32S,000 acres in hay,
vet in New York more than one-half OF
the nine million acres under cultivation
were devoted to hay, and In Massachusetts
a leading dairy state, fully three-fourths OF
the acreage under cultivation was in hay
From all indications the raising Of these
grasses for stock purposes pays well.
Naturally the most valuable farm land:
in the East are around the centres OF con
sumption. For instance, the most valuable
lands are those of New jersey, located
between Philadelphia and New York city
where the occupation of market gardening
is largely pursued. The products have
high value, but the land yet higher one
though the soil is low and sandy and re
ouires beside much fertilizing. There il
no reason why land in Maryland, with it
MANY manufacturing interests and the prox
unity to Baltimore and other great centres
of consumption, should not increase il
value one-third, to make it average abou
SIS per acre, equal to that of New York
The soil is naturally much richer, and fer
tilizer can be purchased and placed on thu
farm at much smaller cost. IL. Il. j.
THE LARGEST VARIETY