The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-01-21
FARM NOTES.


communications for this column should be ad
dressed
Senator Casey Of North Dakota is
one of the most extensive farmers in
the United States. He is a large
stakeholder in, and is business man,
ager Of, the Darlington & Casey Land
company, which has 5000 acres in cut
tivation. He is broad guaged man
and is well posted on the agricultural
situation in the Northwest. In re.
cent interview with a reporter of the
New York Herald he said, in reply to
a query as to whether the tendency
was towards larger or smaller farms;
II think everything points to expan'
sive farming. The farms of the future
will be large rather than small ones.
Farming becomes more of business
eyory year, and the probabilities are
that from row on it will be one of the
best paying industries in the United
States. The day of cheap land is
passing away. There is very little
unoccupied government land left
which is worth anything, and the day
| has come whom the prices of cereals
must rise, and the people must pay
the farmers what their products are
worth. The increased consumption
OF wheat the world over averages 49,
100000 bushels every year, and this
increase will 20 on. The time will
come when there will be less wheat
than the world wants, and prices will
nave to 90 up to induce farmers to
raise it. AS it is now, it does not pay
TO raise wheat in most parts of the
United States.
"The state board of agriculture of
Ohio lately Investigated the matter
and found it cost $40 per acre
to raise wheat i'm that
state. We find that it costs
us about Sc per acre for all the wheat
we raise in North Dakota, and you
cannot get the farmers to raise wheat
in Ohio until you pay them a price
that will net them a good percentage
over the 500 IL costs to raise it. | look
for the time when wheat will be 81 80
per bushel, and even at that rate it
will hardly pay to raise it in some
parts of the Union"
PLEA FOR SMALL FARMS.
The tendency may be towards large
farms, and when properly managed
and run with plenty of capital, they
may show larger profit than small
ones. 1t is also true that man who
farms on a small scale and within his
capital, is invariably more prosperous
and contented than the one who, re.
II nf nj ait e.,
tries to spread himself over
4 whole county. One of the most po-
tent causes of failure amongst farmers
Is their hunger for land. Many feel
themselves degraded if they cannot
claim as many acres as their neil Oh
Dors, and their chief ambition is to ac-
luire land. This they do without ref
,rence 10 their ability to make it prot
table. Instead of being content with
I moderately sized farm all paid for
md well titled, they buy larger tracts,
pay portion of the principal and find |
+ hard work to pay the annual inter |
sst and taxes on the balance. AL |
hough nOminally the owners of the !
and they have actually no homestead
md are subject to election whenever
heir payments Of principal and inter
,st fail.
If farmers pursued pay-as-you-go |
policy, and made it religion to keep
)ut of debt, we would hear less of the |
oppression of the farmer or that |
farming don't pay"
Writing in the New York Weekly |
Press Fred Grunday says:
81 know great many men who are
In ta Of
and making sad mess of it, who live !
the life Of slaves. They are simply |
beasts of burden.n
If these so-called farmers made
forged ahead and improved
their surroundings and eventually
made their places of abode real homes,
heir rushing and bustling would be
iustifiable.
But do they? Not one in hundred
Of them ever becomes what might be
termed ndependent-wel fixed. They
strive TO wrench fertility from the
soil by main force and nature revenges
herself ON them. There is no peace or
comfort about their homes while they
live, but all toll and turmoil
STEAM FLOWING.
One of the advantages of the large
over the small farm is in the reduced
cost of blowing. Where the burrows
are mile or two long, gang plows
and numerous teams turn over a great
breadth of land at a small cost for
hired hands. But even this saving
Of expense has been improved
on by the use Of steam. This is not
new departure altogether. Forty
years ago can remember my fathers |
fields being plowed by steam power
The modus apprendi was then differ.
ent to the method now being adopted |
The steam engine was stationed al
one SIDE of the field and was fitted |
with revolving drum holding a great
length of wire which was run across
the field and round - wheel attached |
to an anchor, and back again to the
motive power. To this wire rope was
fixed double pointed reversible mold |
board pillow which was controlled b, |
A lever and reversed at each end t !
the furrow by man in charge. This |
was a great ADVANTAGE on the old two