Smyrna times., 1894-02-14
How the Farm will Pay.

B. F. B. Woodall, one of the enter
prising young farmers near Milford,
contributes to the Chronicle long art
icle detailing his experience and i'm
pressiOns on the above subject. Our
farmers may get suggestive thought
from the following extract.
Five acres a year is enough to COM
mence improving if your income from
it does not allow you to improve more.
From seedtime to harvest is long
enough to be in debt for the feed in
growing any amount, or kind of crop,
for the next years crop must be fed al
so.
The next thing is to SOW clover seed.
Our present scarlet clover is God
send to the poor man with poor land,
for by the use of phosphates to start
crop of it you can enrich the poorest
acre of land in Sussex county in three
years, if it is drained land, so that it
will grow twenty bushels of corn.
Fruit is a necessary product on the far
mer and he should not be without some
kindsofit the year round but you should
not go into it so extensively at this day
or in the future. Extensive fruit grow
ing has almost ceased to be profitable.
But few acres handled by every far
mer may be made profitable l warn
you against nursury men or their
agents from a distance. Purchase
your trees and plants from reliable
men at home, as far as you can. l
never had to pay more than the tree
or plant was worth, bought from home
nursery men, and they always proved
to be what they were represented. In
fact to have your farm pay, you should
deal with those that deal with you ifit
is possible to do so. l bought six grape
vines once for eight dollars that /
might have bought at home for one
dollar and fifty cents. have seen the
men that have swindled the farmers of
Delaware out of thousands of dollars
with their wiry tongues beautifully
colOred pictures and their selected
specimens of fruits preserved in alcohol.
Try to sell nothing but good fruit
either in the home or city market, as
this has proven to be and will ever be
the sure hope of success.
Never cultivate more acres than you
can work with pour own hands, or can
see to it often. A crop may be ruined
by one working done by inexperienced
hands. Setting of plants, trees or SOW
ing seeds should be done by some one
who has had experience. Buy your
seeds from reliable seed houses regard
less ofcost. Have every acre you own
bring one ar two crops each year. Do
not calculate what your profits will be
on any one product. l have hundreds
of times been asked does this certain
fruit or vegetable pay? Yes, every
kind that is adapted to your soil and
climate pays if you can handle and at
tend to it properly. The small farm
can raise all the vegetables needed for
the family the year round, and have
some to sell, you can raise your fruits
and have some to sell, you can grow
your hay and grain that is needed to
feed your family and stock, you can
raise pork from the culls off the farm
and have pork to sell, you can fatten
an old COW that has ceased to be profit
able for butter. If you have not one
every year to dispose of in this way
you can often purchase one cheap.
PAY IN DELAWARE FARMING.
The following are the results of Mr..
WOodall's farming last year near Mil
ford: Produce sold from Shawnee vege-
table and fruit farm, 1898: