Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1894-11-28
BELGIUM FARMING.
People Who Live Chiefly by Ag-
ricuIture.
NO YARDS OR STABLE LOTS NEEDED
Little Spots of Ground Made to Support
Families of Seven or Eight
In Number.

q. w. Lille says that farming in
the lower countries of Holland and Bel
GUM is an interesting study. To one
whose home is ON the boundless prairies
of the West, it is problem. To
know that country no larger than
Maryland contains 5000, 900 of people
who live chiefly by agriculture is inter-
esting, but to see the little hooks and
odd shaped corners of land that pass
for farms in Belgium is to doubt ones
own eyes. The smallest farm lands
of Continental Europe are those of
Belgium. AS one passes into Holland
the farms may be seen to increase in
size until the Dutch province of Fries
land is reached where cattle raising is
the chief pursuit. There the flat graz
ing lands afford plenty of range for the
herds of sleek black and white spotted
buttermakers which are famous the
world over.
In Belgium the produce of every
farm is varied. A three cornered
piece of land containing about two
acres and hemmed by bitches filed
with water, is tho size and situation of
typical Belgian farm. As small as
it is, it will contain patch of wheat
or rye and another of barley; another
fair portion of it grows potatoes.
A row of cabbage grows all around
on the sloping sides of the bitches with
a row of onions just inside, leaving
baee walking room between them and
the grain. The rest of the tillable soil
is planted with great variety of vege-
tables, either for substantial food for
the farmers own table or better
priced product for other mems tables.
For shade, ornament and profit, row
of fruit trees, mostly pear trees, sur
round his house. There are no yards
or stable lots because they are not
needed and besides every inch of
ground must produce. l have won
dered how these little spots of ground
could be made to furnish enough to
feed and clothe farmer and his family
of seven or eight children; they all
seem to have large families. L asked
farmer in Flanders how he could man.
age to support himself with two acres
of ground.
81 had the same crop last year." he
said, and I had barley and onions
and cabbage to sell after selling my
early vegetables. Then I had a few
hogs, some chickens and eggs to send
to market"
l had not thought of live stock on
the place but he showed me where he
kept his hogs and chickens and eggs.
In back room under the same square
tiled roof with himself, were six fine
porkers. 1t was clean and comfort
able place for them, too, notwithstand-
ing a score of chickens lived in the
same room with them. I knew he did
not have horse.
There was not room enough on the
place for one of my little bronchos,
not to speak of the big Belgian draft
horses which pull the enormously big
trucks in Antwerp and Brussels. In
one corner of this room which was his
stable, two good-sized dogs were
chained to a kennel. They were COM
mon looking enough, but as dear to
him, no doubt, as my horses are to me-
They served him as horses do farmers
in America.
These, then, were a couple of the
famous Flemish trekhonden, the draft
dogs of BELGIUM and South Holland
where one may see them on the high
ways and in the streets of every village
and city. They seem to be mongrel
breed with all sorts of strains notice
able among them. They draw those
heavy little two-wheeled wagons
loaded with everything; with milk,
with vegetables, with lumber and
sometimes one may see two OF three of
these dogs rattling along over the
paved country roads with three or
four persons in the cart behind them.
They are in every way cheaper than
horses and l believed this Flemish
farmer when he said, that with his
two dogs he did not need horse.