The Van Buren press., 1895-08-31
FARMER AND PLANTER
ON ONE ACRE.
some Of the Possibilities OF inse"s''e
Farming.

| &0A0 OF the Fo0olDtIttboo Os
| Farming.
Intensive farming is the order OF the
day everywhere; the more intensive
the greater the profit. ThrouRhoa.
New England, and in other parts Oh
the country, the farmers arc reducing
the cultivated area and concentrating
all labor and fertilizer upon it; ana
the result is that larger products come
TO make reward.
The crops referred to below were
raised in Massachusetts, within fifteen
miles of Boston. They were not ex'
ceptional crops; the crops OF series
of years might be more and they might
be less. On one acre were 800 bushels
of onions. and were sold for dollar
a .bushel. II they had been kept
awhile, they might have been sold AZ
$3.50 a bushel. The cost of the crop
was sl55. so, and the profit at 81
bushel was ss44.2o. Another crop OF
onions yelled ga bushels, and were
sold for 81 bushel; the cost was
| sl91. so, and the profit $452. so.
On one acre has been raised l,6oo
bushels of potatoes, and 1000 bushels
from All acre has been reported often,
but such Yields are exceptional They
show, however, what can be done Tin
spite of bngsl. when industry. judg-
ment, soil, fertilizer and climate form
= practical working combination. One
acre produced 32s bushels Of potatoes,
and they sold for Sl25 bushel, or for
$40; the cost of raising was sl6o; net
profit, $3.50. Another crop OF potatoes
of 502 bushels sold for so cents bush
el, or 34O1.6O; cost of raising, $ll9; net
gain, S9s260. a
OF carrots, $50 bushels. sold for fifty
cents bushel, or S325; cost Of crop,
3IO9; profit, S2l6. OF parsnips, SOC
bushels, sold for dollar bushel, or
$500; cost. s1S3; profit. s467. OF cab
bages, $500 heads, averaging six
pounds head, or 45, 900 pounds, or $50
barrels, giving one hundred pounds to
the barrel. When the cabbages were
gathered, the price was one dollar q
barrel, or $3.50; but they were kept
and sold later for three dollars q bar
rel, or for $3.50. The cost Of the crop
was $1O2; profit, $1,24s. The cabbage
| plants were in rows three feet apart
and the plants in the rows eighteen
inches apart
The man who knows how, who has
the right kind of soil and uses the
right kind of fertilizer, can make every
cabbage-plant produce salable head.
| A cabbage crop is sure of sale, espe-
cially if near the city. On one farm
where cabbage is 2 special crop, the
heads are sold sometimes in the field
by the row. The Irish part of the
population Is the great cabbage con-
sumner. A family of five put into the
cellar last fall three hundred heads.
The Irish women 60 to the farm men.
toned, walk up and down the rows OF
cabbage, feel of every head, and take
their choice; and the Irish-woman is
usually closer buyer, or has that
opinion of herself, never intending tc
pay the price asked il haggling will
reduce it. And thus in cabbage-time
on this farm the field resounds with
brogue and with denunciation Of the
cabbages, which the buyers declare
are the worst they ever saw, 9TH,
loikes av some av which they wouldn'
throw to q dacint pig"
But the farmer gives no heed, goel
about his work and let's them walk VI
and down and talk all they want to
knowing that they will come to hi
price at last The price includes de
livery in the city. Some of the buyer
are so careful or suspicious that the,
Il demand to see the row OF cabbage
they have selected On the wagon
they hardly dare take thei
eyes of it till the wagol
comes; literally. they sit dow
upon it and wait for the team. The
the buyers help load. Most of ther
keep COW, or at least pig, and henc
every loose head, every stray leaf
CLEANED, and when the row of cabbage
is on the wagon not bit Of cabbag
leaf an inch square can be found wher
that row stood.
But the crop Of an acre-squashes
In some parts of the country, in Ne,
England, anyway. especially the fri
Aesh. hard-shell kind like the HUI
bard, the squash is more and more j
favor as an article of food. It
served on aristocratic tables in the cit
in the shell-half shell-as
grew, without the addition {
any spices, condiments or seasol
ing. Some Of the lnoder
, cooks proceed to spoil a squash as 500
as it is cooked. When it comes to tn
table no one would know by the tast
what it was; the squash flavor has a
been knocked out Of it; iii not squash
it is something else.
On one acre, 2l,41O pounds, or te
tons and 1,410 pounds, Of squashe
, were raised. The cost Of raising WI
s34.75. The selling price Of squas
varies from $50 to $50 ton, accordin
to the season of the year; they are lo'
at $40 ton, but usually before tn
winter is over bring $50 ton. Th
. squashes from the acre in questio
were sold for $55 ton. An acr
that yielded 1904 worth of earl
potatoes produced the same season
, after the potatoes were dug, 81
,, bushels of turnips, sold at fifty cent
j bushel; the turnips cost $16.35. an
the profit was S1h9. 65; with the pots
toes that acre produced $463.65.
From an acre came 4.613 boxes I
Strawberries, sold for s8ls go; cos
s244; profit, $374.60 Another straw
berry acre produced 4,6s7 boxes, an
sold for 5000; cost, $244; profit, $36
Another, ASA boxes, sold for 3o5
cost, $3.50; profit, $685. An acre I
raspberries yielded a,314 quarts, sol
for $3.50. 20; cost, $144; profit, $Ss6e
, Blackberries, 769 quarts, sold fl