The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-02-06
MAKE EVERY ACRE PAY.

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MAKE EVERY ACRE PAY.
business Methods In Farming Will
Bring Reas0nable Returns.
The merchant puts as many dollars
IN his business as he feels reasonablyl
sure will bring him in a profitable re-.
turn. The farmer should put as much,
and no more, money in lands as he can
cultivate or manage probably making
every acre bring in profit each year.
It is not necessary either that he
should own as many acres to do GER
tain amount OF farming on as in form
er years. We have so improved upon
our methods of maintaining soil fertil-
ity, of rotating and cultivating crops.
that taking series Of years together,
one acre will now produce as much as;
two formerly did. Intensified farming
has done this, but few farmers are as
yet running their farms to their full
capacity, and much remains to be done
before all will succeed in making every
acre they own pay<a profit.
That land must have occasional rests
from cropping was not many years
ago regarded as saying not to be
questioned, and one year out of every
three or four it rested and recuperated.
Ih1s resting was necessary in order
that the mineral elements in the soil
might become soluble sand available.
In many instances where lands were
continuously cropped for q good many
years they became unproductive and
were abandoned, because 1t was be-
heVed that they were completely worn
out. But a ripper experience showed
that only certain elements had become
deficient in the soil, and that these
might be added economically in the
shape Of concentrated manures. The
use of commercial fertilizers has done
away with the necessity Of resting
lands and made it possible for the
general farmer to crop the same CON
tlnuously, and still maintain their fer
tility. It is much cheaper to go on the
market and buy such mineral plant
food as the soil happens to lack, or is.
necessary to make a paying crop, than.
< IS to rest lands and allow the labora-
tory OF nature to do the work in the
soil. Catch crops must be used when
ever it is possible in any system Of
continuous cropping, as the cheapest
and best means of supplying humus to
the soil
But while trying to make my acre on
the farm pay, a profit, the greatest.
trouble is to find some crop which will
pay for furnishing the fertilizer that
is necessary for this system Of farm
Ing. Some sort of vegeta bic crop is
best for this purpose, but there is a
limitation Of demand for them, which
often leads to glutted markets; and
often the farmer is too far away from
his market to find them profitable.
With us we grow potatoes as money
crop, and upon which we use all the
fertilizer that is needed in the rota-
ton. If they could be sold to good adj.
crop to grow and fertilize Each Of.
these cropssis generally profitable, but,
like anything else, sometimes there,
romes a glut when they bring no profit.
We have, in our corn, a crop that is
always profitable. If we haven't stock
to feed it to on the farm there is al
ways ready market for the grain at
prices above cost of production This
crop the out-of-the-way farmer can
grow and handle more easily. than any
other. Glover and corn should always
go together in crop rotation The
clover will thus furnish, from year to
year, the rich, nitrogenols material
that will give the corn luxuriant
growth.
Small fruits are crops that can be.
fortified with liberal hand and will
pay for the outlay. When the farm is
small and lands and markets are suit
ed to the business, nothing will pay
better, one year with another, than
small fruit culture. Every acre can be
made profitable if care is taken to pro-
duce fruit of first-class quality, and to
market it in proper shape.
While much is being said upon the
subject Of forest preservation, the
most improbable land on farms now
is that which has never been put in
cultivation, and which, in most in
stances, is covered with heavy I'M
dergrowth, and from which most Of
the valuable timber has been removed,
or has gone into decay. So far as the
profit is concerned, these acres had
better be cleared up and put to some
profitable use, as they are an expense
to the farmer as they now stand
Warder in Journal Of Agriculture.
To Ventilate a Warm Cellar
The majority of cellars, perhaps,
need provision for keeping out the
cold rather than letting it in Still,
there are many that are much too
warm for the proper keeping Of fruit
through the winter, and where such is
the case, ventilation must be had. The
diagram shows an excellent way to
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