New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-28
FARM LANDS DEPRECATED.
INVESTIGATION OF THE CAUSES BY G.
va5 T. POWELL.
He SAYS FARMERl DO NOT UNDERSTAND fhH
-1rs- ADVANTAGES OF co oPERATIoN-GooD Eff
~ FEET OF SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION
RAISING VEGETABLES IN


FEET OF SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION
RAISING VEGETABLES IN
Information of much interest TO all the ct,Aens "a
the State Is contained in the notes LOT apr "'
are published by the New-York Association io' IN
nrov,ng the Condition OF the Poor. year ago Oh
account OF the suffering among the uhemp'oseu
v,orkinpmen of the city during the winter the as
ISOLATION started movement to assist laoorers
hack 70 the farfns believing that the tenoehcy u
opuation to concentrate IN the cities had oVerSup
piled the municipal labor market. Al inc SAM
time the association employed two men. VINO "e'e
b.,,eved 70 be well fitted for the work, TO begin thc
task of finding out the causes OF agricultural de-
preston in the State.
George T Powell undertook to conduct ccrrespon1-
Arnce with farmers and other in the agrlcnl'-
ural districts OF the State and MY Neigair'' d"
Intelligent farmer was employed to travef through
the same districts and use his eyes as vel as MS
ears in collecting information The hrst inquiry Wa"
in relation to the depreciation OF farming IahVsp
r the State and from the answers received Dv ma
Mr. Powell calculated the average depreciation al 80
rvr cent ..Nr Kelgaar- from his memoranda fixed
the percentage at 50 per cent. and yet this depec-
alton has taken place in the face OF me mere %
population In the State from 1870 to 1880 OF ioos''
souls The railroad mileage in New-iorK mas at tne
same time increased QS70-93) by 41S2 miles and the
increase on the assessed value OF real property IN
The TWENTY-FIVE years ending 1892 Is calculated al
NG9643soS Now. while increased population ana
wealth nuet have greatly Increased the uemano ioi
agricultural products. the estimated value OF farm
products OF the State Of New-York. which accori-
ING 10 the United States census. was inquired ior th-
wear 1859 at 1913 26l5S in 1889 fell TO sl6aS0s Oh
course this was largely attributable to the gener
.Ya in prices but this fact will hardly account for
30 great a loss
REPLIES OF THE FARMERS.
In most cases the farmers replied that they be-
lieyed that the for the deprectatl2n IN tne
value of farming lands the low prices paid Tor
farm products. the opening OF new lands in the
West the high price of farm labor and the loss Of
fertility in the soil.
Mr.. Kegaard ascertained that there had been the
least ehrinkage of values in the farming lands near
the United States Government Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Station at Ithaca and from his talk with
the farmers that region he wrote All are agreed
that the station is help to them. and the entire
conditions here different. Not only this, but
found that indirect influence OF these INSTITUTIONS
r. was greater even than the direct l also found
that not only In the vicinity of Ithaca but one hum
hi dred miles away. a man who had taken course OF
agricultural training at Cornell University was
= carrying the benefits of hi. knowledge into MS
neighborhood. His neighbors, seeing how superior
his methods are to theirs. quick 10 profit by IT.
This to the investigation as to whether the same
d cultural colleges and Government stations me
q, fruit :. Farmers come long distances to see and
learn about the principles that underiie scienuhc
AN INSTANCE OF BAD FARMING.
As an instance of bad farming TO be observed Mr..
Kelgaard says many farmers knew 50 little about
the science of feeding stock that their cows were
in debt to the farms because the cows consumed
more than they produced. A very practical farmer
who had taken four years course at an agri-
cultural college, informed Mr.. Kelgaard that what
he had learned about feeding stock alone worth
the time and money he had expended upon his agri-
cultural education -.' --''
Another cause Of depreciation was found to be the
disadvantage of disposing of farm produce and the
high prices paid for home supplies All the profits
saaTd wree II Know R e Of district where in twenty
" years three merchants accumulated competency
each on what they sold the farmers in that neigh
borhood. and which amounted 70 more than the
numbering more than hundred families. In
S ns o make
The has ssSsSt of % %
accepted o sTn
surnishss neary the % ony EXCEPTION where
Of saT
factory condition: MIX has been sent to cheese
sd agd at as
will reduce many dairymen TO most AFFECT poyer;y
progress s in dairy development furnishes ssnia
FARMS 0 there sS be an
% make butter lack Of proper facilities to
would solve many perplexng questions, as the work
of butermaking is arduous, but at the factory the
work be done with modern machinery and by a
fkilfulr person. the product of many farms being
made up Of the finest quality.
.n'Much money could be saved in the purchase Of
fertilizers machinery, improved stock and in other
ways farmers could cooperate and gain many adj
vantageB. Thirty years the benefits Of this
principle obtained In the dairy county of Deia-
ware n. Y, in the purchase Of few high bred Jer-
eey cattle. and the dairy farmers of this county
have % the DS ba panS s5y
cows here made prosperity in times of adversely
USE OF VACANT LOTS.
Unemployed woraingmen will have opportunities
2 to raise vegetables vacant lots the city
again this summer but account OF the difficulty
= in getting permission to work unused lots, 1t is
designed make the plots still smaller than last
year, and to make the cultivation cOrrespondngly
intense. to 1srhploy transplantng, hand irrigation
and devices temporary shelters for the workers.
It is hoped by familarzing city people with agri-
culture to furnish not only farm laborers but more
intelligent agriculturists. and so help TO relieve the
concession of the cities.