Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-09
INrINsIyE FARMING.
a glimpse of Agricultural Condition. In
G.rmany.

An interesting glimpse " agriculture
nj conditions In Germany IL given In
recent report 81 Walter j. Holman,
United States consul at Mannheim. TO
the state department. Mr. Hoffman
states that the value OF agricultural
land In his consular district IL unusual
- high. the holdings per capita arc
small. und the owners consequently are
compelled TO plant only the most re-
muncrntlve crops. The German farmer
II pfcfofco an Intensive farmer, and
generally produces full crops. lie must
utilize every means Of retaining or
even extending the arabic surface; ~
"A rule, the farms are devoid Of small
undcfgrowth, Htumpn. stones. creeping
vines. etc. In draining nnd irrignting
the fnr<icfr are experts. In addition 10
all this the German government " on
denyorlng. both by LEGISLATION and edu-
cation. To enable the farmer To CONF
PETE with his rivalr, aud he has the Ms
riHtnncc Of q quite perfect system ~
cooperation. Corporation" says the
Germans. is the farmers stronghold
and buiwark." There are cooperative
crcdis banks, cooperative dairlca, CO.
operative steam plowri and there In
cooperation In drainage and irriga-
ton.
An interesting Illustration Of the at
tempta to extend the arabic surface IL
afforded by an undertaking nt present
In progress In the valley ~ the Rhine,
east OF the city OF Mannheim. Tho wall
Icy II about twenty milcH wide at this
point. the lower or river terrace cou-
fiHting OF agricultural lands overriding
~ rich In loan and old river deposits,
while two miles east Of the river til
second terrace rises 20 hclgh; OF
about forty feet. most OF which con-
sista entirely OF fnc sand. covered at
various places hy "a thin film 81 loan
and now used Tor tho trimming OF pines
There arr several miles OF this artificial
forest. beyond u being better soil and
ordinary farm lands used Tor raising
wheat. oats, potatoes and carrots. The
reclamation OF the land covered by this
Rand terrace u now IN nroFrcfn, tho
removal of the sand having been begun
last spring. Specially constructed
di edges are used, nnd the material IL
transported by ears over a temporary
track. About six acres hnh been OK
p0red On June !. The top crust of loan
has been carefully removed from the
land terrace aud carried down to the
newly exposed surface OF sterile river
gravel to from now acreage. being
there distributed and having a depth
OF about six or eight Inches. over
great portion OF this new surface young
cabbage plants nre growing. and other
crops VIII he started M rapidly as the
loan IL deposited and leycled,
This illustration N but ono among
many showing tho riEid economy me-
ccHsnry In the thickly populated coun-
tries OF Europe. II IN In striking con-
traat 10 the advantages which the
American farmer enjoys and nt the
rnmc time contains a lesson for fim.
In America II n only 81 late years that
Intensive farming has been thought ~
or Trnctlced. our acres have been piCn-
tlful, land has been cheap, large farms
have been the rulc, and single crons
flifcd without rotation until the soil
has become exhausted. have conHti-
tuted the scope OF the farmers ondea-
vor, The American farmer has not
been required to oconomlze In the
quantity Of his land or to husband its
ntrcngth. as farther west were millions
OF acres OF public land awaiting settle
ment. Conditions are changing. how
ever, and RAPIDLY. The necessity for
economy IN pressing more closely upon
the farmer. An Increasing amount OF
thought ana attention ~ being devoted
to Intensive farming-tO the utilization
uf every foot OF available land. 10 tho
diycrsincatiun ~ crops, 10 tho culture
of the soil and so forth. Eventually
the American farmer must approNi-
mate 10 European methods, ~ AN In
crcnFing populations create new de-
MAIDS upon the soil. In the usc Of
machinery and IN the raising OF large
crops tho American ia the
worlds tutor, but. ON the other hand.
the small farmer ~ OVercrowded
Europe teaches the American many "A
lesson IN the ways of extracting max
imum OF product from Il minimum
OF ercn.