Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-12-24

AGRICULTURE NEEDS MEN WHO
LIKE IT.
LAND MUST NOT BE srARvED.-FARM
ERs NEED INsPIRATION.-sTICK
THROUGH THICK OR THIN.
"Maine orchards are starving, that is
most of them. A more liberal policy o.
manuring and of culture is imperative
with nearly all our Maine orchards
Our society can not do better service
than to dwell upon this one fact unit
common management is greatly i'm
proved in this direction. The means
through which our expanding orchards
may be fertilized up to the limit OF the
ability of the trees to respond is the
most important problem that cOnfronts
Maine fruit growers at the present
time"
The above words were spoken by Pres
ident z. A. Gilbert to members OF the
Maine Pathological Society at its recent
annual meeting. What he said of the
orchards and Orchardists of Maine may
be said with equal truth Of the farms
and farmers of many of the older states
of the country. Our system of agricult'
ure has been to large extent system
of soil depletion, If indeed such course
can be properly called system. The
original forest was cut and burned; after
spreading the ashes, rye and grass seed
were sown and scratched in with heavy
harrow, often with man to ride 1t to
keep it down to its work. With super
abundance of available plant food in the
soil the crops were abundant for years,
but the supply was not unlimited, and
the time was sure to come when the
land would no longer respond in man.
ner satisfactory to the owners.
What system of culture can be adopt.
ed that will yield a generous profit to
the manager? The question has been,
What can l do to my soil to force it to
give up little more of the virgin fertil.
ity contained in it before abandoning II
to nature while am seeking new lands
to deplete in the West or elsewhere? But
the time has come when much OF the
western land is no longer yielding profit.
able crops under the old system, but
must be fertilized or system adopted
that will enable the farmer to harvest
profitable crops and at the same time
keep the land as rich as at present OF
growing more and more fertile from
year to year.
What Mr.. Gilbert says of fruit grow
ers, that they need inspiration as well as
instruction, is true of farmers generally.
We have been too easily discouraged by
unfavorable but transient conditions. A
full crop and low market price for po-
tatoes, tobacco, grain, dairy or other
products should not drive one out OF
business, but rather cause one to look
abound and try to discover ways by
which to meet such unfavorabe condi-
tions should they occur again.
We need to realize more fully than we
seem to that farming is a business that
is here to stay. 1t can never 60 entirely
out of fashion so long as human beings
continue to require food. People may
outlive a demand for certain kinds OF
articles, but there is no
prospect of the time ever coming when
fruits and vegetables will cease to be in
demand. Changes in the market de-
mands will occur that will require
changes in the methods of production.
The wise farmer will endeavor to adapt
himself and his methods to these
changes with as little friction and delay
as possible. But do not get discouraged
by any single failure.
1t is a fact noticed by all dealers in
farm products that whenever, owing to
an unfayorable season, the price OF any
particular crop like potatoes or tobacco
rules highhe next year, a much IN
creased area is sure to be planted to such
crop with the almost never failing result
that the price of that crop will be below
that of average years. The result OF
this is that so many are discouraged by
their ill success that fewer acres are
planted the following year with the
natural result, higher price and profit
able returns.
So common is this see-saw running OF
prices that some farmers endeavOr to
take advantage of the probabilities and
always plant freely when prices are low
and more sparely when they are high.
They try to keep with the minority in
this matter. But the lesson that needs
learning by most farmers is that 1t pays
best to stick to their business or special
ty through thick and thin, year after
year, trying all the time to perfect them
selves as crop producers and in the
ability to dispose of their crops at the
best advantage.
Lands in New England at present are
productive and profitable according as
they are managed. In whatever direc.
ton one may travel one will find good
and poor farming intermingled. In the
where the general ap-
pearance of the country is that of un-
thrift one will occasionally come to a
place that shows every indication OF
prosperity and cOntentment. A case in
mind is not unlike many others. The
farm was once productive of grain and
fruit, but under the mismanagement Of
a later generation the soil grew poorer
and poorer till the occupants were
obliged to give up the title, moue away
and depend on charity for support.
The new owners were live men who
not only believed in farming, but had a
real love for the business. The worth.
less old trees were dug up. The tumbled
down walls were buried in underdrains,
rocks were blasted and hauled away,
and the land left in large fields plowed
and worked into condition for full crop
production. The barns we're repaired
and filled with cattle, swine and poultry,
instead of one or two cows and an old
horse for stock. Food and fertilizers
we're purchased to use till crops enough
could be grown. After two or three
years the former owner would have
hardly known the place. The change
was about as great as when manufact
urer goes into, the wilderness and builds
a village using water power that hac
gone to waste until his foresight ant
energy started the wheels of industry.
What agriculture needs here as else
where is live men, men who believe II
the business and have degree of low
for the occupation. Not every one car
like farming, but most persons get tt
liking any business that pays a fair re
turn for labor and thought applied to 1t
If one farm with live man upon it
will pay, then others will do the same
under like management.-A.W w. Cheev
or in New England Farmer.
THE CATTLE OUTLOOK.
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