Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-03-20
Intense Cultivation.
What is it? Who are using It?

The u. 8. Census of 1880 enumerate
more than ton thousand farms of less
than three acres, their occupants are all
intense cultivators. They make good
living and have a fair bank account.
My grandfathers had four hundred acres
each and with poor cultivation barely
made a living. Why? They did not
thoroughly cultivate, that is why. They
were like most of the farmers of to-day,
land poor. l have spent fortune to
make the farmers more intensely culti-
vate their land. think originated the
work ''intense" in connection with soil
culture. No matter whether that is true
or, not one thing is certain many years
before the Cutaway Harrow Co. had
any existence commenced using
grader and a revolving disk gang plow
and a strong hook to pull out roots to-
gether with fiat SO inch steel bog clip
per, and with these four intense culti-
vators, together with four strong horses
and three strong men and myself, made
dozens of trips into the country among
the farms here and elsewhere, working
some of the odd corners on the farms, 1t
took four to seven days to work one of
those odd sections and cost about SO
an acre to make worthless land pay an
annual net cash profit of $50 to S75 per
acre per year.
worked few of these poor sections
in this county. The first worked was
four acres in five days. The other
proved to be loafer and he was a
failure. The next was six acres in
seven days. The owner of this field did
better, perhaps he obtained one-half
what he should. Lately he wanted me
to make him another bog clipper as he
found that the state had borrowed mine
and kept it, so lately have made him
another which is to be used free of
charge. The third odd section worked
was about five acres in weeks time.
All of these fields were worked to per-
feet grade and intensely cultivated with
out q cents worth cash cost to their
owners. 1t was done at my own person.
al expense with the hope that the high
or cultivation would thereafter prevail.
One of these three parties took up the
work where / left 1t and has kept it
going with the result that they are
making money very easy, while the own
er of the first section is growing poorer
every year.
The farm with intense cultivation is
a gold mine. Without it it is perfect
failure. / think that it is either higher
cultivation or a famine. made the
above desired machines at my own ex-
pense and performed the work free Of
charge to get the farmer started. They
were never put on the market, they were
made to do the work the cheapest and
best without regard to cost. used
them in different sections all across the
continent for the sole purpose of show
ing the farmers what results would come
from a different and better method of
cultivation.
Later l made cheaper aud better
machines which did the work just as
effectively. In the three cases above
mentioned, one took hold with q will
and he made grand success. If l
could get one in five hundred to adopt
the better method, who read my essays
the loaf will soon be leavened. l do
not regret the personal cost to myself
if the final result is q success. Some
say it is an advertising scheme of mine,
but one thing is certain, commenced
the work long before was in any way
connected with any manufacturing
company.
understand very we'll that the farm
ers must go slow, that there are and
stay. The farm trained brain is at the
head.-George NJ. Clark in Turf, Farm
and Home.