The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1906-12-21
WHAT A MODEL FARM is.
And Why There Should Be One In
Every Agricultural County.

And Why There Should Be One In
Every Agricultural County.
For less than a single item in many
Of the annual appropriation bills a
model farm, conducted as a practical
object lesson in the best methods OF
filling the soil and it's most profitable
uses, might be established in every ag
ricultural county in the United States
1t is worth considering whether this
work should not be undertaken either
by the several state governments or by
the national government or by the two
conformity.
A model farm is simply a farm con-
forming in size, in treatment of the
soil, in assignment to different crops
and their rotation and in methods of
culture to the most approved practice
that actual experience and scientific in
vestigation of agriculture all over the
world have fixed. 1t focuses upon one
plot of ground, within the personal OBJ
servation of each farming community,
the accumulated knowledge of one of
now become more highly specialized.
1t is a working model for common in
struction.
Such a model farm should not con-
tain more than thirty or forty acres.
This area would be ample for work
ing purposes. 1t would also prove the
economic advantage of the small well
tiled farm over a larger holding, to
which equal care could not be given.
Labor can be utilized more effectively
and the yield per acre increased with
out any decline in fertility.
On such a farm five tracts might be
set off for crops in due rotation. The
order of hay, pasture, oats, corn and
wheat has been found an excellent
one. The FIVE tracts would be as
signed to these five crops respectively
with regular annual rotation, so that
each field should grow all the different
crops In their turn. Such alienation,
even without other aid, has been found
so congenial to the soil as to give crops
greatly exceeding those obtained by
the usual method in this country, OF
sowing the same land to the same
thing year after year. Actual trial at
experiment stations under conditions
that any farmer may reproduce shows
an average product over a series OF
years nearly twice as great as the av-
erags product of the general farming
area under private cultivation.
The remainder, aside from the space
occupied by farm buildings and yards,
could be divided into smaller plots Of
from an acre upward to be devoted,
according to need and use. to pastur-
age and to rye, barley, potatoes, tod-
der corn and garden and forage plants.
A judicious system Of rotation on these
lesser areas also will show how greatly
productive, power, may be Increased
and at how high a level 1t may De
kept Such a farm will carry some
cattle, hogs and poultry, together with
the horses. required for working 1t.
A careful utilization Of manure will
supply most Of the fertilizer needed. |
One valuable lesson taught by the
model farm must be the Importance
of enriching the soil with fertilizing |
material either supplied by live stock
or procured from without. The farm |
er has to guard against the impair
ment OF his working capital, which Is
the land, as carefully as the merchant
or manufacturer must guard against
the wasting OF his.-James J. Hill in