The Columbus commercial., 1907-07-02

been done up to that time with small
acreage by intensive cultivation. -
that was mostly in Europe. where's n
is America that now leads the wufid
In possibilities OF produce from the
soil.
"The farmer feedeth ALL" but tt II
often forgotten that the farmer CLOTH
eth all and supplieth with nearly al
other things. Cotton. wool. iax. hemp,
dyes and the many products OF cattle
used In manufacturing come from the
farm, so that intelligence applied %
farming becomes one OF the most prof
table as well as fascinating or studies.
Many are beginning to feel that the
life on the land is the natural life and
hope to find some way to live In more
normal surroundings.
The cry Back to the landr' ana
the new desire OF almost everybody 20
possess, IL not a farm, at least q bic
of Mother Earth. are the symptoms ek
n revolt from the constraint and uncsg-
tainty OF city life 1--WE are not ttsA
to desk or to bench. We stay there
because we think we are tied. We
may get loose and trot or IL we will"
Intensive cultivation cannot be stud-
led in any one book, nor indeed can Il
persons can learn from careful reading
what use can be made OF their land
and where they can get the detailed
information that they need to make
use of Ii. Even back yard or n
fence corner can be utilized 90 Rs 10
add materially to the family resourcsa-
The poor negro thought when he heard
that he was to be freed that he was 90
have ten acres and a mule" His
blind instinct told him that. divorced
from the land, there is no real freednm
for the laborer. He did not get even
the mule, and we have a labor prob
lem" on our hands In the south In con-
sequence. Such difficulties will bs
avoided by getting the people back %
the soil, close to the cities, where they
can get at 1t without being rooted uD
and put into strange surroundings. IL
Is not necessary to go to the tropics to
realize the glowing prospects hsid ont
by the colonization companies. They
are more likely to be realized at homa
In fact, most OF those farof schsuaAs
turn out to be gold bricks instead 90
gold mines. The wise cultivator In the
one who gets a small piece OF vaiu-
able land near to a market and makes
the very best possible use Of Il By the
application of such large intelliwsMcs
and such small capital as a small area
requires
The new science OF intensive farming
Will not make us "put IN seeds with
other" There are cases OF phenen-
enal yields from virgin soils whore
very little intelligence has been aR-
piled, but virgin soils are scarce and
are almost always far from markets
or inaccessible to markets.
Skillful choice OF place and seed.
care I'm transplanting, nursing, spray
Ing harvesting, packing and marketing
are necessary today to insure success
in cultivation. One thing only In un-
necessary-that Is, large area. Today.
whether he has large capital or small.
the man who has three acres and fol
lows the modern methods is far uyoxs
likely to succeed than the man who has
threescore.
Those who wish TO get the people
back to the land, to relieve the conSss
tlon of the cities. to help the immi-
grants to find places where they viii
be strength to the country instead of
a burden, to restore normal conditions
of living and to improve the phyaicsl
development of the people can do NO
easier or more effective service than to
turn popular attention to intensive eul-
tivation by letters and comments I'm
the newspapers. BOLTON HALL