The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-05-07

I Na4ga MS - TIINFNF@ -
oats - : bushels. 81 corn. *-s ensA
eIz ana - has Ia. average OF I'VE
wears waS 3sf tons ger acre Ahf
e-sw accomplished merely hS n~alk =
svst.m .f gx.-vear rotation. th" En1
h.3ox tr.t..a ia thi- order corn.
.rpaa4 meadow pasture. oats ire
figures gwen are nssaTAS double ths
tr@rar. yield from the farms 90 ~
Stasg There IS. therefore 81" @N@A
w.ntEau In Fae statement fnA& "0f
- ursgsocf5on could be made Two
fold n nat i Ia ~ the mere aIpt's*t'.''
.f NOR. rareful methods without ans
Intensive cultivation Whatever. Is '"'
lands ~ the State we're cultivated ~
-ardgue s.. e stten-se4r fFS}"ni "f
|tation. grain. grass. pasture sraih-
oats. grain without fertilizers u =
~tlnated ~ good that tt"
Earn. mount 81 grain W"ta8 Dc NAta-
er.d during the four seasons fn W''%"
IL apIeAr$ lm this regular order - y
now obtained from cropping graz"
yer YEAR. THAT Is to sav. the farmer
would obtaia at the emit of seven
years exactlv the SANE auaount ~
grain ne NOW takes as the entire pro-
he would haze he whole amount 81
other crouS aud II stock fsr WhtHb
ne three seasons Of vacation from
grain growing would furnish opportu
unity. lie would. while preserving The
! fertility Of his acres ana EaarlinE
AGAINST soil deterioration add three
| seventies To the ~olume of has material
profits. such Is the promise ~ I'll,
simplest OF all Improvements in
method.
Agricultural Possibilities,
This Is but the beginning OF aErlcui-
tura1 possibilities. Calling IN the AID
Of the second method IF increasing
WELD aad preserving soil productivity.
Which is 4 more liberal use Of FER
Utilizing material ~uch as is possible
where farms are II snail size and cat
tie are kept. there Is abundant Cyl
ldencc of the extraordinary results mat
may be obtained Illustrations may be
found in every part 81 the country
where individual small farmers haze
had the Intelligence u pat the system
INTO effect \ recent report of tho de-
partn1ent 81 agriculture cites the case
Of a farm in PennsylNanla which Wa
50 exhausted rs To be incapable al
production. This little tract OF fifteen
acres. devoted strictly to dairying. and
treated each year Win every particle
| Of the natural fertilizers thus obtain
Ell. produces q revenue Of about 81.
900. or $500 per acre annually. Their
: no secret in the process. just as there
IS no uncertaint~ in the result. And
bv a combination Of judicious crop
rotation. which admits ana requires
| diversification OF farm industry, with
careful fertilizing. the estimate Of 4
doubled money value for the yield 81
the present farm area Of the United
| states Mbu!d ~ iouild uidti itt
mark.
U~ntneaSured Possibilities.
The third factor in Improvement.
better tillage, Is most interesting al
| all because il opens ~ unmeasured
possibilities. We no more know what
is the maximum food-bearing capacity
Of the earth or Of any small portion 81
its surface than we do he rate ut
which people may be able 10 travel
a century from now. But what has
L tnan atAa -. a.l = - An IL ~ - IfnaE I .
has been seen that II population 81
| a., 000, 600 people III Japan is sup
ported on 1900 cultivated square
miles. aided by the food products OBJ
tanned from the sea. This Is because
cultivation in Japan is truly intensive:
that is, 1t Is no longer even highly
developed farming, but market gard
enlng. AS we approach that science,
the actual creation Of soils for growing
purposes, the shelter Of plants from
frost and unfavorable elements. and
the treatment of grains ana Nugcta-
bles by separate planting ard indi-
vldual nurture. all limitations upon
earth's bounty appear to rccede afar.
From two and seVen-tenths acres in
the suburbs Of Paris there have been
. grown in q single season. 10000
pounds of vegetables. a market gard
ener of Paris declares that all the
food. animal and vegetable. required
Cor the $4,000 0 people of two great
departments c1Ild be grown, by meth
obs already in use, on the $3.50 square
mules OF gardens surrounding the city.
Thus, while it appears that in Belgium
q population of approximately 800 per.
sons TO the square mile can subsist
on the products of farm industry
alone, this figure by high intensive
culture, such as becomes possible ana
profitable where population is ex-
tremely dense, might be more than
doubled.
Paradise for Aaricult wrists.
IN one district of East Flanders q
population of 80, 900 peasants obtains !
is 1000 from 5000 acres Of ground, |
AT the same time raising thousands /
Of beasts and exporting produce The f,
farmers of the island Of Jersey. by |
no means a paradise for the agricul-
tuflst, manage to obtain an annual |
agricultural product valued at about |
$3.50 from each acre of their land
In Germany they have produced |
thirty tons of potatoes to In,
acre. The same has been done in
Minnesota. and might become the rnIa |
rather than the exception.
Treatment Of the Soil.
From the review given OF actnal ac-
compllSfnent in treatment Of the |
SOIL, from the promise OF this most
dependable asset. something may be
asserted, with confidence Of our own /
iulufe. 1t can be shown that an ay-
tfage OF two persons or more ,navl
De supported on every acre Of tinabl.
Lihd, BY the highest form of INTENSIVE
farming. But dismissing this as uni
necessary. II has been shown that . |
People IKE those Of Belgium today
not an oriental race accustomed Ia :.
Stahudfd OF lVlng and OF labor inap-
Liicabie to US, not living in virtuaII
:tIldofn IKE that Of Russia, bur an
INDUSTRIOUS, fairly intelligent and cx-
cctulhgly comfortable agricultural
community, raise from the soil food
ehoush Tor the needs Of 40 persons
- me square mile. Adopting proyi-
aiohaily mat ratio, as a point of de-
pdriufe, though the actual ratio ar
area 70 population gives a figure con
"eIdplE higher ven than this. the
fI4,4Ss,4S1 acres OF improved Earn,
iahds IN the United States on the data
81 the last official report. an area 80
leflalIy enlarged by the present tim
Houid support in comfort 31735O 40
people; enabling them at the eaon
tfne to raise considerable food "a, -.
por{ ana TO engage in necessary mo-
uidcluflng employments. A3nrv:n
IIt S41 M raT 10 Il