The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-09-02
Raleigh News and Observer.

\Illy OitS
Raleigh News and Observer
A great stretch ofland to the farm,
and scraggy, short corps on these
lands, is a detriment to the farmer,
for no matter how large the yield
there will be so much expense and
labor the net result will be a loss, for
there will be scattering of forces, a
loss of energy and Of time, that has
not produced the results of concen-
trated forces and concentrated en-
ergy.
In other words, it is intensive farm
ing that is the true secret of the sue
cessful farm. 1t is work of the intelli-
gent kind that makes one acre pro-
duce such a crop that will not come
from three, four or five acres that
are looked after in the careless, hap
py-go-lucky style. Sometimes a great
farm spells ruin to the farmer, for if
he had less acres and gave these the
same attention the net results would
be the better by hundreds of per
cent.
Labor is a matter that is more and
more to be considered, for at times
this is difficult to get and the very
necessity of it at times sends the
prices up to such a level that the
farmer who scatters his efforts finds
that his cash returns will hardly, If
at all, pay for what the crop has
cost. Assiduous work on smaller acre.
age, this handled by smaller forces,
will bring returns that will show
on the correct side of the ledger bal
ance, and turn a losing proposition
into gaining one. "The proof of the
pudding is in the eating,' and that
intensive farming has paid is within
the knowledge of all who would
know.
The best advice to be given each
farmer is that he concentrate and
farm on the intensive plan, so as to
get the very greatest yield from each
acre. The farmer who makes seventy
five bales of cotton on fifty acres oi
land is certainly better off in every
way than he who takes from seventy
five to a hundred and fifty acres to
produce the same crop. Just as the
small diamond has in it more cash
value than the ton of coal, when
farmers get down to the basic princi-
pie of intensive farming they will
become more and more prosperous
and will have arrived at the true Sc.
cret of success.
Recently, Mr. Alfred A. Thompson,
of this city, man who keeps in touch
with cotton producing and cotton
manufacturing, knowing both the
| farmers side and the manufacturers s
side, took drive through a section
| of Wake county and found object
lessons in intensive farming that are
worth considering, for he saw exact.
ly what is being done this year on
some farm lands in Wake, work that
sets an example to all who raise cot
ton, or for that matter any other
crop. Returning to the city he came
across a newspaper article in line
with what his observations had
shown, and he wrote the editor O1
this paper of his observations and
conclusions. The clipping he enclosed
taken from the Spokesman-Review
declares that intensive farming is
necessary, and that clipping reads as
follows:
'In fifty years there will be about
15O,OOO,OOO people in the United
States, and there is question about
whether the available agricultural
land will supply their needs and leave
anything to export. France is the
only old country that is self-sustain.
ing so far as agricultural products
are concerned.
"The methods of tilling the soil ir
France are, of course, most intensive
and intensive cultivation will be the
rule throughout the United States il
a few years. The soils productive
ness need not be exhausted Agricul
tural land in England, after loo
years ofcultivation, is now more pro
ductive than ever.
NVhether or not the needs of th,
vast population that will soon oc
cupy America will beexactly met, th'
final proportions OF land suitable fo1
the various uses seem to be good
The Government prophecy is that il
all North America, fifty years hence
there will be two parts of barren lane
to twenty-six of grazing land, fifty
one of agricultural, nineteen of abso
lutte forest and two of intermediate
between agricultural and forest" !"
In connection with what he had oh
served on his trip, and the matter il
the clipping, Mr.. Thompson's letter j
one that is worth the earnest consid
Grafton of every farmer, for it set
out in unmistakable language wha
can be done, and that the three Allan
tic States, with intensive farming
such as is found on some OF Wax
county's farms, could supply the er
tire American consumption of cottor
. and give Lancashire spinners all tha
they wanted besides. The letter {
MIR. Thompson, though not intende
for publication, has in it SO much {
sober, common sense, practical az
vice that it is printed, and the readt