Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-06-28
More Capital and Less Land.

The voice or our agricultural press IL
mighty one, but they who will not
listen cannot hear it. Only the desper'
ately i'll follow closely the advice of the
physician. Therefore, the tone OF your
paper and its kind is not sufficiently in
cisive, does not ring out like the alarm
bell that has a mission to perform and
knows it will be listened to and needed.
This knowledge weakens your effort and
permits countless good things to slip by.
Why? Because it is worse than useless
to bring them out. Where is there a
single farm on which every dollar and
hour of labor that could be protitably
expended is used? Is there a farm in our
country that contains no waste land, no
dirty corners, no foul fences or insight
ly spots? Is there farm in all of our
fair land that is returning profit from
every inch of its surface? You know
there is not one. Some small gardens
are clean and profitable over all the sur
face. The owner of the garden is not
more industrious, ambitious or intelli-
gent than the owner of the farm; but he
has the means, the labor and the entire
power to control the situation.
Our railroads are built, equipped and
operated, seemingly at a profit; but the
directors offer bonds-into the millions
that they may increase the rolling
stock and double their earning power.
The average farm is $50 acres, the aver
age capital to carry on the farming work
is nothing. The implements, tools, har-
ness, wagons and horses are Of as little
value as it was possible to obtain. Then
there is generally some debt about the
place. The operator is handicapped be-
cause he is behind in every direction.
Land should be fitted, manure should be
out, seed should be in-endless things
should be done, and all at once, too.
Discouragement and slip-shod methods
follow. Smaller farms are less troubled.
Much larger ones are not worse Oh; {;
they cannot be, even the large estates
of the very wealthy are not capacity
producers or thing of beauty in every
part. 1t is an American trait to be land
poor, and it is the one great evil OF our
country. The great cry is land-more
land-and still more land! Never mind
what you will do with it,. but get the
land. If the power of czar was given
to me, and prosperity were my sole de-
sire, laws or commands should issue for
working capital to twice the value OF
the land, the greatest care of home
made manures, the use of the best seed,
the destruction of all but thoroughbred
sires, and mighty war on all weeds and
insect pests-such ruling would bring
happiness and prosperity.
Business enterprises cannot flourish
without capital, farming cannot make
money without money. Land will not
produce without fertilizer and labor.
Good crops cannot be grown with poor
seed. Neglected fields produce light
yields. Even one good man cannot do
tue work of two good men. A small
farm well titled and everything on it
the best of its kind will turn out bright
dollars and make happy owners. Our
fields, our stock and our dairies are not
earning what they should because there
is not enough money put into them.
Hammer away on better methods, seeds
aud stock, more specializing, not only in
but by individuals. Busi-
ress and professional men have done it.
Horticulturists II have done it. But the
farmer is pounding away without an end
in sight-not growing this year what
was cheap last year, but going deeply
into whatever brought big prices last
year, and thus missing it both ways.
Let us do some few things we'll and stick
to them.-D. Z. Howatt in Country