The Washington herald., 1913-09-07

to be 6evoutly hoped that the imma-
ture ideas of a Harvard professor will
not be allowed to reverse the policy OF
the greatest agency for agricultural
learning in the world.
Now what is Intensive, and what is
extensive" farming? The average Amer
leans idea Of both terms is rather vague
and oftentimes erroneous Some seem to
think that extensive" farming means
large. and Intensive farming small
farms; and the general impression seems
to be that Intensive" farming means
constant. laborious effort, coupled with
the application of mysterious and more
or less secret methods. Nothing could be
farther from the truth. 1 have seen lit
tie forty and eighty acre farms in the
United States which meet every require
ment of what is termed extensive"
farming, and l have seen 1000. 5000,
10000, and even 5000 acre farms in Eu-
rope which meet every requirement of
what is termed intensive" farming.
Nor does intensive farming mean
constant, Iaborious effort; and there is
no mysticism or secrecy about II.
The so-caIled extensive farmer has,
we will say, a 16O-acre farm. Of which
he devotes, perhaps. four fields OF
twenty-five acres each to cereal crops,
possibly alternating them so that the
same cereal is planted on the same soil
but one year in four. He skins over his
fields, plowing them but four to hYe
inches deep, and while he owns the soil
clear through to China, all but the few
inches he plows is useless. because be-
meath that ii is hard and grain roots
will not penetrate il. and because of not
having been aeTated il is not fertile. He
cultivates but little. hoes less. and. as
a rule, his fields become foul with weeds,
which absorb much OF the sustenance
and moisture which is needed by the
grain. Yielding the minimum amount Of
stock food and requiring the minimum
number OF work animals, there Is pro-
duced the minimum amount Of manure.
which oftentimes is regarded more as
a nuisance than as product to be
treasured. and generally is applied. IL
applied at all, in such a careless man
ner as to do the least good.
This is extensive" farming.
What Intensive Farming Is.
Now what Is intensive" farming. the
character OF farming that coaxes the
soil to yield two. three, and even four
times thsyieId that is secured by "ex-
tensiye' farming?
In the first place, producing an abund-
ance of food for work animals, dairy
cows, and meat animals, the farm is
well stocked. and hence is supplied with
an abundance Of barn-yard manure, the
best fertilizer in the world.
Instead of sowing four fields of twen-
ty-hve acres each to cereals annually,
the intensive farmer sows three fields
TO grain. Field a. he fertilizes heavily
with barn-yard manure, possibly supple
u-fth commercial fer
tilizer. He plows II eight to twelve
inches deep. harrows, and prepares his
seedbed with care, and plants il to sugar
beets, mangolds. swedes, turnips. or even
to potatoes. any kind Of hoed root
crop. cultivates and hoes il thoroughly
during the early part of the season.
thus killing of the weeds and other
noxious growth. The following year,
a cereal follows the root crop on field
"a, and field b is devoted to a root
crop. The third year, field &C. is devoted
to a root crop. and the fourth year