Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1914-07-08
WHAT ONE FARMER DID,
immigrant Shows Nebraska What Can be
Done with 20 Acres OF Land.

Immigrant Shows Nebraska What Can b.
Done with 20 Acres OF Land.
: Pawyee City, Neb June13.-
; About is years ago Martin, ,
|, young Swiss immigrant arrived il
Pawnee City. He worked around al
farm hand for three years, nevel
getting more than Sis a month
aud his hoard. AT the end Of
that TINA he had ssved several
hundred dollars and managed te
make his first payment on tract
| of 20 acres of almost worthless
land near Pawnee. Although the
surrounding land was selling at
800 an acre the tract purchased
by Martin was priced at only
$3.50 an acre.
Last year Martin took 1,45C
worth of prizes on products of his
miniature farm aud had the
products also. He expects this
year to clear more than $3.50 on
each acre of his plaza and will bs
very much disappointed if he
makes q profit of less than $1,000
on his 20 acres
In fact, 80 good farmer has
Martin developed into that last
year the Agriculture! Department
| at Washington offered him a sala.
ry at $4,000 year if he would
imply act as q demonstration aud
teach the farmers Of the country
how to operate their farms in
order to reap the greatest returns
Martin declined the offer. .
The "20.acre farmer as he has
become known, has become such a
successful farmer that half the
country fairs in Southern Ne
braska have barred him from
participating in any aou test. In
his home county, she Pawnee
County Fair pays him salary of
SIS each year not to enter any of
his farm products in competition.
When he demurred he was ruled
out Of the contest AID was given
the choice of accepting $75 or get.
ting nothirg. He took the money
snd each year makes display of
farm products but enters no con-
tests.
When Martin bou.: ut the little
farm not an acre of Is was cleared.
A portion of it was in timber and
the remainder in uraerbrush, ex-
cept whore deep gully cut its
way acrost the place. So Martin
bonght SIS worth ca. lumber and
| made himself a little house down
In the gully Half was under
ground. Then he went to cut
ting trees, grubing roots and clear
ing underbrush. That winter he
hauled his wood to town and sold
it. Also he opened rock quarry
in the side of the hill and sold q
lot of stone to the town people.
At the same time he got out
enough stone to build barn.
That first year was night.
mare, but when the IL months
had passed Martin found that in
addition to making living for
himself and wife he had, nearly
$3.50. And he had cleared half
his farm of it's timber and under
brush. The next year his profits
were 500 and more acres we're
cleared. The third year which
was so good for agricultural pur.
poses, netted him $3.50 and saw
his 20 acres entirely cleared up
and ready for cultivation.
INTENSIVE FARMING EXPLAINED
Intensive farming of the high.
eat order has been Martins watch.
word. Not single foot of ground
is wasted. There are no fence
corners and cultivation is con-
tinusd right up to the very proper
ty line. So we'll has he cared fo:
she land that in addition to max.
ing several thousand dollars each
year and the land itself has ad-
vanced value until today it is
worsh not less than $3.50 an acre.
He has q cottage with all con-
venlencies, player piano which
cost $3.50 and one of the finest
farm libraries in the State. A
gasoline engine sends water to his
house and to all parts of his little
farm in addition to furnishing
power for all sorts of machinery
at the barn.
Although far from city market
and in a community whore every
body is farming or depending up.
on the farm, thu 20,scre farmer
so contrives and manages that his
products ripen just week or two
ahead of anybody's IN the county.
In the spring his vegetables are
ready for the table just before
those Of other growers are ready
His fruit trees bear just a few
dopa boforo tho othar traas ond ~