Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1914-01-01

from the cradle think is about the smartest and
set of farmers working land that has
cropped since Julius Caeser day get double the year
year that another get comparatively new
soils what other explanation be given they plan
and work ntellgenty? They may know so much
about ancient history or the geography of South America
political economy; but they know about farming their
farms:
They money by fertilzng what we waste they get
more money acre for by making their land yield bigger
WHAT AMERICAN FARMERS ARE DOING
1t would be simply silly say that this country
40 what mas done and is being dsne all Europe
land; have the brains there why we can't
hitch the two together and accomplish any Bel
gran oI GERMAN furthermore to add practical proof there
farmers in this country farmers the
Tous states farmers IN New England and farmers in New
York and farmers in Iowa Illinois and California and
Texas who doing every whit well any European
very lines No foreign hay record equals
on his sixteen Haggan4m acres There more thana hum
ar obtain bigger yields than the German average
wheat field in New York which any European av
erage every time 1t IS sown No such yields of
heard of the water as have been sew
eral times garnered right here Connecticut during the last
few years.
No. brethren the why average poorer crops in
this country because farming averages poorer Those
who work nteligently and skuy and forehandedIy
the fault is not in our soils, but in ourselves.
With our comparatively cheap land which mnimizes in
eres charges and our freedom from the necessity of sup
porting huge idle armies which annually the heart of
age just as good crops as the Old Wordand save for our
profit much bigger share OF the resultant income
A SHARPLY CoNTRAsTED CASE
Some twenty years farmer neighbor OF mine got the
gawping cathedra studying tombs in Westminster Alb
bey He among the farms OF Kent and Sussex and
hay in the tight little island When he came back he took
sacre field which had always been regarded just
average land and proceeded put practice the ideas he
had learned. He found he had modify of them
suit climatic conditions. It took him about three
get that lot where he For the six
years he took average of throur tons OF first quality
hay off each Then he died and the field with the
That eleven years ago The field has been managed dur
ing those eleven the usual horss catchascatch
style And has produced during those eleven years.
average of just about twelve tons per cutting.
field opportunities, external
conditions. but different farmer and different sort of
from the field when he cutting thry-tour tons off 1t
considerably double what they had been when he
out in both cases Had lived planned
system to his other fields and to other crops simply as
matter of cold business, to make more money thereby
BETTER FARMING MEANS MORE THAN BETTER
CROPS.
thing: better farming only better crops,
for but it bettemen of the farm and in
in the market than the farm which yields only
harvess 1t worth have to sell it. 1t IS
worth if you have to live it. Good farming CON
all in the surface soil and avas itself of all
the help seduce from the subs beneath and the air
above 1t only maintains original fertility 1t adds there
that the longer the land cropped the better crops 1t
grows.
score of years ago Gbertstown OF Iowa paid $4,000 for
fory-ace farm He specialist in onions and he turned
the whole forty into onion bed He has averaged
profit of over 900 year since and has
fused an offer of s48 That is he has made pay
annually seventy-ve interest his invest
ment time has increased its actual market
value by a hundred and twenty cent
Now durn little $500 farmland IN Con-
necticut Very possibly there may be much that would
do onions outside of the central valley But III
bet nv boots this Gilbeson II he had lived in
Ledyard, would have found some other crop
through which made seventyhve per cent
profit land and would have doubled the value
of that $50 land while doing It.
isn't the mud the farmers boots that counts but
the 1t isn't the hayseed on his hair
but the gray matter inside his head
TIT
Take the subject any side which approach
it. there is everything be said favor OF movement for
better farming than larger farming The argument
OF profit that side the argument OF swelling farm
values sde the argument OF self approval on
If these enough the argument OF nece-
sity on that simply GOT do better farm
ing or 90 into scrap-heap OF ncapabeS.
of consuming millions steadily 1ncreas-
ing supply with it We've about reached
the There isn't much land lett which we
can take up for few years We've got to meet
increasing demand by increasing production from the
already tageor stoop TO the dsgracetu
pcdent calling better farmers OF Europe to feed
the United States.
I've sometimes thought that would pay the farmers of