Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-04-23
INTENSIVE FARMING.
What Is Done on Two Acres Of En-
glish Earth by Woman.


Here is an idea that French skill and
thrift discovered, thar English common
sense adopted and that American intelli-
geuce and enterprise may be counted upon
10 develop for all there is in it. 1t is the
last word in the conservation of natural
resources and the science of efficiency as
applied to the land
At ThatchanL Berkshire, one Of the
middle counties of England, woman to-
aether with several girls, has shown
what it is possible to accomplish with hut
a couple of acres of land BY the most
scientific kind Of intensive farming they
have been able to meet all the running ex-
penses of their business, including the out
lay of ground rent, apparatus of all sorts.
garden tools, fertilizer and all other in
cdentals that cultivator of the soil is
called upon to put money into. Moreover,
they have been able to live well and to
have sufficient leisure to enjoy such sur
plus of their income a. they did not care
to put into the bank or to invest
It was across the channel, in France,
that this highly-prohtablc industry was
learned. on the outskirts of a little viii
lagc, a Frenchman was discovered, as
sisted by his wife and children. raising
100 worth Of garden truck, annually. on
the narrow confines of single acre of
land. The Englishwoman readily took in
the Significance of this and induced the
successful small farmer to initiate her
into the mysteries of the business.
The first thing they did was to lea Sc
five acres of land. Later on they dis
covered that they had made n bis mis-
take in renting 50 much, for they found
as they got well into their work. that
but two acres We're all they could handle
with the minute attention they were neces-
aarily giving TO their tasks. The five
acres they proceeded to make richer than
ever Nature herself had dreamed possible.
Stable manure was used, The cost of this
fertilizer was very slight They bought
it at a nearby farm and hauled 1t them
selves. This was most thoroughly dis.
tributed, not a square inch escaping,
a peculiar clause was inserted in thei-
Lease The landlord for the moment hest
tated over this. it was so unusual This
provided that the tenants at the cXpira =
tion of their lea q, should have the priv
Icgc Of digging up ana removing the soil
10 a depth of Is inches This provision is
only fair one. as the renters had re-
worked the soil to too high "A degree and
llad auCeO 100 nluCn new material to 1us-
tify its reVerting to the landlord
Stable manure was used exclusively the
women declaring that 1t gave most excel
lent satisfaction. The American grower,
however. might do well to thoroughly In
vestlgate as to the best sort of fertilizer
to employ for the forcing of garden
vegetables
At the Thatcham farm three crops are
raised every u months, and these crops
are on the market ahead OF the season
This ia the secret of the big profits, \
palisade Of zinc plates incloses the whole
field, and these plates are sunk for some
distance into the ground. This is for tn
purpose of thoroughly conserving all the
nutriment
For he first planting. large bell-shaped
glasses, called ''clochers'' oil the Europea
continent, are employed, When the plants
underneath. after proper exposure to the
sun, have advanced far In their develop
ment they are transferred TO regular
frames, glass-covered, that the women
have also built themselves. Lettuce Is one
of the important crops To start with, five
lettuces are grown under each clocher.
This gives ample room for them to de-
velop. Cauihowsr Is also a favorte crop
even carrots are found to be quite profit
able, The plants thus selected, II Will be
with ordinary care, there is but little dan
ger from the blight of frost.
PxalsaiIys nl2Ltuva HuaaA ol willow