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Garden* V VOL. LVII. INDIANAPOLIS, OCT. 25, 1902. NO. 42 SOME SAMPLES OF INTENSIVE FARMING. Last week we gave some illustrations nml .lefinitions of intensive farming, and what is meant by that term. Statistical information from European countries shows some examples of intensive farming that we have not yet approached in this country, but toward which we are tending as population increases here. These facts illustrate what may be done under pressing conditions of agriculture where population has become dense. For instance, Belgium feeds a population of 490 people to the square mile, a single lection of land, and besides exports farm products to Great Britain valued at $5.- 000,000. With such farming in the Unit- ..1 .States, the State of New York would leed nearly 25,000,00 people and have a surplus besides, and Texas could at the tame rate of intensive farming feed the 70.000,000 population of the United States, and have a surplus to feed 50,000,000 more. We Know a farmer residing in Marion county, Indiana, not many miles from Indianapolis, who grows from five to six t*>ns of timothy hay per acre, while the average in the State is not two tons. And jet statistical information shows that sections of Belgium more than double this largest yield in Indiana. In- the United States 200 to 300 bushels of Irish potatoes are grown per acre at best, while abroad more than 1,500 bushels per acre is the yield by intensive agricultural methods. These illustrations and facts might be extended, showing what intensive farming is abroad. Scientific farming, if you please, by a people who have not passed through scientific education, but where, •under dint of pressure of population, and long experimentation and observation, scientific principles have been acquired and are now practiced. By these facts it is seen how idle the fear is that we nre rapidly approaching the time when we cannot feed our own population, as some alarmists have said. '.Ve can nnd will, when there is necessity lot- it, more than quadruple the production nf our wheat and corn crops, and indeed all other crops. The agricultural colleges and experiment stations of America are laying the foundations for all this, ami will save us the long years of patient, individual experiments to learn it, which wore required abroad. DOING AB01T AS WK THINK. Whether pursuing agriculture or some other .ailing, a man is about what he thinks. The same idea is expressed in the phraseology: What a man thinketh, po is he. Or in other words, a man does about as he thinks. When passing over the country you frequently see neat, well kept farms, fences, orchards and buildings, with everything in its place, and you ilon't need to be told of the quality of the owner's thoughts, fnr you rend that in what he has done and is doing. If the farm has a neglected and poorly kept appearance, you again readily read the thoughts of its owner, which suggests thathe hasbeenthinkingabout other things than those of his farm. Of course there are some exceptions to these rules, as misfortune, sickness, inability, etc., but they are exceptions only, and the rule is the other way, as stated. Somebody has said that a bright, promising boy enuld be put to studying agriculture and farming with the assurance that he would make a good success of it, but that if the boy was dull ami unpromising he should be put to studying the law or some other profession. There is a great deal of truth in the suggestion ,for modern agriculture is found to be a most scientific pursuit, and it requires brightness and good qualities of thought to make a success at it. In the past twenty years the schools of agriculture, endowed by the general government, and later fairly well supported by State legislation, have developed these higher conditions, and happily are fitting and qualifying scores of young men for farm pursuits. These things have proceeded so far as to enable good observers to begin to classify. There are .however, scores of most excellent farmers well up in the scientific class who never had the opportunities of the schools, but being big, broad, strong men intellectually from j'oung manhood, have mastered agriculture to a finish practically, and can give points to the undergraduates not skilled in practice. These classes are readily found in every neighborhood, making splendid successes nt every phase of farming and stock growing. IMPORTANT MOVEMENT FOR AGRICIL11 RE. At the request of the Association, Congressman Hopkins, Chairman of the House Census Committee, introduced an amendment to the Census Act, providing for "A classified enumeration and value of live stock," which shall be made under such rules nnd regulations as the director of the department may deem best. Thi-J was introduced so late that it was impossible to secure a report on the amendment at last session, but it will be vigorously pushed during the coming session. The measure has the endorsement of the Department of Agriculture as well as the census department, and there is strong hope that it will be possible to start the bureau in time for another general census in 1905. There can be no question of the necessity of reliable statistics regarding live stock in this country. Next lo the bread supply, the meat supply of the country is of most importance, and every year demonstrates the need of statistics that can be depended upon. The census of 1900 was good as far as it went but with no figures with which to compare, that census is practically useless until another is taken. To secure a reliable basis upon whieh a bureau of statistics could work, there should be three complete census made of the live stock in consecutive years and after that every five years. If this was done, a bureau could very easily keep close estimate of the changes taking place and such estimates would be of the greatest value to trade and commerce as well as to farmers and stock raisers. For instance, this season there has been n wholesale slaughter nf female eattle, and in addition thousands of heifers have been spayed. It is possible thnt this very act may result in a scarcity nf breeding cattle shnrtly. At present almost nothing is known in regard to the supply and demand for meat cattle. The country might Ik* on the verge of a shortage which would send meat prices far beyond the top figures of this year, and no one could say such a shortage exists until it was actually here. The markets are completely cnntrnlled by tbe visible supply actually on the market from day to day and farmers may be selling their stock at panic prices when the actual conditions do not justify those prices. If the government finds it profitable to collect statistics on the grain crops of the country, cotton and manufactures, there .an be no valid or logical argument against collecting statistics on the meat supply. One is as important as the other and statistics are fully as necessary for the proper conduct of trade and commerce. More than eight million farmers and stock raisers are interested in this measure. They represent $5,000,000,000 of in- rentatd capital, and besides being a protection to the producer and consumer against the speculator, a law of this kind is due this great army of agriculturists and should be enacted. WHAT THE IXITEI) STATES SOLI) ABROAD IN |901s Of the $952,000,000 worth of farm produce shipped from the United States during the fiscal year 1901, more than half was disposed of in the British Market, Our agricultural exports to that destination in the pear mentioned had the exceptionally high value of $496,000,000. After the United Kingdom, the foreign countries affording the largest markets for products of American agriculture in 1901 were Germany, the Netherlands, France. Belgium, Canada, Italy, Denmark, Spain, British Africa and Cuba. About $28,000,000 worth of United States farm produce was marketed during 1901 in the neighboring country of Canada. Wheat, cotton and corn were decidedly our largest exports to that destination. Another product shipped quite extensively was tobacco. American* farm produce sent to France during 1901 had a value of $50,000,000, or ■lightly less than that sent to the Netherlands. In our agricultural exports to France cotton was of far greater value than all other products combined. Aside from cotton the principle articles of shipment to that destination were cotton-seed oil .tobacco, corn, oats and lard. Belgium furnished a market in 1901 for $:..".( 100,000 worth of our agricultural exports. Wheat, cotton and corn formed the largest items. Lard was also an article nt leading importance. Other products of agriculture shipped tn Belgium in considerable abundance were oil-cake, leaf tobacco and bacon. To the Netherlands we sold in 1901 $51,000,000 worth of agricultural products. Wheat and corn were the principal exports to that country. Oleo oil also formed an important item in the Dutch trade. Other articles shipped quite extensively were wheat flour, lard, cottonseed oil, oil cake and cotton. To Italy we sold $2.*,.000,000 worth of t.gricultural produce. Denmark took $13,- 000,000 worth, mostly corn, oil-cake, cotton, oleo nil, lard and wheat. Of the 112,699,000 worth taken by Spain cotton, tobacco, wheat, corn and sausage casings made np the bulk. British Africa spent $12,037,000 with us, mostly horses r,n.l mules for army purposes. Cub a bought $12,024,000 worth of our lard, wheat, flour, cattle, hams, pork, eggs, bacon and liquors. Our agricultural exports to Germany in 1001, like our agricultural exports to the United Kingdom were unusually large, having a value of $145,000,000. In the ease of Germany also, the leading farm prodnct purchased from the United States during 1901 was cotton. Next to cotton, Indian com formed the largest item. Otber articles of considerable importance, named in order of their value, were lard, wheat, oil cuke, tobacco, oleo oil, and wheat flour. In addition to the eleven countries mentioned above, to each of which we sent over $10,000,000 worth of agricultural produce, there were several destinations nf less importance that made purchased exceeding $5,000,000 ,as follows: Sweden and Norway, $7,080,000; Japan, $6,299,- 000; Mexico, $6,265,000; Hongkong, $5,- 172,000, and the British West Indies $5,- 136,000. The various countries that have thus far been named received together over nine-tenths of our agricultural exports for 1901. The remainder of the trade was distibuted among numerous other destinations, none nf which received shipments amounting itr value to one per cent of the total. MACARONI WHEAT GROWING. It is from the Italian macaroni wheat that the entire product of macaroni is manufactured. For two or three year) past wheat growers in the dryer sections of theUn-ited Stateshave been experimenting with it, and its increased production in this country is now rapidly growing. Mr. Wilson, the American Secretary of Agriculture says: "Last year the American crop of macaroni wheat amounted to 200,000 bush* Is* this year it will amount to 2,000,000, and bushels. In fact the acreage has 1 tr growing so rapidly that the farmers have been saving much of their yield for seed, so that the factories have not until ,l*is year bad enough material with which to tk* business. My recent trip through the Dakotas convinced me that macaroni wheat has passed the experimental stage. I saw forty-acre fields, yielding thirty-five bushels to the acre, of this wheat growing from seed brought from the head waters of the Volga. Experiments show that this wheat will grow wherever there is ten inches of rainfall, and as South Dakota averages to receive sixteen inches, there will be no trouble in raising it there. We have been spending $8,000,000 a j ear for imported macaroni. Many of our people who have seen its process of manufacture in Italy have been cured of their appetite for it, but this appetite maj be expected to reassert itself with the cleaner and better methods of American factories. The flavor of the American macaroni wheat is especially good, having a nutty taste which I miss in the European product." PREHISTORIC RELICS WANTED. Philips Academy, Andover, Mass., has recently established a Department of Arch- neology to encourage the preservation of stone, bone and clay prehistoric art forms. In all sections of the country are frequently found various "Indian relics." These have a direct bearing on the history—or rather pro-history—of America, and as such should be preserved in firepoof buildings for the study ami edification of present and future generations. The curator, Prof. W. K. Moorehead, says he will be glad to pay express charges on any and all boxes of specimens sent to him, to mention the gifts in our report and to give the donors due credit in our exhibition cases. All these axes, pipes, spear heads, clay vessels, and "strange stones," should be carefully preserved somewhere, where they may be of service to the public and to science. Archaeology—technically followed— is a new science in the United States and it is more important than the average reader imagines, for these "stone relics" have a direct bearing on the antiquity of man. Two hundred and fifty-four notice boards are to be erected in the streets of Edinburgh, requesting citizens not to spit en the pavement.
Object Description
Title | Indiana farmer, 1902, v. 57, no. 43 (Oct. 25) |
Purdue Identification Number | INFA5743 |
Date of Original | 1902 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | United States - Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or not-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Date Digitized | 2011-03-21 |
Digitization Information | Original scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or non-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Digitization Information | Orignal scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Transcript | Garden* V VOL. LVII. INDIANAPOLIS, OCT. 25, 1902. NO. 42 SOME SAMPLES OF INTENSIVE FARMING. Last week we gave some illustrations nml .lefinitions of intensive farming, and what is meant by that term. Statistical information from European countries shows some examples of intensive farming that we have not yet approached in this country, but toward which we are tending as population increases here. These facts illustrate what may be done under pressing conditions of agriculture where population has become dense. For instance, Belgium feeds a population of 490 people to the square mile, a single lection of land, and besides exports farm products to Great Britain valued at $5.- 000,000. With such farming in the Unit- ..1 .States, the State of New York would leed nearly 25,000,00 people and have a surplus besides, and Texas could at the tame rate of intensive farming feed the 70.000,000 population of the United States, and have a surplus to feed 50,000,000 more. We Know a farmer residing in Marion county, Indiana, not many miles from Indianapolis, who grows from five to six t*>ns of timothy hay per acre, while the average in the State is not two tons. And jet statistical information shows that sections of Belgium more than double this largest yield in Indiana. In- the United States 200 to 300 bushels of Irish potatoes are grown per acre at best, while abroad more than 1,500 bushels per acre is the yield by intensive agricultural methods. These illustrations and facts might be extended, showing what intensive farming is abroad. Scientific farming, if you please, by a people who have not passed through scientific education, but where, •under dint of pressure of population, and long experimentation and observation, scientific principles have been acquired and are now practiced. By these facts it is seen how idle the fear is that we nre rapidly approaching the time when we cannot feed our own population, as some alarmists have said. '.Ve can nnd will, when there is necessity lot- it, more than quadruple the production nf our wheat and corn crops, and indeed all other crops. The agricultural colleges and experiment stations of America are laying the foundations for all this, ami will save us the long years of patient, individual experiments to learn it, which wore required abroad. DOING AB01T AS WK THINK. Whether pursuing agriculture or some other .ailing, a man is about what he thinks. The same idea is expressed in the phraseology: What a man thinketh, po is he. Or in other words, a man does about as he thinks. When passing over the country you frequently see neat, well kept farms, fences, orchards and buildings, with everything in its place, and you ilon't need to be told of the quality of the owner's thoughts, fnr you rend that in what he has done and is doing. If the farm has a neglected and poorly kept appearance, you again readily read the thoughts of its owner, which suggests thathe hasbeenthinkingabout other things than those of his farm. Of course there are some exceptions to these rules, as misfortune, sickness, inability, etc., but they are exceptions only, and the rule is the other way, as stated. Somebody has said that a bright, promising boy enuld be put to studying agriculture and farming with the assurance that he would make a good success of it, but that if the boy was dull ami unpromising he should be put to studying the law or some other profession. There is a great deal of truth in the suggestion ,for modern agriculture is found to be a most scientific pursuit, and it requires brightness and good qualities of thought to make a success at it. In the past twenty years the schools of agriculture, endowed by the general government, and later fairly well supported by State legislation, have developed these higher conditions, and happily are fitting and qualifying scores of young men for farm pursuits. These things have proceeded so far as to enable good observers to begin to classify. There are .however, scores of most excellent farmers well up in the scientific class who never had the opportunities of the schools, but being big, broad, strong men intellectually from j'oung manhood, have mastered agriculture to a finish practically, and can give points to the undergraduates not skilled in practice. These classes are readily found in every neighborhood, making splendid successes nt every phase of farming and stock growing. IMPORTANT MOVEMENT FOR AGRICIL11 RE. At the request of the Association, Congressman Hopkins, Chairman of the House Census Committee, introduced an amendment to the Census Act, providing for "A classified enumeration and value of live stock," which shall be made under such rules nnd regulations as the director of the department may deem best. Thi-J was introduced so late that it was impossible to secure a report on the amendment at last session, but it will be vigorously pushed during the coming session. The measure has the endorsement of the Department of Agriculture as well as the census department, and there is strong hope that it will be possible to start the bureau in time for another general census in 1905. There can be no question of the necessity of reliable statistics regarding live stock in this country. Next lo the bread supply, the meat supply of the country is of most importance, and every year demonstrates the need of statistics that can be depended upon. The census of 1900 was good as far as it went but with no figures with which to compare, that census is practically useless until another is taken. To secure a reliable basis upon whieh a bureau of statistics could work, there should be three complete census made of the live stock in consecutive years and after that every five years. If this was done, a bureau could very easily keep close estimate of the changes taking place and such estimates would be of the greatest value to trade and commerce as well as to farmers and stock raisers. For instance, this season there has been n wholesale slaughter nf female eattle, and in addition thousands of heifers have been spayed. It is possible thnt this very act may result in a scarcity nf breeding cattle shnrtly. At present almost nothing is known in regard to the supply and demand for meat cattle. The country might Ik* on the verge of a shortage which would send meat prices far beyond the top figures of this year, and no one could say such a shortage exists until it was actually here. The markets are completely cnntrnlled by tbe visible supply actually on the market from day to day and farmers may be selling their stock at panic prices when the actual conditions do not justify those prices. If the government finds it profitable to collect statistics on the grain crops of the country, cotton and manufactures, there .an be no valid or logical argument against collecting statistics on the meat supply. One is as important as the other and statistics are fully as necessary for the proper conduct of trade and commerce. More than eight million farmers and stock raisers are interested in this measure. They represent $5,000,000,000 of in- rentatd capital, and besides being a protection to the producer and consumer against the speculator, a law of this kind is due this great army of agriculturists and should be enacted. WHAT THE IXITEI) STATES SOLI) ABROAD IN |901s Of the $952,000,000 worth of farm produce shipped from the United States during the fiscal year 1901, more than half was disposed of in the British Market, Our agricultural exports to that destination in the pear mentioned had the exceptionally high value of $496,000,000. After the United Kingdom, the foreign countries affording the largest markets for products of American agriculture in 1901 were Germany, the Netherlands, France. Belgium, Canada, Italy, Denmark, Spain, British Africa and Cuba. About $28,000,000 worth of United States farm produce was marketed during 1901 in the neighboring country of Canada. Wheat, cotton and corn were decidedly our largest exports to that destination. Another product shipped quite extensively was tobacco. American* farm produce sent to France during 1901 had a value of $50,000,000, or ■lightly less than that sent to the Netherlands. In our agricultural exports to France cotton was of far greater value than all other products combined. Aside from cotton the principle articles of shipment to that destination were cotton-seed oil .tobacco, corn, oats and lard. Belgium furnished a market in 1901 for $:..".( 100,000 worth of our agricultural exports. Wheat, cotton and corn formed the largest items. Lard was also an article nt leading importance. Other products of agriculture shipped tn Belgium in considerable abundance were oil-cake, leaf tobacco and bacon. To the Netherlands we sold in 1901 $51,000,000 worth of agricultural products. Wheat and corn were the principal exports to that country. Oleo oil also formed an important item in the Dutch trade. Other articles shipped quite extensively were wheat flour, lard, cottonseed oil, oil cake and cotton. To Italy we sold $2.*,.000,000 worth of t.gricultural produce. Denmark took $13,- 000,000 worth, mostly corn, oil-cake, cotton, oleo nil, lard and wheat. Of the 112,699,000 worth taken by Spain cotton, tobacco, wheat, corn and sausage casings made np the bulk. British Africa spent $12,037,000 with us, mostly horses r,n.l mules for army purposes. Cub a bought $12,024,000 worth of our lard, wheat, flour, cattle, hams, pork, eggs, bacon and liquors. Our agricultural exports to Germany in 1001, like our agricultural exports to the United Kingdom were unusually large, having a value of $145,000,000. In the ease of Germany also, the leading farm prodnct purchased from the United States during 1901 was cotton. Next to cotton, Indian com formed the largest item. Otber articles of considerable importance, named in order of their value, were lard, wheat, oil cuke, tobacco, oleo oil, and wheat flour. In addition to the eleven countries mentioned above, to each of which we sent over $10,000,000 worth of agricultural produce, there were several destinations nf less importance that made purchased exceeding $5,000,000 ,as follows: Sweden and Norway, $7,080,000; Japan, $6,299,- 000; Mexico, $6,265,000; Hongkong, $5,- 172,000, and the British West Indies $5,- 136,000. The various countries that have thus far been named received together over nine-tenths of our agricultural exports for 1901. The remainder of the trade was distibuted among numerous other destinations, none nf which received shipments amounting itr value to one per cent of the total. MACARONI WHEAT GROWING. It is from the Italian macaroni wheat that the entire product of macaroni is manufactured. For two or three year) past wheat growers in the dryer sections of theUn-ited Stateshave been experimenting with it, and its increased production in this country is now rapidly growing. Mr. Wilson, the American Secretary of Agriculture says: "Last year the American crop of macaroni wheat amounted to 200,000 bush* Is* this year it will amount to 2,000,000, and bushels. In fact the acreage has 1 tr growing so rapidly that the farmers have been saving much of their yield for seed, so that the factories have not until ,l*is year bad enough material with which to tk* business. My recent trip through the Dakotas convinced me that macaroni wheat has passed the experimental stage. I saw forty-acre fields, yielding thirty-five bushels to the acre, of this wheat growing from seed brought from the head waters of the Volga. Experiments show that this wheat will grow wherever there is ten inches of rainfall, and as South Dakota averages to receive sixteen inches, there will be no trouble in raising it there. We have been spending $8,000,000 a j ear for imported macaroni. Many of our people who have seen its process of manufacture in Italy have been cured of their appetite for it, but this appetite maj be expected to reassert itself with the cleaner and better methods of American factories. The flavor of the American macaroni wheat is especially good, having a nutty taste which I miss in the European product." PREHISTORIC RELICS WANTED. Philips Academy, Andover, Mass., has recently established a Department of Arch- neology to encourage the preservation of stone, bone and clay prehistoric art forms. In all sections of the country are frequently found various "Indian relics." These have a direct bearing on the history—or rather pro-history—of America, and as such should be preserved in firepoof buildings for the study ami edification of present and future generations. The curator, Prof. W. K. Moorehead, says he will be glad to pay express charges on any and all boxes of specimens sent to him, to mention the gifts in our report and to give the donors due credit in our exhibition cases. All these axes, pipes, spear heads, clay vessels, and "strange stones," should be carefully preserved somewhere, where they may be of service to the public and to science. Archaeology—technically followed— is a new science in the United States and it is more important than the average reader imagines, for these "stone relics" have a direct bearing on the antiquity of man. Two hundred and fifty-four notice boards are to be erected in the streets of Edinburgh, requesting citizens not to spit en the pavement. |
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