Abandon Unprofitable Land 31 



was informed that about one-fourth of his cows 

 were quite profitable, one-half paid their board 

 bill and a little more, and one-fourth were kept 

 at a considerable loss. He was advised to dis- 

 pose of the unprofitable cows. His answer was, 

 " But what will I do for cows ? " 



Then, to secure a competence, the crops and 

 the land which uniformly produce loss must be 

 abandoned. How it worries the city penny-a- 

 liner and how it rejoices the successful farmer to 

 see land thrown out of cultivation — "abandoned." 

 To me nothing is so encouraging in agriculture 

 as this lately acquired knowledge which reveals 

 the fact that vast areas have been cleared and 

 brought under cultivation which should have 

 been left undisturbed, except to harvest the ma- 

 ture trees and protect the young plants from 

 ravages of fire and cattle. As the blackberry 

 bushes, year by year, creep down the steep 

 hillsides and over the rock -covered fields, one 

 rejoices at the pioneer work these modest, 

 liardy, tap -rooted plants are accomplishing. 

 How wisely and well they fit the soil for a 

 higher and more noble class of plants, and how 

 surely in time they cover the shame and naked- 

 ness of mother earth ! 



The rural population has made many serious 

 mistakes, toiling to reclaim land which was not 

 worth reclaiming, not worthy of an intelligent 



