92 



as can be obtained for the pursuit of other branches of busi- 

 ness, it, therefore, requires a great deal of forethought, on 

 the part of a manager of a farm where varied crops are pro- 

 duced; and while the introduction of vast varieties of new im- 

 plements and machines for lessening the labors of the farmer, 

 has greatly revolutionized the whole system of farming, so 

 that many crops that formerly required hand culture, can now 

 be cultivated almost wholly, by horse implements, and notwith- 

 standing the vast benefits realized from their introduction, it, 

 nevertheless, has had a. tendency toward leading us one step in 

 the wrong direction, viz.: — endeavoring to till more acres than 

 we properly manure. 



Let us bear in mind the fact, that the best grades will al- 

 ways find a ready market, however overstocked or plentiful 

 the crop may be. With the yearly increasing demand for the 

 best products, there are many reasons why we should endeavor 

 to excel ; and one inducement is, that we may ably defy the 

 increased competition that has sprung up in recent years, in 

 sections once remote, but the increased railroad facilities 

 have made it possible for those in neighboring states, to place 

 their fruits and roots in our markets, in such a perfect state 

 of preservation, as to come in direct opposition and compe- 

 tition with our best home endeavors. 



It is a trite saying, that, " it is an ill wind that blows nobody 

 any good," so that if we stand endangered by the increased 

 competition in our markets, and the diminution in the ranks 

 of our skilled and most reliable farm laborers, who are seek- 

 ing employment at more remunerative trades, we must endea- 

 vor to simplify our methods and utilize, to a still greater ex- 

 tent, the labors of the horse. 



We have learned that the labor required for the cultivation 

 of any field crop is much less on land under a high state of 

 cultivation. There are but a few species of roots but what 

 revel in a thick foliage, and at the earliest stage of its growth 

 that this can be obtained, the greater the chance of success, 



