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A Lesson In Intensive Cultivation.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The writer ot" tliis has studied the methods of farming iu vogue ia more than
half of the States in the Union-, and he
will say with much regret, that it is only
the exception when the farmer does not
undertake more than he can do, as well
as it ought really to be done. It is needless to say that my own experience, whether in the ordinary farm practice, or on
making tests, has proved that the most
thorough cultivation pays best. This is
tne true principle behind all successful
farming. Many men are demonstrating
every day the truth of the formula: "Tillage is earliness, tillage is moisture, tillage
is manure."
But I began this paper with the purpose of telling about my first lesson ou
tbis subject. I was born in Virginia,
where the farms were large. Thoy ran
up into the hundreds of thousands of
si cres. There were many slaves on all of
them, who were managed by overseers. It
is needless to say that very careless methods were in vogue. Toe only small farm
in my neighborhood, was one of less than
a hundred acres belonging to an old man
named Totty. Most of the planters about
were related to each other by blood or marriage, bnt "Old Totty" was a stray, from
tio one knew where, and the people around
him paid no attention to him. But his
farm lay upon a public road, near the
country town, and of course was seen by
many people.
In the course of time his methods began
to excite remarks. It was the common
talk in the fall, that "Old Totty's" wheat
field looked like a garden, it was so finely
prepared and free from clods. And the
fact was soon demonstrated that he got
the best strands of wheat in the county,
and at harvest made the largest yields; in
fact-twice the average of his neighbors.
Passers by too, soon observed that he always got the best stands of clover. The
same was true of his corn, nis tobacco and
his oats. His crops never failed; but no
body seemed to concern themselves about
his methods, they only remarked incident-
ly upon his fine crops and the evident improvement in his farm. They failed to
profit by his example.
This went on for a good many years,
but even his neighbors on adjoining farms
were too indifferent to copy his example.
By-and-by, one of the big farmers adjoining died, and his esta.te was to bo put up
ft auction and there was much speculation as to who was going to have enough
money to buy it. Finally the sale day
came and "Old Totty" was on hand with
tho rest of the neighbors, but no one
thought of him as a possible bidder. Nevertheless when the sale was made, the old
man in his seedy clothes out bid all the
big planters and paid cash for the farm.
By his thorough methods, he had been
able to dig out of a little farm of GO acres
enough profit to Imy a big plantation.
Old man Totty is dead long ago but I
will remark incidentally, that I have occasionally been back to the old neighborhood, and found that the Totty farms were
still good farms, and that moreover some
of the younger generation of farmers had
caught on to the Totty system. Speaking
from the strictly scientific standpoint, Mr.
Totty knew no morq than his neighbors;
but had found out bv experience that tha
careful saving and using of manure, judicious u«e of fertilizers, and the most thorough preparation of his land and cultivation, of his crops was the successful way
to farm and he stuck to it. And now at
this day when our sum total of knowledge
as to the chemical constituents of crops,
of soils and manures is so much greater,
and why certain causes produce certain
effects is better, we must still admit that
the fundamental principle of good farming
is the intensive method that Mr. Totty
constantly put into practice. Why can
we do not all go and do likewise? Certainly
that will be one step in the direction o_
freedom from the hired men incubus.
Geo.  B.  Morton.
"Washington, D. C.
Spring Bee Notes.
Editors Indiana Fanner:
Bees make special trips at this season
to streams and pools for water. The
developing larvae requires considerable
water in their food. The bees prefer
water   that   has   a   salty   flavor.    Add   a
If you have a weak colony it may be
utilized to raise lots of bees b.v exchanging their empty combs for full combs ami
capped brood from stronger hives. Feeding their empty combs for full combs and
strong colonies are able to defend themselves, and if short of stores they should
bo fed, and by swapping combs with the
weak all may be made strong. At the
beginning of the harvest there must be a
surplus of bees to gather the
surplus honey. A large force of field workers is needed, and enough besides to stay
at home cool days and keep the hives
warm.
The past winter has been a long severe
one and the bees have had to use more
of their stores than if tho winter had been
open and mild. Heat they must have
during long continued cold and more food
Machinery Building, World's Fair,  St.  Louis.
tablespoonful of salt to an ordinary
pail of water previously making a tiny
hole in the side of the pail, allowing tin-
water to trickle down over a board with
grooves in it. This is a little trouble,
but it saves the bees a long journey if
there is no water near.
Spring is the best time to make a start
in beos, and it is best to purchase them
in your own locality to avoid expense ot
expressage. The common bees in box
hives may be purchased anywhere at a
reasonable price, ami then -transferred into a modern hive, ant\ the common queen
replaced with au Italian. It is better of
course to bny a colony already in prime
working order,if there is a reliable beekeeper near who has them for sale.
Though the cost may be greater, the beginner has a standard witli which _>
compare all others.   It is better to start
is required to produce it, with bees tho
same as horses and cattle. We ourselves
eat more during cold weather.
Hush Co. F. M. W.
"Why They Are Going.
Kditors Indiana  Farmer:
Everyone is asking: Why are
tlie boys
leaving the farm and going to town to
work in the factory?
Many are stating tlieir iileas and are
urging the boys to stay on the farm, and
some are giving very good reasons why
They should do so.
Rut the question is: Why will they go?
And it may be answered in many ways.
First, at the present prices for which
land is selling, and with the wealthy men
grasping all they can-, it is impossible for
the young man to buy.
Therefore if he stays on the farm he
one or two colonies and, as you gain a ! must either rent land, or he must become
practical knowledge of the naturo and a farm laborer. But no one has land to
requirement of hoes, increase: the number, rent but the wealthy man.  and they  are
kept. With good care the business will
increase itself. It is quite a help for the
beginner if he has an accommodating bea
keeper living  near who understarrds  th..
grasping every foot of land that they can.
Xow you may think that this would make
no difference; because you think that it
would take as many men to tend tho land
business to help him keep his_ bees in one way as the other. But this is a mis-
order ami teach him to avoid mistakes take, becauso in buying land the wealthy
in management while learning. mare will buy two, three, or four small
It pays to keep bees to fertilize the farms, which lie adjoining each other, and
fruit bloom if there are no bees within on each of theso farms some man has been
two miles of yo«r farm. Honey is con- able to provide comfortably for his fam-
sidered the most healthful of sweets, and ily, but has been tempted .by the enormous
so few farmers keep bees there is always price of $100 per acre, and has sold. Xow
a good demand for -any surplus one may the wealthy man gathers the little farms
happen to havo on hand. | together, and to save himself trouble and
F.very farm beekeeper in need of hives, expense, turns the three or four farms
implements and fixtures should write to over to one or two of the better farmers.
Walter S. Ponder whose advertisement ap- r.nd by so doing throws some ono out of a
pears in this paper for his attractive il- farm, and what is left to do but to go to
lustrated  catalogue sent free.      Thrre is town?
much useful information in it for the be- In this country it is becoming very fash-
ginner, besides prices   and    description of ionable for the land owner to build what
everything in the beekeeper's line.              , they call tenant houses; but little better
than an open shed are they, as a rule,
'..nen they hire a married man and aro not
troubled with boarding the "hired man."
Xow who is looking for that kind of a
place? Who is going to live hi such a
place, just to stay on the farm? Xot the
man that can get a position and a house
In town.
We all know one or more men who own
from one to two or three thousand acres
of land, lying in tracts containing from
three to six hundred acres each, and on
each of theso we may find one or two
good dwelling houses and several inferior
ones, some of which are unfit to live in.
I know of some cases where rich men
will see a family suffer with cold all winter, rather than spend S25 dollars in repairing the house. And more than that
1liey will rob a man of his last dollar in
fu trade.
They will rent a man a farm on condition that he buy his horses or his farming
implements from them, and then they will
ask double the worth of the same. But
would these conditions make a boy want
to stay on the farm?
We all know that every boy is born
with more or less talent for some certain-
kind of work. He may be a natural mechanic, illustrator, lawyer, soldier or farmer, etc., and unless a boy is born with
sjJine talent for fanning lie is apt ' o :_.:.!;.•
a failure on tlie farm. Any one can drive
a horse or hold to the handles of a plow
or milk a cow, but this is far from making
a farmer of him. He must like the work.
He. as well as otners, must have an education, although some people think it not
necessary. I once heard a man say that
he believed "the more of an idiot a fellow
was, the better farmer he would make,"
and if you could see the man farm you
would think he had put the idea into
practice. Becauso he never does anything
right.
I would say that before urging the boy
to stay on the farm, it will be a gooil
thing to find out what he has a talent for.
Ami if he wants te) do something els",
then he had better do it. We can't all be
farmers. * Some one must do the other
work.
While the moneyed man continues to
grasp the land and turn two or three fair
sized farms, into ones, and the boy wants
to do something else I would say that the
problem will n-ot 1 «. easily solved. Then,
will be farmers as long as ther are law-
jers, but. unless the moneyed men are
stopped, the day will com? when the farmors arc l*ow. But. if you will check tho
land niillionaiis we will stay out of your
towns. Brue Davisson.
Tippecanoe Co.
Bruce puts up a pretty strong caso, but
he should remember tliaat there is plenty
of good and cheap land yet in Western-
and Southern States, and for all that he
has saH the fact remains that farming
is the best business for most men, if they
only can be made to think so.
The Detective Association.
Editors   Tndlann   Parm.r:
Clunette Detective Association of Prairie township, Kosciusko county, Ind.. was
organized May 20, 1897, with rs.3 charter
memliers. We held our last meeting on
..larch -tth. William II Easterday, president; W. E. Summy, Seoretary. Have
been working seven years. Had a good
meeting at our March 4th session, with n
lively interest manifested for the benefit
of the order and the good of the county
in apprehending the law breakers and
bringing them to justice. T. R.
Leesburg.