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principal items of which lias been, “divide up
your land into small farms.” In a recent num
ber of the Cultivator we published an article on
Belgian farming, in which the statement is made
that the tendency is to larger instead of smaller
farms. The statement is significant because the
advocates of small farms are in the habit of point
ing especially to the success of Belgian farming in
support of their views. The truth is that, in all
densely populated countries, necessity forces their
inhabitants to the point of obtaining the maxi
mum yield from their lands and stimulates there
fore incessantly in the direction of improved
methods of husbandry. But the fanner who op
erates on a small scale, with little capital at his
command, labors always under difficulties, just
as the small trader or the small manufacturer
does. It will not pay a small farmer to buy a
reaper, mower or grain drill—his little crop can
be harvested more economically by hand ; the
man who cultivates one or two acres cannot af
ford to keep a horse, Ac., &c. The only alterna
tive in such cases is, for one person in a neigh
borhood to purchase such things and do the
■work of several. This, however, is attended
with numberless vexations and annoyances, and
makes the farmer too dependent on others to
work successfully. We oppose, therefore, the
subdividing of our southern plantations on the
ground that such division stands directly in the
way of the introduction of labor-saving imple
ments.
At present the greatest error committed by our
farmers is the investing of too much money in
labor and too little in machines. In breaking up
land, the 2 horse, 3 horse or 4 horse plow r , should
take the place of the one horse. The corn and
cotton planter should take the place of hand
dropping and covering with the plow. The
or cultivator, or gang plow, should take
the place of the shovel. The gram drill or broad
casting machine and harrow, should take the
place of a careless hand-sower, and a one horse
plow for covering the seed —and the reaper and
mo-wer should take the place of the cradle and
the scythe. It is useless to say such things can
not be worked by the negro. Only a limited
number would be needed to use them, and the
intelligent ones among them could, with a little
care and patience, be educated up to the requi
site point. We have made carpenters and ma
sons and blacksmiths and wheelwrights of ne
groes, why not driven* of reapers, Ac., &c.
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR.
For tin* Southern Cultivator.
A PLANTATION GATE.
We send you a plan of “our’ gate which wo
think cannot be excelled for cheapness and
durability.
« ’ a
" ' a
a a—a a, arc two locust or durable posts, which
may stand 10 feet or less above ground.
b b f ' is a cap which may be a pole or slab, to the
underside of which the posts are secured by te
non, pin or spike.
c the sill is sunk in the earth, even with the
surface, and let into the posts or strongly secured
between them, so as with the cup to hold the
posts immovably to their places.
v., the back rail fits by round teiions into two
inch auger holes in the cap and sill; the tenons
should be set some two inches or more in the
sill, and should project above the cap—the cap is
put on the back rail and the posts at the same
time, and this is the last thing done. If made of
good materials this gate will outlast many hinges.
x., the main brace reaches from the top of
the hinge rail or back rail to the bottom slat,
and entirely prevents sagging. For lightness the
pickets and frame of gate, except the hinge-rail,
should be made, say of sassafras, or other light
material. No part of the post, cap, or sill needs
ever to be hewn. No nail need be used, nor
iron, except to fasten the pickets, but it is cheap
est to nail the rails and slats. This gate, of
whatever size, swings easily. * Any man that can
handle an axe and an augur, can make it. It
will last as long as the materials. The making
of it is about one day’s work for one man, inclu
ding the splitting of the pickets. As for the
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