How to Run a Small Farm.
Courtesy of Trove Richmond River Herald 13 November 1891
A very successful farmer offers the following wholesome advice : — If the farm is at all tillable I should divide sixteen acres into four sections of four acres each; but it is not necessary to fence it, except the four acres where the barn stand. This plot I should divide in the following way: – Two acres for house, small lawn, kitchen garden, barnyard, &c. This is rather large, I think, and less would do if the house and barn are in the right position; but call it two acres. Then one acre for fruit, one acre for poultry; this acre should be set to pear, quince and peach trees, and plum can be added if thought best; this affords good shade for the fowls and the trees do much better where the poultry run than those where they do not. The remaining 12 acres I should use as follows : — Four acres for clover, four acres for soiling crops, and the remaining four acres for corn and potatoes. On so small a place wheat and oats do not pay. The 12 acres should be rotated with clover, roots, millet, fodder, corn and anything that will do for feed. On the place four cows (and they must be good ones, not necessarily of long pedigrees, but for individual merit) can be kept for the first two or three years; after that more can be added. The manure from the four cows, one horse and 100 hens will go far towards enriching the land. Apply the hen manure, well saved, to the hill, as the best results are obtained this way; utilize every corner with something that will either sell, make fodder for the cows or food for the hens, and my word for it the young man with the sixteen acres will have profitable business enough at home; “with his little farm well filled and his little wife well willed,” he will be as contented as those who roam their hundred acres over, One thing I will mention, and that is this. Put in a patch of early potatoes. I found that nearly every season half an acre or more of early potatoes are as profitable as any patch of ground on the place. Study the wants of your nearest village and town, and supply the people with the earliest and choicest of fruits and vegetables.
Maize farming on the Richmond River began to emerge as a significant agricultural activity in the 1860s, following the introduction of the Robertson Land Act of 1861. The fertile alluvial floodplains near the river were ideal for growing maize, and its proximity to the river facilitated transport to markets even though the river mouth was often dangerous, delaying shipments and risking the spoilage of crops. In the 1870s, over 120,000 bushels of maize were shipped from the river to the Sydney markets.
Maize was initially grown as a cash crop, with the grain itself being the primary product sold. The rise of the dairy industry in the 1880s did see a shift, but the initial focus was on pasture-based systems. The production of maize silage became more widespread with the advent of cooperative butter factories and, later, the need for consistent, high-quality feed for dairy cows, especially during dry or wet spells when pasture quality declines. This became increasingly more important as farming practices evolved to focus on improving herd performance and ensuring a stable food supply for cattle year-round. Maize silage provides a high-energy feed source that can be stored and used as needed. This practice has become an integral part of modern dairy and beef farming in the region.
Millett
Courtesy of Trove Richmond River Herald 11 November 1892
One advantage with this crop is that it makes a quick growth and occupies the ground but a short time. It can be sown after a greater part of the spring planting has been finished, and yet be ready to harvest so that if needed the land can be ploughed and sown to growth. … it is not always possible to get all the corn planted in good season, and rather than plant late it will often be advisable to sow millet rather than risk late planted corn. Millett makes a good growth and yield in a dry season, standing a drought much better than corn, while if cut in good season and properly cured it makes one of the best feeds that can be secured.
Farming & Industry
