LINCOLN SOCIETY. 123 



One erroneous opinion prevails in relation to the profits of 

 farming pursuits, and very much retards their progress in this 

 State. It is no uncommon thing to hear farmers complain that 

 they cannot afford to hire men to work their land, that money is 

 much better invested in trade or navigation, or loaned at inter- 

 est, and in carrying this opinion into practice, are much in the 

 habit of investing the proceeds of their lumbering and even 

 farming operations, either in bank stock, navigation, manufac- 

 turing, trade, 6r the purchase of wild lands ; and this, too, 

 without even paying the farm the first dime for the use and 

 keeping of the team, or board of the operatives. Again, our 

 farmers are much inclined to draw a comparison between the 

 profits of their farms and the same amount invested in other 

 business, but in making this calculation, often forget that with 

 an investment of a few hundred dollars in a farm, a large por- 

 tion is included in a dwelling house and out-buildings, while in 

 trade, navigation or manufactures, they only calculate the profit 

 on the active or jielding capital. 



The merchant, the manufacturer, the ship builder, and the 

 farmer, must each have a dwelling house ; but while the former 

 consider their houses and furniture as capital, and actually 

 obtain money by them for carrying on their business, the farmer 

 would be considered insane who should morto;ao;e his house to 

 raise money to enrich his lands, trusting to the increase of crops 

 -to repay it. The farmer is not only subjected to loss from such 

 unyielding capital, but is constantly paying tribute to it by 

 making additions to his house, extending fancy fences, planting 

 trees and establishing graded walks. While these improve- 

 ments are going on at the expense of the farm, the women are 

 not unmindful of the smaller fixings about house ; appropriating 

 the almost entire proceeds of the hennery and dairy to their 

 fancy; exchanging the eggs, chickens, butter and cheese for 

 fancy articles to be shut up in the "fore room," and not to be 

 seen from one end of the year to the other; or to store their 

 china closet with dishes and ornamental trash, never to be seen 

 except at the birth of a child or the marriage of a daughter. 

 The " wool," too, is claimed by the wife and daughters, and 

 must be exchanged for silks, lawns, thibets, poplins or berage, 

 for victorines, mantillas, chemisettes, cactus skirts, or for tarn- 



