FARMING IN HAMPSHIRE COUNTY. 149 



FAEMIKG EST HAMPSHIRE COUNTY. 



First Prize Essay, by S. C. Thompson. 



Should an intelligent, industrious and enterprising young 

 farmer, with moderate capital, be content to carry on his busi- 

 ness in Old Hampshire, or emigrate to some other locality ? 



For a young man just starting in life, the most important 

 thing, perhaps, is the choice of a profession to enable him to 

 know upon what he is to depend for his subsistence, and this 

 having been done, the next thing of moment is, in what section 

 of country he shall pursue this occupation. Take the first part 

 of this proposition as settled, that he is to be a farmer, let us 

 look at the second, viz. : Where should he select his farm, and 

 what should be his surroundings ? In the selection of a farm, 

 one of the essential requisites is, of course, to have something 

 to begin with, that is, to have land which is naturally fertile, 

 and not have to begin at the lowest round of the ladder, and 

 contend with a barren soil and an inclement climate. The soil 

 which would generally be preferred, is a deep, friable, and at 

 the same time, retentive loam, naturally underdrained. 



The slope of the land may, or may not, be of so much ac- 

 count to him, though preferably a south-eastern, southern or 

 south-western exposure would be selected. The farm should be 

 suitably divided into tillage, pasture and woodland, and be so 

 situated as to be easy of access in all parts, and not too far away 

 from the buildings. The buildings are of vital importance to 

 the farmer, and should be commodious, warm, well ventilated 

 and conveniently arranged. They should be situated as nearly 

 as possible in the centre of the portion from which crops are 

 taken. The location of the buildings is, however, something 

 which can be more easily changed than many other things about 

 the farm. Even if a good location, with regard to soil, etc., 

 is determined upon, there are other and not less important con- 

 siderations, foremost among which are those relating to trans- 

 portation. 



