106 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. 



the troubles he would have if he did attempt it ; but it is a 

 question which must be solved, in every case, by itself. Of 

 course there are exceptions. There are men who have 

 bought farms and ffiven morto:ao;es and l^een successful, em- 

 inently so. I venture to say that there is not a man here 

 who does not know of such cases. I attempted to picture 

 the condition of a young man who had not made a success. 

 Of course a man must sometimes, in buying a farm, mort- 

 gage it, and if he is fortunate, if I may use that word, for 

 there is no s.uch thing as luck, — 



" One constant element in luck, 

 Is genuine, solid, old Teutonic pluck," — 



if he is fortunate and has strength to struggle along, he may 

 succeed. How often he does not. I only spoke of some of 

 the hindrances to farming. 



Mr. Ware. I would like to ask the essayist if he meant 

 to say that a cow would make five cords and a half of man- 

 ure in one year? If so, a herd of fifty cows would make 

 275 cords in a year. I don't know of any such quantity 

 being made b}^ a stock of cattle of that size. Did you 

 mean to say that ? 



Mr. Gkinnell. Solid and liquid. My authority is Mr. 

 Hadwen. 



Mr. Myrick. The essavist has referred to the excessive 

 burdens tlu'own upon the housewife, and the consequent in- 

 jury to her health, as one of the greatest hindrances to suc- 

 cessful farming. Why is it not possible and practicable to 

 avoid many of the labors of the housewife by adopting the 

 system of co-operation which we are learning to apply so 

 successfully to dairying? We have co-operative dairying, 

 and why may we not have, in towns like Great Barrington 

 and in many of the villages with which New England is cov- 

 ered, co-operative laundries, where all the washing and iron- 

 ing may be done ; and perhaps we might have co-operative 

 bakeries. The idea is a ncAV one here, but it is not newer 

 than the idea of co-operative creameries was a few years 

 ago. Perhaps if the women would take hold of that with 

 as much energy as they usually take hold of any matter in 

 which they are interested, they might make it successful. 



