4 WHAT THE SISTER ARTS 



ciples so broad in their scope, and so vindicated by centuries of 

 successful experience in a great variety of pursuits, as to be justly 

 entitled to a place among the axioms of Industrial Science. 



I. The first point, then, which I shall endeavor to illustrate, is 

 that of Economy of Means perhaps I should rather say, Har- 

 mony of Proportion in the management of farms as of every 

 ; riling el^e./ ; for *y fieri I say Economy, I mean something as re- 

 *frTote as possible fWrn Parsimony. Cheap lands, cheap buildings, 

 .*. I I *iaj).}al9Oj- chgap.stfodk, cheap trees or grafts, are as far from 

 .''.I "ec<5ix>Vy *asanytllm^well could be. By Economy of Means, I 

 imply such a disposition or distribution of means, be they scanty 

 or abundant, as shall insure to the operator the largest attainable 

 return for his labor and skill. For example : I print newspapers 

 for a living, and am obliged, by the extent of some of my edi- 

 tions, to use presses costing twelve to sixteen thousand dollars 

 each. There is a real economy in so doing, because I could not 

 otherwise dispatch my papers to their subscribers in acceptable 

 season. But if any journal printing one-third or one-tenth so 

 many copies, were to buy and use such presses, the policy would 

 be wasteful and ruinous, although the editions would be thrown 

 off with unwonted celerity and efficiency. The interest on the 

 capital needlessly locked up in presses would probably absorb 

 all the profits of the business, if not more. And yet this is the 

 identical blunder that thousands of farmers persist in, by holding 

 on to large farms, which cost thousands of dollars, and are very 

 likely mortgaged or otherwise encumbered, while able or willing 

 -only to apply thereto the labor, science, skill and manures which 

 are requisite and proper for farms one-fourth so large. Here is 

 enormous waste a loss of interest on three-fourths of the capi- 

 tal invested in land a loss which may possibly be endured in 

 farming, but which could not fail to prove ruinous in almost any 

 other business. 



Every farmer seems aware of the reality and magnitude of 

 the general error in this respect, yet the great majority persist in 

 being wise for their neighbors only, and not for themselves. 

 .And I apprehend the error with many originates rather in want 



