A LITTLE LAND 128 



AND A LIVING 



beds and setting out plants avoid the late chills 

 and bring the vegetables to maturity before the 

 early frosts. There remain summer hail storms, 

 but compared with fire and other risks in other 

 businesses, this is insignificant. 



If that farmer, instead of working like a slave, 

 had thought like a scientist, he would know why 

 he had made big profits one year and only a living 

 since. 



In fact, the scientific fanner, who cultivates 

 not scores of acres, but the little patch that he 

 can watch and manage, is in no more danger than 

 any other business man, and he does not suffer 

 from strikes and cannot be discharged. 



But one may not ignore the condition of the 

 ordinary farmer. Let us take the actual case of 

 a farmer living near Ghent owning 160 acres, of 

 the average value of $20 per acre; total $3200. 

 One hundred and fifteen acres are in cultivation. 

 If this produces $87.50 per acre, the gross aver- 

 age in the New York Vacant Lots, we have a 

 gross value of $10,062.50. Now, the New York 

 " Vacant Lots Cultivation Report " based its es- 

 timated valuation on wholesale market prices, but 



