166 



Farm Accounts and Farm Profits. 



Vol. IV. 



brother farmers. There are many subjects 

 of great interest to the farmer that have as 

 yet received little or no attention from agri- 

 cultural writers. The subject of Farm Ac- 

 counls is one of great importance, and I trust 

 that A. E. T. will furnish us with a " birds'- 

 eye view" of his system, which I presume is 

 a good one. 



The system or practice of farming with us 

 in Montgomery county is not essentially dif- 

 ferent from that in the more immediate neigh- 

 borhood of Philadelphia — but our great error 

 has consisted in not farming well enough ; we 

 have been too anxious to have large farms, 

 even if partially cultivated, in preference to 

 small ones in a high state of fertility. The 

 desire to own many acres, has been the ruin 

 of hundreds, and was the rock on which I was 

 nearly shipwrecked. Some years since, when 

 money was cheap and every thing saleable 

 dear, I was induced to believe that my farm 

 of ninety-five acres was too small. True, I 

 had lived above board, was entirely free of 

 debt, and had abundance of employment ; but 

 still my farm was small, very small, indeed 

 almost insignificant in comparison to some of 

 my neighlwrs. — Instead of being contented 

 with what I had, and by still greater attention 

 causing it to produce more abundantly than 

 it had previously ; the spirit of grasping after 

 more, ambition, speculation, or whatever you 

 may please to call it, took full possession of 

 my mind — of course my days of tranquility 

 were ended. 



About this time it so happened that an ad- 

 joining neighbor had become a victim to the 

 spirit of emigration, and having settled on 

 locating in the west, offered his farm for sale. 

 He had been revolving in his mind the pro- 

 priety of this step for several years, and as it 

 worked upon him, his farm became more and 

 more neglected, until, in some measure, he 

 lost the character of a clean farmer. The 

 buildings on the place were so old and de- 

 cayed, that they were considered of no value. 

 The farm consisted of two hundred and twen- 

 ty-eight acres, subject to a mortgage of six 

 thousand dollars, at six per cent, payable 

 half yearly. This was no obstacle in my 

 mind, " as the mortgage may remain for 

 years." The day of sale came, and I was the 

 fortunate purchaser; it being knocked down 

 at eight thousand one hundred and twenty 

 dollars, subject to the aforesaid mortgajje. 

 My farm of ninety-five acres, had in the nine 

 years I tilled it poorly, yielded me about two 

 hundred dollars profit per annum — so I had 

 about eighteen hundred dollars at command, 

 but was compelled to borrow, a thing I never 

 did before, about four hundred dollars. 



I had now attained apparently the summit 

 of my wishes — I was now a large landed pro- 

 prietor ! At first, I little thought of the collar 



on my neck, in the shape of a mortgage, and 

 sundry small obligations shortly to be met. 

 I enjoyed myself finely indeed, but only for a 

 short lime, as the " bubble burst," and I 

 awoke to the cold and sober realities of my 

 situation. True, I was a large proprietor, 

 but that did not give sleep to my eyelids. 

 My six montlis' interest came round, and was 

 paid after many days' vexation. My coming 

 crops, which fortunately were pretty fair, 

 enabled me to keep along for that time, to 

 support my family and jmy off the four hun- 

 dred dollars ; but it took all, and when that 

 was gone I was in a deplorable condition. A 

 large plantation, mostly in a bad state of cul- 

 tivation, with poor fences, going rapidly to 

 decay — the soil requiring a liberal application 

 of enriching manures to give it life, and no 

 money to purchase it, or to pay for sufficient 

 help. But I resolved not to be discouraged, 

 and though, by going into debt for various 

 articles where 1 had credit, 1 was compelled 

 to pay an enlarged price, yet I pushed on, 

 resolved to do my best to weather the storm, 

 and improve the purchase, at least in appear- 

 ance, such as fences, &c. But instead of 

 cultivating but a part, I very foolishly — as I 

 fear is the case with too many of my brother 

 farmers who occupy too much land — under- 

 took to cultivate the whole — the consequence 

 was that my crops were generally light, 

 especially on the new purchase, and not so 

 good by odds, on the homestead. I saw my 

 error, and determined, if possible, to retrieve 

 it. By perseverance I was enabled to con- 

 tinue and make both ends meet, but as to 

 laying up a dollar, I did not and could not, 

 and I had almost become reconciled to my 

 toilsome and care-worn life, when I was start- 

 ed on a new track. 



In 1836 a young man, a stranger, who was 

 soliciting subscriptions for an agricultural 

 work, called at my house about evening. I 

 bid him to stop for the night, which he 

 did. In the course of the evening our con-* 

 versation — confined as it was to agriculture — 

 turned upon my embarrassments. Why, said 

 he, it is the easiest thing in the world for you 

 not only to slip the collar, but to do it to some 

 purpose. I inquired how; he replied, sell 

 enough not only to pay your mortgage, but to 

 enable you to lay in a noble stock of manure, 

 and devote the same coat, labor and atten- 

 tion on what you have left as you did on the 

 whole, and I will guarantee you success. 

 But I can't sell — I have tried the neighbors 

 for years, to no effect. But that is not the 

 way — advertise, yes, advertise very extew 

 sively, not only in your county papers, but in 

 those of the city, and the surrounding coun- 

 try; mnke your fiirm known every where. 

 i Sell off the first chance. He read ine several 

 I articles about the profite of small farms well 



