1837] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



343 



the agricultural subject, I can at present think of. | 



I thounrjit it best to draw it up in the form of an I 

 account, thouirli I have filled up the cohurins you I 

 sent nie. Tlie inanner I lu'.ve pursued, will furnish I 

 you with every thinif you recjuire, thou<T;h much of! 

 it may be u&eless to you, and inapplicable, perhaps, j 

 to your inunediate object. You will perceive tiie 

 miserable state of ajrriculture in the part of the 1 

 county I live in. It is bad enouij^h every Avhere, j 

 but the lijrtility of soil in lands recently cleared, or 

 naturally better, and rcaJieraccess to manure, cfive 

 advantages to iiirmers more hai)pily seated. The 

 account will exjjlain the principles I went on, and, 

 lest niy calculation should be too conjectural, I 

 took four similar liirms I well knew, which are sit- 

 uated not lar ii-om each other, but iitr enouirh to 

 give a general view of the state ol" the country. I 

 consulted the most intelligent of iheirowners, men 

 who happen to be the best informed on the sub- 

 ject of any of my neighbors. I averaijed the ac- 

 tual produce in a year, the best of lour years' cul- 

 tivation, in all ol" them. So that this, added to my 

 own experience, convinces me that I am not far 

 wrong in any parlicular. I omitted my own farm, 

 because it far exceeds the common produce of 

 others; and though my expenses are greater, 

 they are amply compensated by the difference of 

 product ; in all instances double, in many treble, 

 and in some quadruple. Yet, with all this, I find 

 farming but a bad trade, when capital is calculated 

 upon. There are i'ew men of any talents, who 

 cannot employ themselves in any other business 

 to greater advantage. When I consider the ac- 

 tual profit of a farm, I am more astonished at the 

 injustice and folly of those who have burdened 

 the land with such heavy impositions. It is true, 

 farmers are never on velvet, for they pay their 

 share of imperceptible taxes. Yet these taxes 

 are also borne by those whose property is latent, 

 and cannot therefore be directly touched ; and the 

 owners of this kind of property are frequently the 

 greatest consumers. But it is useless to trouble 

 you with such observations. Nor will it be of 

 service to enter into speculations, many of Avhich 

 are confirmed by successful experience, to show 

 how the asriculture of this country may be im- 

 proved. These improvements depend not direct- 

 ly on government; ultimately they have no in- 

 considerble relation to it: but farmers can only 

 come in for their share of beneficial effects, flow- 

 ing from good general systems. I can truly sav, 

 they ought to hope every thing in this view ol' 

 the subject ; and I am happy to be convinced that 

 the spirit of improvement is rising rapidly among 

 them. It has been a point of patriotism with 

 me lor many years past, to promote this spirit, 

 and havinii set out with moderate expectations, I 

 have not been without some grtifications. 

 I am, &c. 



(Signed) R. Peters. 

 ^4. Hamilton, Esq. 



DR. FARai. 



£. s.d. 

 To annual interest on cap- 

 ital, 200 acres, at 8/. per 

 acre, 1600/. at 6 per 

 cent. 96 



Stock and implements. 

 4 horses, at 15Z. each, £60 



8 cows,* at 6/. each, -48 

 Cart, wagon, |)loughs, 



harness, geeis, &c. 60 



12 swine, 12 



On the above 180Z. 

 charge 6 per cent. 



£180 

 I only 



10 16 



£106 16 



£. s.d. 

 37 10 

 10 



Though the annual loss in 

 some articles is 20 perct. 

 and in none less than 10, 

 decrease in value by age 

 in horses and cattle, acci- 

 dents, wear and tear, are 

 the causes, yet 1 have 

 made no account of an- 

 nual losses by wear of 

 buildings, or accidents to 

 stock. 



jlivnval expenditures, be- 

 sides the personal labor 

 of the farmer and fami- 

 ly, and the produce and 

 cash used for their sup- 

 port. 



One hired man and his 

 maintenance. 



Extra wages at hay and 

 harvest, and expenses. 



Days hire for occasional 

 business, 



Smith's bill. 



All the hay consumed by 

 stock, 



Rye, 30 bushels, at 4s. Qd. 



Indian corn, 100 bushels, 

 at 3s. 



Buck-wheat, 100 bushels, 

 at 2s. M. 



Potatoes, 80 bushels, at 

 Is. Qd. 



Fire wood 20 cords, at 5s. 



Send — Wheat, 15 bushels, 

 at 7s. M. Rye, 5 bush- 

 els, at 4s. Qd. 



Potatoes, 10 bushels, at Is. 

 6d. 



Indian corn and buck- 

 wheat, 



Direct taxes of various descrip- 

 tions have in some years been 

 20Z. now perhaps. 



15 

 £321 12 



COKTRA CR. 



£. s. d. 

 By 130 bushels wheat, at 



7s. M. 48 15 



50 do. rye, at 4s. 



6d. 11 5 



180 do. Indian corn, 



at 3s. 27 



30 do. oats, at 2s. 

 M. 3 15 



• The farms I selected, keep, on an average, 16 

 horned cattle, 4 horses, 12 sheep and 12 swine. 



