428 



ciples of give and take, of labor and reward, of practice and 

 skill, which apply to every other honest and practical business 

 in life. 



The expectations of men in this case are so unreasonable, 

 that 1 hope I shall be excused if I detail here as well as I can 

 remember it, an actual conversation which I had with a farmer 

 not far from this very county. Some curious person may ask 

 me, who it was — I shall only answer, it was not Charles Wel- 

 lington, nor George Pierce, nor Amos Hill, nor any of that 

 family. 



This man, then, had a farm which was fully valued at four 

 thousand dollars. The father, who had given the farm to the 

 son, had begun lile without a dollar, had run into debt for a 

 large part of the purchase money, but had some time since, 

 while he supported his family, earned from the proceeds of the 

 farm, sufficient to pay for it. Without any incumbrance he 

 had then put it into his son's possession, and now lived with 

 him under the same roof. 



Said the son, farming is a miserable business ! 



But why so ? Let us look into this matter. What is the es- 

 timated value of your farm? 



Four thousand dollars. 



Is it increasing in value? 



Yes ; by its favorable location, and by every improvement 

 that is made upon it. « 



Do you get all the produce from it which it can be made to 

 yield ? 



No, not one third. It consists of one hundred and twenty 

 acres. At least fifty acres of it are in wood, and a considerable 

 portion in pasture. Besides that, I have several acres of peat 

 bog, which might be redeemed and brought into English 

 grasses. 



What is the value of the wood land ? 



We supply our family with fuel, and besides this, the growth 

 of tlie wood, and the hoop-poles which we obtain from it, pay 

 a large interest upon the current value of the land, so that we 

 consider this as one of the most profitable parts of the farm. 



