378 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



thing like double the amount of wages paid then, 

 beside board, at manufacturing. 



Formerly, in the months of March and April, 

 daily applications were made by "native Ameri- 

 cans," for the privilege of a summer's work on the 

 farm at such a price that the farmer could sustain 

 himself, but now it is as rare an instance to have 

 a young American offer his services on the farm, 

 as it would be to see a politician decline a proffered 

 lucrative office. As soon as the business of farm- 

 ing will promise an income adequate to support 

 overseers at $2 a day, and laborers at from $1,00 

 to $1,50 a day, and aflurd a net income of from G 

 to 10 per cent, on the capital employed, farming 

 will become very respectable, and there will be no 

 lack of capital vested in the business, nor educa- 

 ted scientilic men to become farmers. 



The income of most of the farmers in the towns 

 remote from the cities and large villages, in New 

 England, is entirely at variance with the factory 

 prices for labor. Where is the man who lives re- 

 mote from cities and manufacturing villages, who 

 depends solely upon the income of his farm, that 

 can aff >rd to pay $2 a day for overseers, and fac- 

 tory wages to laborers, and clear from 6 to 10 per 

 cent, on the value of his farm, stock, and imple 

 ments of husbandry 1 



Mr. D., a respectable, industrious and wealthy 

 trader, was very fond of farming; he purchased a 

 farm a little remote from his village, which by his 

 industry and care was the best cultivated farm in 

 the town where it was located ; it was generally 

 thought he made it profitable. The farm mania 

 increased upon him, and he bought two more large 

 and excellent farms, appointed overseers, and had 

 them carried on till his stock in trade, his farms 

 and all, were sold to the highest bidder. Thus 

 Mr. D. was reduced from riches to comparative 

 poverty, at farming, under the management of 

 overseers when labor was much cheaper than at 

 present. 



Mr. W., a wealthy merchant, bought a good 

 farm, appointed faithful overseers at moderate sal- 

 aries, and paid strict attention to it himself; he 

 kept accurate accounts of debt and credit, for over 

 twenty years, and the farm fell in debt to him a 

 large sum, I believe over a thousand dollars a year. 

 He expended but little on his farm buildings, as 

 they were better than farm buildings generally av- 

 erage when he purchased the farm ; being a rich 

 man he was not at all disconcerted. I could name 

 several other instances within my knowledge, of 

 like results, where farms were owned by able and 

 intelligent gentlemen, engaged in other business 

 at the time, and had their farms managed by over 

 seers. 



Here we see the difference between factories con- 

 ducted by overseers, and farms conducted by over- 

 seers. AVe cannot expect intelligent, enterprising 

 young men, destitute of capital, to prefer the oc- 

 cupation of agriculture, while manufacturing offers 

 inducements of so much greater advantage. If la- 

 borers could be hired at European prices, well 

 might the farmers compete with the manufactur- 

 ers, at the prices they pay for labor, and grow 

 wealthy by the unrequited labor of those whose 

 necessities compelled them to bear the "heat and 

 burden" of the day. s 



Wilmington, April, 1852. 



where farms managed by overseers proved failures. 

 We could fill this page with a list of bankrupt 

 manufacturers in New England. We believe that 

 a hundred thousand dollars, or half a million, pro- 

 perly invested in agriculture, and prudently man- 

 aged, that is, managed with as much shrewdness 

 and intensity of purpose as the large manufactur- 

 ing establishments are, would yield as much profit 

 through a series of years, and without oneUenth 

 of the risk and vexation, as if it were invested in 

 manufacturing. But farming is often resorted to 

 as the last experiment, without capital or skill, 

 and often without habits of industry. And then, 

 where there is both capital and industry, there is 

 frequently no skill, and everything is managed with 

 so little prudence and economy, and so at variance 

 with every true principle of cultivation, that fail- 

 ure is the inevitable result. 



The wages of operatives in the mills are varied 

 according to their ability. But it is not always so, 

 or often so, on the farm. Hired men get their ten 

 or twelve dollars a month, when many of them 

 scarcely know a plow from a harrow ; and yet un- 

 der such management complaint is made that farm- 

 ing is unprofitable. 



THE GREAT LAND BILL. 



The measure known as "Bennett's land bill," 

 (introduced by Mr. Bennett, of the New York del- 

 egation,) is one of the most important that has 

 come before Congress, during the present session. 

 It passed the House, a few weeks since, and is now 

 awaiting its fate in the Senate. The bill provides 

 for the distribution of land among the States for 

 educational and other purposes, making the fol- 

 lowing appropriations : — 



States. Acres. 



Missouri 3.000,000 



Alabama 2,500,001) 



Iowa 3,000 000 



Michigan. 2,500,000 



Wisconsin 2,500,000 



Louisiana 2 500,000 



Mississippi 2 000,000 



Florida 2,000,000 



Arkansas 3,000 



California 3,000,000 



Illinois 1,000,000 



Vermont 750,000 



Massachusetts 2,050,000 



Rhode I> land 600,000 



Connecticut 900,000 



New York 5,250,000 



New Jersey 1,050,000 



Pennsylvania 4,050,000 



Delaware 450,000 



North Carolina 1,500,000 



Indiana— all the public 

 land not sold, locat- 



ed or reserved, ly- 

 ing within her lim- 

 its, and in addition 



thereto 1,000,000 



Ohio — all the public 

 land not sold, locat- 

 ed or reserved, with- 

 in her borders, and 

 in addition thereto. 2,000,000 



Maine 1,200,000 



New Hampshire 750,000 



South Carolina 900,000 



Georgia 1.500,000 



Maryland 1,2(0,000 



Virginia 2.2 r >0,000 



Kentucky 1.800,000 



Tennessee 1,800,000 



New Mexico 1 50,(00 



Utah 150,000 



District of Columbia. .150.000 



Total 58,350,000 



The bill provides that Missouri, Alabama, Michi- 

 gan, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, 

 Arkansas, California, Illinois and Indiana, shall 

 apply their shares to the construction of railroads, 

 and the remainder of the States and the Territo- 

 ries and the District of Columbia are to expend 

 theirs for the support of schools, or for other use- 

 Remarks. — Our friend has stated two cases 1^1 purposes. It passed the House by a vote of 95 



