464 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



between the agricultural practices of Old and New 

 England. We are greatly indebted to the writer 

 for the interest and value they have given these 

 pages, and part from him with sincere reluctance. 

 They have been widely copied, and their clear, prac- 

 tical and vigorous style, has undoubtedly arrested 

 the attention of many, and given them new views 

 of the importance of agriculture, as well as the true 

 way in which to reap its profits. 



For the New England Fanner. 



TH7. EIOH FAEMEE vs. THE POOE 

 EAUMER. 



It is not my intention, in the few brief remarks I 

 have to make under this head, to array these two 

 classes, the rich and the poor, against each other, 

 but simply to show some of the advantages which 

 the rich farmer has over his brother of moderate 

 means. This is the sense in which I use the term, 

 poor farmer ; not intending to convey the idea that 

 he does not till the ground as well, and as success- 

 fully, according to his means, as his rich brother. 



Let us suppose, at the outset, that they both pos- 

 sess equal skill and industry, and, also, an equal 

 amount of land, similarly situated, and alike in 

 quality and condition. On this supposition, let us 

 compare the two together, and see which has the 

 advantage in other respects. 



In all the wide world the poor farmer has noth- 

 ing but his farm and a few miserable old buildings, 

 except a horse, a cow, a pig, a few hens, and, perhaps, 

 a few old fashioned farming tools to work with. 

 This is the whole extent of his resources, if we ex- 

 cept his physical strength. With such slender 

 means, he must do his best ; and then he will not 

 be able to compete with the rich farmer, who has 

 rue needful, the ready cash to do with. The poor 

 farmer cannot procure new and improved imple- 

 ments to work with, or hire laborers, or purchase 

 stock for his farm, or manure to enrich his lands. 

 He needs a team, a cart, a plow, a harrow, and oth- 

 er implements ; to procure which, he must either 

 run into debt, or, hire all these of the rich farmer. 

 He has such a dread of being involved in debt, 

 without the prospect of being able to pay, that he 

 resolves, for the first year, to hire all those things 

 which he cannot possibly do without, and which are 

 absolutely essential to his success ; and, by the most 

 rigid economy, self-denial and persevering industry, 

 he finds, at the close of the year, that, besides sup- 

 porting himself and family, and paying all his inci- 

 dental expenses, he has enough left to purchase a 

 team for the ensuing year. By pursuing this course 

 for a few years, he is able to stock his farm, to pur- 

 chase a complete set of new and improved farming 

 tools, and, not only to cultivate his land to better 

 advantage, but to produce better crops than before. 

 Having thus overcome the difficulties and dis- 

 couragements which surrounded him at the outset, 

 he now begins to feel that he has arrived at a po- 

 sition in his calling, in which he stands some small 

 chance, at least, to compete with the rich farmer 

 for the honors and rewards of productive and suc- 

 cessful husbandry. 



Now, with this account of the condition of the 

 poor farmer, let us compare the condition and cir- 

 cumstances of the rich farmer, and see what great 

 and peculiar advantages the latter has over the for- 



mer. In the beginning of Hfe, by our supposition, 

 their lands are equal, as well as their skill and in- 

 dustry ; but they differ in other respects. There is 

 a great difierence in their resources — the one is a 

 rich farmer, the other a poor farmer. The rich 

 farmer has abundant resoui-ces of every kind. He 

 has cash enough and to spare ; so that he is able to 

 hire any amount of labor on his lands, to purchase 

 the most costly manures, to try experiments of 

 every kind, and to make whatever improvements 

 he desires. His farm is well stocked with the best 

 animals, horses, oxen, cows, sheep, swine, poultry, 

 Szc. He has v/agons, carts, plows, harrows, cultiva- 

 tors, and all the best implements now employed in 

 successful cultivation. But, were he destitute' of all 

 these, he would still be able to procure them, and 

 still have money left for other uses. Such is his 

 inheritance at the outset of life. 



Now, will it be pretended by any one, that there 

 is anything like an equality of condition between 

 these two farmers ? that the one stands just as 

 good a chance as the other to obtain the highest 

 prize at the cattle show, for the best cultivated farm, 

 or for the greatest crop of any kind, on a given 

 number of acres ? This can not and will not be 

 pretended, because all the chances of success are on 

 the side of the rich farmer, who possesses all the 

 means for producing the desired result. I am not 

 complaining of this, I am only stating the fact. I 

 do not know that I would if I could, have it other- 

 wise. Perhaps it is best, on the whole, that there 

 should be some rich farmers who are able to be at 

 the expense of trying costly experiments, and of 

 carrying forward cultivation to the highest degree 

 of perfection. 



It seems to be thought by some, however, that 

 the perfection of agriculture consists in obtaining 

 the greatest quantity of produce from a given quan- 

 tity of land, without regard to the expense. But 

 it appears to me that agriculture is good or bad, in 

 proportion to the return it makes for the capital 

 employed, which consists not of land only, but of 

 land, stock and labor. In those places where land 

 is dear, and labor cheap, the farmer expends much 

 labor on a little land, and renders that extremely 

 productive. The reverse is generally the case, 

 where land is cheap and labor dear. There the 

 capital in land may counterbalance the advance 

 price of labor. As labor commands more money, 

 and money more of the necessaries of life, in one 

 place than in another ; so the laborer lives better, 

 and rears a family more easily, in one place than in 

 another. In my opinion, he is the best farmer who 

 reaps the greatest profit from his capital, whether 

 he be a rich farmer, or a poor farmer. In raising 

 large crops of produce, for instance, it is always 

 proper to consider whether the profits are adequate 

 to the expense. It is easy enough to increase the 

 amount of produce by a greater expenditure in la- 

 bor, and in fertilizing properties. But, with the 

 farmer of moderate means, the question is, and al- 

 ways should be, will it pay ? JoiLS Goldsbury. 



To Preserve Herbs. — All kinds of herbs should 

 be gathered on a dry day, just before, or while in 

 blossom. Tie them in bundles and suspend them in 

 a dry, airy place, with the blossoms downwards. 

 When perfectly dry wrap the medical ones in paper 

 and keep them from the air. Pick oil the leaves of 

 those which are to be used in cooking, pound and 

 sift them fine, and keep the powder in tight bottles. 



