1869. 



NEW ENGLAXD FAii:\IER. 



361 



as his fields produce "more than a plenty," 

 he is not only willing that others should be 

 fed and clothed and warmed, but ever ready 

 to show that willingness by deeds as well as 

 words. 



Another twenty-five-rods' travel brings us to 

 a farm occupied by a middle-aged man, wife 

 and two boys. He has been on the farm some 

 four years. His crops have about doubled. 

 He, too, must build, or his stock and fodder 

 must be left out doors. If you want io find 

 him at his house in the morning, you must 

 start early. 



I might go on further, but I fear others 

 may not be as much interested in my neigh- 

 bors as I am myself. 



These si.x farms embrace about 600 acres ; 

 from which were raised some 200 bushels of 

 wheat, 300 cf corn, 700 of oats, 700 of India 

 wheat, 1500 bushels of potatoes; some 5000 

 pounds of maple sugar were made ; about 200 

 tons of hay harvested ; over $2000 worth sold 

 from dairy and hog-yard, besides beef, poul- 

 try, &c. , and on all these six farms I think there 

 was not paid out for labor in the house and on 

 the farms the amount of $125. 



What think you ? Can these chaps live ? 

 Do they make farming pay ? Jf you still have 

 doubts, come up and see the oxen, steers and 

 fat sheep sent from this district, and mingle 

 with the men that raised them. 



Now if any one can make a better show of 

 his neighborhood family, I will lay down 

 my pen and say that, in waking up somebody, 

 my object is accomplished. We want to wake 

 up these lords of the soil. We wisli to do them 

 honor and we wi^h them to honor themselves. 

 We want to hear from them. It is in them ; 

 they can drive a good bargain, and we think 

 they can drive a smart pen. 



And now, Mr. Editor, if you think this all 

 bosh, throw it down, and take a glass of my 

 home-made, four-years old pie-plant wine, and 

 I will remain your well wisher, 



y. Baker. 



Broolfield, Vt., 1869. 



Remarks. — This is a pleasant look at a 

 pleasant, prosperous neighborhood of farmers. 

 Scattered over the countrj-, we believe there 

 are many similar neighborhoods, and we unite 

 with Mr. Baker in the hope that his statement 

 will induce others to look about them to see 

 if some other six farms may not furnish as 

 good a record. We have had photographs of 

 fancy farms about long enough. Now let us 

 have pictures of real countrj' home farms that 

 support their owners and their families. 



That bottle of wine found its way to an old 

 lady who said it was a most excellent cor- 

 dial, — ^just what she had been wanting all the 

 spring. 



J-'or the Xew England Farmer, 

 TOO MUCH WOKK. 



It is said that more than one-fourth of the 

 lunatics of the country are farmers and mer- 

 chants, and among the reasons assigned for 

 crazy farmers, are too much work and too 

 little recreation. Now what is the remedy for 

 this deplorable state of things ? ' 



For my own part I was slow to believe the 

 above statement as applicable to us here in 

 New England, notwithstanding our farmers are 

 supposed to be the hardest working agricul- 

 turists of any in the country. But I know of 

 many who work too hard for their real inter- 

 ests, though their keen Yankee sense seems 

 bright and sharp as ever. The motto of these 

 men is, "better to wear out than rust out." 

 So it is ; but what need of doing either ? 

 There is no real virtue in too much work. 

 On the contrary, is it not a sin for one to tax 

 unduly the strength and energy of a body so 

 fearfully and wonderfully made. 



Much is said in these latter days of beasts of 

 drafc and burden being overworked by merci- 

 less masters, and societies are specially organ- 

 ized to prevent such cruelty. May not some 

 farmers be justly accused of being their own 

 worst task-masters ? And now that the busy 

 season comes on apace, let me just sound my 

 feeble note of warning. 



In all our farming towns may be found some 

 lazy, shiftless ones, as you may find drones in 

 any hive. There are also able-bodied strag- 

 glers, begging victuals from door to door, who 

 ought to be set at work sawing wood to sweat 

 out their sheer laziness. But there is the op- 

 posite extreme — men growing prematurely old ; 

 nay, killing themselves with hard work. Some 

 are trj-ing to work themselves out of debt. 

 Others are slaves of avarice, — the more they 

 have the more they want. The former class 

 would seem to merit our sympathv only, while 

 the latter merit the condemnation we are wont 

 to pronounce en the avaricious. But some 

 men seem fated to be debtors, and the harder 

 they struggle the deeper they sink in the mire, 

 till the "bajkrjpt act" finally extricates them. 

 They toil early and late, and work their teams 

 till they give out. but they barely succeed in 

 "keeping the wolf from the door," after all. 

 Meanwhile hungry mouths multiply within 

 doors, till they are in danger of being eaten 

 out of house and home. AU their surplus re- 

 maming after feeding and clothing their families, 

 is eaten up by relentless interest on borrowed 

 money, till they must sell out and emigrate, or 

 keep toiling on up-hill till death comes at last 

 to their relief. 



Some have "too many irons in the fire;" 

 and, between them all, they must needs keep 

 blowing and pounding away till they get their 

 fingers burnt. Always ready to run here and 

 there, sparing neither man nor beast, until 

 they prematurely run their race, and get no 

 credit from survivors for all their manifold la- 

 bors and favors. 



