134 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



June 



FARMING ON TWENTY-ONE ACRES OF LAND. 



BY WILLIAM GARBUTT. 



Mkssrs. Editors: — Many of the cultivators of the 

 soil, who occupy large possessions, do not realize the 

 amount of labor that can be profitably employed in 

 cultivation ; and few farm laborers are aware how 

 small a piece of ground will afford full employment 

 to an industrious man, and yield himself and family the 

 comforts of life, and make them an independent home. 



In illustration of these facts, I will give an account 

 of farmer B. His farm consists of twenty-one acres : 

 one acre of it is occupied with buildings, yards and 

 garden, and twenty acres are for cultivation — all 

 made productive by thorough draining and bountiful 

 manuring. A good substantial fence all round it, 

 but no division fences. He has 57 rods of patent 

 fence, which is easily removed, with which he enclo- 

 ses one-fourth of the ground for pasture. 



The farm is divided into four equal parts — 5 acres 

 in each part. First season, No. 1 is in grass, clover 

 and timothy, for pasture; No. 2 in hoe crop — one 

 acre in wurtzels, one potatoes, and three in corn; No. 

 3, barley ; and No. 4 in wheat. With these crops 

 he keeps a regular rotation each year. Second sea- 

 son, No. 1 is manured in the fall with all the manure 

 that he has collected the past year, and plowed for 

 next season's hoe crop ; No. 2 is plowed in the fall 

 for barley next spring ; No. 3 (barley stubble) is 

 sown with wheat ; and No. 4 (wheat) is sown with 

 timothy and clover for next season's pasture — which 

 rotation he uniformly pursues. 



He keeps a yoke of oxen, two cows, twenty good 



owes and a brooding sow, for which 5 acres of fresh 



clover on a rich soil will afford plenty of pasture, 

 provided that he does not turn into it too soon in the 

 spring. The wheat and barley straw, corn stalks, 

 and roots, will be ample forage for them in winter. 

 He is industrious, economical and prudent. Every 

 thing is well done, and in season. The ground is 

 kept clean, no weeds being allowed to grow, not even 

 around the fence ; it is made rich by plentiful appli- 

 cations of manure, which renders it very productive. 

 His wheat averages 30 bushels per acre. It will 

 take 24 bushels to bread the family the year, (which 

 consists of himself, wife, and four little ones,) and it 

 will take 7 bushels for seed, which will leave 119 

 to sell ; this, at $1 per bushel, will make $119. — 

 His barley yields 40 bushels per acre : it will take 8 

 of it for seed, and 1 92 bushels to market, at 50 cts. 

 per bu., will be $96. The corn averages 60 bushels 

 per acre ; the three acres produce 180 bushels: it 

 will take 80 bushels to feed the pigs, fat the pork, and 

 use of the family, (for they eat Johnny cake and 

 mush,) which leaves him 100 bushels to market, at 

 50 cts. per bu., is $50. The potatoes and beets are 

 all used at home. The woo! of the 20 ewes ave- 

 raging $1 per fleece, will be $20. They raise 20 

 lambs, which he soils in July or August for $20. 

 By taking the lambs from the ewes early, the latter 

 will gotfat by fall ; 1 ■< oi th< m are sold for$>30, with 

 which ho purchases 20 ewes for next season's keep- 

 ing — and ho has 5 fat sheep left for the use of the 

 family. The sows have 6 pigs the lasl of March or 

 early in April: 5 of them, with the sow. are fat£i I, 

 and a young sow kept fo 



pigs and old sow when fatted wiil make 1,100 lbs. 

 of pork; 500 will do the family, with Urn 5 fat sheep, 

 and leave him 600 lbs to sell, which at 5 cts. a pound 

 is $30. The two calves are fatted and sold for $5. 

 This makes $340 worth sold from the products of 



the 20 acres, and the family have had their farm liv- 

 ing the past year. 



It may be thought that this calculation is too large 

 for an average production, but I assure you that if 

 the operator is industrious, economical and judicious, 

 he vvill seldom fall short of the quantity stated. But 

 it is asked, how can an industrious man be constantly 

 employed on 20 acres of ground cultivated for farm- 

 ing purposes ? Look at it. His ground for spring 

 crops is all plowed in the fall. On the first of April 

 he commences operations for the season. He first 

 sows the grass seed on the wheat; then 10 cwt. 

 of plaster on the hoe ground; and as soon as the 

 ground is sufficiently dry he harrows it and sows the 

 barley; then harrows and cross harrows until it is 

 thoroughly pulverized, and then rolls it. By that time 

 the planting ground is ready to harrow, which opera- 

 tion is continued until the ground is well pulverized, 

 and the nearer it can be made to a garde 1 ; tilt the better. 



But if he is ahead of the season with his work he 

 can always have full employment in making the 

 manure heap. He collects every thing that will 

 make manure that his time and means permit; he 

 puts on it at least one ton of plaster at different times. 

 Leached ashes, swamp muck, marl, dirty salt, and 

 old brine, are all collected and mixed with the barn 

 yard dung, so as to increase the manure heap to at 

 least 200 loads. 



The ground being in good order and the season 

 favorable, he commences planting the first of May, 

 and takes time and does it well — for there is more 

 lost by careless planting than would pay for four 

 times the labor of doing it well. He first plants the 

 wurtzels, then the potatoes and corn. Planting done, 

 the wheat is to be wed; and as soon as the wurtzels 

 are up he begins hoeing, which affords him employ- 

 ment until the first, and perhaps the fifth of July. 

 He then has some leisure, and assists a neighbor in 

 haying, to procure help in hauling in the grain. 



He commences harvest as soon as the grain will 

 answer, and barley will do to cut pretty green. If 

 it is not sufficiently dry to bind let it lie two or three 

 days in swarth. Harvest begun he may work as 

 faithfully as he chooses until the grain is all secured. 

 That done, he harrows, cultivates, or plows shallow 

 the barley stubble, so as to pulverize it thoroughly 

 four inches deep, and sows on it half a ton of plaster. 

 The corn is now ready to cut up; that done he plows 

 the barley stubble deep and well, and sows the wheat. 

 The summer crops are now ready to gather, which 

 employs him a while. When all are secured, he 

 takes out the manure, spreads it evenly over the sur- 

 face, and plows it under. The hoe ground is also to 

 be plowed for barley next spring, which keeps him 

 busy until it is time to prepare for winter. 



In winter he takes good care of the stock, thrashes 

 the grain, and provides fuel — having none on his 

 farm. The orchard is planted by the fence around 

 the farm and door yard. 



Now, my Young Friends, be industrious and sav- 

 irg, and you will soon be able to purchase 21 acres 

 of land. And you who have larj ions, and 



sous you wish to settle near you, divide your pos- 

 sessions with them, and teach them to realize that 

 industry and economy are the sources of wealth — 

 and that a neat, comfortable and independent home, 

 though it is small, will afford more rational enjoy- 

 ment in old age, than large possessions, with a 

 princely mansion, even if it is not encumbered with 

 debt. Wheatland JY. Y., 1849. 



