THE FARMERS' CABINET, 

 AMERICAN HERD-BOOK, 



DEVOTED TO 



AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND RURAL AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. 



"The Productions of the Earth will always be in proportion to the culture bestowed upon it." 



Vol. VI — No. 2.] 



9th mo. (September,) 15th, 1841. 



[Whole No. 80. 



KIMBER & SHARPLESS, 



PROPRIETORS AND PUBLISHERS, 



No. 50 North Fourth Street, 



PHILADELPHIA. 

 Price one dollar per year. — For conditions see last pag;e. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet, 

 Farming a "Miserable Business." 



Mr. Editor, — The first article of the last 

 No. of the Cabinet reminds me of a very in- 

 terestinsT account of a conversation in the 

 way of dialogrue, by Professor Cnhnan, from 

 which it would appear that farming; ougfht to 

 be " cracked up," if, with such management 

 on such a farm, a family of eleven persons 

 can be supported, without cominaf out at the 

 little end of the horn at the end of the year. 

 The truth is, farmers ought to debit them- 

 selves with all that they consume, charginor 

 market price for every article ; for why should 

 the expenses of a family be drawn from the 

 land without credit being given, any more 

 than from a business in trade — which no one 

 thinks of. By inserting tlie following, you 

 will be doing a service to the community ge- 

 nerally, and oblige An Old Subscriber. 



F. Ah, farming's a miserable business. 



A. But why"! What is the estimated value 

 of your farm"! 



Four thousand dollars. 



Is it increasing in value? 



Yes, by its favourable location, and by 

 every improvement that is made upon it. 



Do you get from it all the produce which 

 it can be made to yield ] 



No, not one-third. It consists of one hun- 

 dred and twenty acres. At least fitly 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 jnto English grasses. 



What is the value of the wood land 1 



We supply our family with fuel, and be- 

 sides this, the growth of the wood and hoop- 

 poles which we obtain from it, pays a larger 

 interest on the current value of the land, so 

 that we consider this as one of the most pro- 

 fitable parts of the farm. 



Have you done any thing to improve your 

 pasture lands .' 



Cab.— Vol. VI No. 2. 



No — I suppose I ought to. I tried one 

 hundred weight of plaster spread upon a part 

 of it, and the effects were visible as far as the 

 land could be seen, but then after that plaster 

 rose half a dollar on a ton, and I thought I 

 could not get any more. Then the huckle- 

 berry bushes and the sweet fern, and the 

 rushes and alders have come in, so that 1 

 cannot keep so much stock as I could for- 

 merly. 



Have you attempted any improvement upon 

 your bog meadows'? 



No, — sometimes I have thought I would. 

 My neighbour, J. B., has redeemed eight or 

 ten acres, and now gets two tons and a half 

 of hay to the acre, herd's-grass and clover 

 and red-top of the best quality, where for- 

 merly he got scarcely any thing ; but then it 

 cost twenty or twenty-five dollars an acre to 

 drain and manure it; and he will have to top- 

 dress it at least once in five years, or it will 

 never hold out. Then, too, he has put on 

 at least half a bushel of grass-seed to the 

 acre; and grass-seed, which I used to buy for 

 twelve cents a pound, or two dollars and a 

 half per bushel, is now twenty cents a pound, 

 and herd's-grass three dollars per bushel. 

 Then, too, labour is so high, 1 cannot afford 

 to hire. 



Have you plenty of manure! 



No — that is a great want. I have a bog 

 hole where I suppose I could get two hun- 

 dred loads a year, but then I should have to 

 go more than a mile for it, and it is wet work. 

 I have not any of the advantages which the 

 farmers who live within six or seven miles 

 of Boston have, and can go in and buy a load 

 of good dung whenever they want. 



Do you know what these farmers have to 

 pay for manure in Boston ? 



Why yes. I have been told they have to 

 give sometimes from three to five dollars a 

 cord at the stables. Sometimes our tavern- 

 keeper sells a iev! loads, but he asks five dol- 

 lars a cord. 



Have you a barn cellar 1 



No ; 1 have often thought it would bo a 

 very good thing, and my barn is well situated 

 for one; but then it would cost, besides what 

 work I should do with my own team, full fifly 

 dollars to make one. 



Do you keep cows'? 



Yes, I keep some just to eat up our coarse 



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