148 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



TOO MUCH LAUD. 



That the father of our country wrote wisely in 

 the above quotation, as indeed he always did, we 

 have not the least doubt. We shall venture, how- 

 ever, to differ with the Gtrmantown Telegraph in 

 part, though in the main we agree with it. The 

 error of Americans is not exactly in having more 

 land than they can, but more than they ivill culti- 

 vate. 



A man without ca])ital cannot cultivate much 

 land, and do it well. The necessity of a floating 

 capital, equal to something Uke half the value of 

 the land, has not yet been considered by the great 

 body of American farmers. We insist, that with a 

 floating capital, adequate to the business, kept al- 

 ways at control, an energetic farmer, who undpr- 

 stands his business, can cultivate ten acres, and 

 make a good business of it; he can cultivate fifty, 

 and make a better business of it, or five hundred, 

 or one thousand. Ability to cultivate is not to be 

 measured by a man's physical strength. On this 

 scale five acres near a city, or fifty far inland, would 

 be enough for any man. It is to bo measured 

 rather by one's knowledge of soils, crops and mar- 

 kets, and by his ability of keeping a good many 

 irons hot without letting any of them burn. If a 

 farmer is master of his trade and has a business ca- 

 pacity, why limit him ? It is as true now as it was 

 in Washington's time, that " a little farm, well 

 tilled," is a good thing. But it was true then and 

 is now, that a farmer of sense, intelligence, judg- 

 ment, skill in his business, energy and ambition, 

 should not be limited. Don't let us talk about how 

 much land he ran cultivate well, but how much he 

 will cultivate well. Let him have as much as he 

 will keep in a highly productive state, be it ten 

 acres, or one hundred, or one thousand. Ten acres 

 is the best figure for one man, a hundred for anoth- 

 er, and a thousand for another ; just as a shop only 

 large enough for one person to work in, is the best 

 for one shoemaker, and one large enough for a 

 hundred to work in together, is better for another. 

 If successful farming depended solely or mainly 

 upon mere physical strength, if the farmer were 

 doomed to be an ignorant drudge, as some people 

 seem to think, we would commend sm^all farms; 

 but we believe no such thing. It is a business for 

 the loftiest intellect as well as the lowest. Let 

 those who will, rise by it to the highest position in 

 society. Some at least can. — Plough, Loom and 

 Anvil. 



A State Agricultural Society. — According 

 to a previous call, a meeting was held at the State 

 House in this city, on the 5th inst., to consider the 

 subject of the formation of a new State Agricultural 

 Society. After an animated discussion, the follow- 

 ing resolutions were adopted unanimously : 



Whereas, the establishment of another State 

 Agricultural Society would tend to alienate the kind 

 and patriotic feelings which have so uniformly char- 

 acterized the past and present trustees of our ancient 

 and honorable State Society ; and whereas it is un- 

 derstood that the present State Society would con- 

 tribute of its funds for exhibitions under the super- 

 vision of the State Board of Agriculture — therefore, 



i?esoi^•ef/, That, in the opinion of this assembly, it 

 is desirable that the State Board of Agriculture 

 should hold Agricultural Fairs, whenever funds are 



placed at its disposal, either by the commonwealth, 



I or by the munificence of others. 



j Resolved, That we recommend the State Board 

 of Agriculture, composed as it is of representatives 

 from, and acting in harmony with all the incorpo- 

 r;ited societies in this commonwealth, to take im- 

 mediately into consideration the expediency of 

 holding Agricultural Exhibitions, and to make 



I known at an early day the result of their delibera- 



itions. 



EXTRACTS AHD REPLIES. 

 cows and hens. 

 As I know you to be interested about farming 

 stock in general, and good cows in particular, I 

 will tell you of one belonging to one of my neigh- 

 bors, which has during the last nine months made 

 j300 pounds of butter, supplying a family of three 

 I with milk — and raised a good calf for which the 

 i owner has refused $ 15, valuing it higher. The cow 

 is in her fifth year, and has been well kept — pas- 

 tured for six dollars for six months, and in the 

 winter fed with some meal. 



SOO lbs. butter, at 25 cents per lb $75,00 



Calf 15,C0 



Skim-milk for pigs 10,00 



Or, income for nine months $1CO,00 



As there is a great difference of opinion in re- 

 gard to the profit to be derived from hens, I have 

 something to say about them. In 1855 with 30 

 hens I sold eggs to the value of $71,45, and chick- 

 ens $13,85. Keeping an account, I found that 

 they paid $4 per bushel for the corn they eat. 

 They were well supplied with pounded shells 

 through the year, and with scraps of fat in the 

 winter. Last year, with 28 hens, having the usual 

 care— sold $49,11, and chickens $8,28. Not so 

 well, but still they paid $2,33 per bushel for their 

 corn. Truly yours, C. Bates. 



Sciiuate, Jan, 13th. 



HARD udder. 



Will you inform me of the cause and remedy for 

 a cow's bag that has a small, hard buach at the top 

 end of her teat when her bag is pulled ? It is al- 

 most impossible to draw the milk through the 

 teat. A Constant Reader. 



Cornish, JV. H., 1857. 



Remarks.— Garget, in some of its forms. Give 

 10 globules of Aconite morning and evening ; then 

 omit 24 hours, and repeat the dose if a cure has 

 not been effected. 



steaming apparatus. 



Will you please inform me where I can obtain 

 the best steaming apparatus for cooking potatoes 

 for hogs, and for steaming food for neat stock. 

 Walter Hitchcock. 



IVilbraham, Jan., \%b1. 



Remarks. — At present we know of nothing but 

 the common cauldrons, or boilers, holding from 

 half to three or four barrels, — and these are more 

 properly boilers than steamers. We have a cellar 

 prepared for a regular steaming apparatus, but 

 cannot reduce our plan to paper nov>'. Call and 

 see us. 



