114 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



OCT. 13, 184 3. 



From ihe AUjany Cultivator. 



farmer whose capital in lanJ, stock, labor, &c., is 



ten thousand dollars, may expend in taxes, for ob- 



PROFITS OF FARMING. jects not connected with the farm, and fur the sup- 



Messrs. Editors— \l\sbe.Ueveil by many, that port of his family, the entire product of his farm; 



capital and labor bestowed upon agriculture, is less so that not a dollar shall be left; and yet, if these 



productive than the same amount of capital and la- expenditures equal in the aggregate 700 dollars, it 



bor applied to most other branches of business. I is clear he has received 7 per cent, on the capita' 



think it exceedingly important to ascertain whether 

 this be true or not ; and also the per centum of 

 clear profit that is realized by farmers on the esti- 

 mated value of their farms. I propose this aa an 

 inquiry, and hope it may receive such attention 

 and call forth such answers, as to fix and settle 

 some general principle. 



The inquiry is, not what a single field or a part 

 of a farm near a good market may yield occasion- 

 ally ; but what is the profit of the whole farm, in- 

 cluding woodland, from year to year, after deduct- 

 ing all the expenses of labor, tools, taxes, fencing, 

 the interest of the capital, &c. ? Does any farm 

 as a whole, do farms generally, yield, independent 

 of all expenses, an income of 7 per cent, on the 

 capital invested, including land and buildings. 

 Block, and farming utensils ? If they fall short of 

 this, then one of two inferences must be true ; 

 either that money invested in farms is less produc- 

 tive than when loaned on interest, or that the price 

 of land is generally held much too high; for I be- 

 lieve it is a correct principle that a farm is in real- 

 ity worth no more money than it will pay the inte- 

 rest of, after all annual e.tpenses are deducted. 



Will you, Messrs. Editors, pnd your correspon- 

 dents, give us the result of your experience and 

 observation on this subject? 



I do not propose the above inquiries on the prin- 

 ciple that a man should always engage in that kind 

 of business which promises the greatest immediate 

 profit. Far otherwise. Other considerations 

 should have equal or greater weight in determining 

 his choii;e. And I most fully believe that the busi- 

 ness of agriculture is subject to less temptations to 

 vice and crime ; less cares, anxieties, and excite- 

 ments ; less fluctuations and losses; and is more 

 calculated to produce virtuous iiabits, good health, 

 peace, contentment, and ultimate prosperity, ihnii 

 any other business. "A man's life consisteth not 

 in the abundance of the things which he possea- 

 seth ;" and if happiness be the aim, agriculture is 

 the most certain and pleasant path to her abode. 



H._^A. P. 



It is very difficult to givf a definite answer to 

 the inquiries of our correspondent. For a few 

 years past, the prices of our agricultural produce 

 have fluctuated so much, that the same amount of 

 crops which in one year would have given a profit 

 of 10 per cent., in another would not yield 6 per 

 cent, on the capital, expenses, &c. of a f>irm. We 

 firmly believe, however, that any well conditioned, 

 and well manngtd farm, will, at a fair average price 

 for the products of it, yield the owner 7 per cent, 

 on the capital invested ; and we can point to many 

 that do far more than this. It must be admitted. 



invested. So at least it appears to us ; but we 

 are willing to give place to such of our correspon- 

 dents as may choose to be heard in the matters re- 

 ferred to by our correspondent. — Eds. Cult. 



iiSt' 



From the same. 



CULTURE OF POTATOES, &.c. 



Messrs. Gaylord &,• Tucker — I wish to state my 

 experience in raising a potato crop the past season, 

 upon a piece of land which had been worn out by 

 a process of skinflint farming, for more than twen- 

 ty years. It was plowed the first season on the 

 10th of May ; again on the 1st of July ; then buck- 

 wheat was sown, and it was seeded heavy with 

 clover. As soon as the buckwheat and clover be- 

 gan to appear, the piece was sown with about two 

 bushels of plaster to the acre. The clover grew 

 finely, wintered well, and was pastured until the 

 aOtli of June following, when it was again plowed 

 and sowed with buckwheat, which proved an entire 

 failure. I now feel qualified to advise all those 

 who wish to raise a good crop of buckwheat, not 

 to sow upon freshly plowed green sward. In or- 

 der to have the soil in the best condition possible, 

 it should be plowed early in the spring, and again 

 immediately before sowing. 



But to my subject. The next spring I carted 

 on twenty loads of manure to the acre, which had 

 been well housed, and which I concluded was 

 worth 2.5 loads of commonly well drenched manure. 

 This was spread upon the surface and immediately 

 plowed in, which I believe to be the best way, every 

 tiling considered, of applying it to our kind of soil ; 

 it being a heavy loam, and in some places border- 

 ing upon clay. The ground was then furrowed, 

 three feet apart each way, and planted with several 

 kinds of potatoes considered the best, in all imagi- 

 nable way.s, large and small, cut and uncut. As 

 soon as they were up sufticiently, they were plow- 

 ed both ways ; in about two weeks were plowed 

 again, and slightly hilled. When gathered in the 

 fall, there was no material difference in the lot, 

 and the yield was at the rate of 309 bush, to the 

 acre. H. COOK. 



ore authentic history, give any account of injury) 

 having been sustained by a beech tree, from the 

 effects of electricity. So notorious is that fact! 

 that in Tennessee, it is considered almost an im 

 possibility to be struck by lightning, if protectior 

 be sought under the brarches of a beech tree.' 

 " Other trees may be surrounded by these anc 

 shivered to splinters, while the beech remains en 

 tire and unhurt." Dr. Mitchell adds, "Improve 

 ment might and ought to be made of this fact, b) 

 planting and rearing beeches near and around tht 

 dwelling houses and barns of our farmers, for lh( 

 immunity of cattle as well aa human beings fron 

 the violence of lightning. Let a leech grore, as 

 easy to rear as a plantation of huttermds, accom 

 pany every inhabited spot, and let solitary beecH 

 trees arise here and there over every farm anc i,; 

 plantation." 



How often do we read of aome flock of sheep 

 some two or three horses or cattle, or men, beinj 

 killed by lightning, who had taken shelter tinde 

 some oak, [uaple, or hickory tree! .And yet fev 

 farmers suffer a beech tree to stand, notwithstand 

 ing it is as shady and ornamental as the maple 

 "Woodman, spare that tree." H. A. P. 



Bxiffalo, Aug., 1842. 



From the same. 



THE BEECH TREE. 

 Messrs. Editors — My attention has lately been 

 called to the question whether the Beech tree, Fa- 

 gus syhatica, is ever struck with lightning; acd 

 after an extended inquiry and examination, I am 

 brought to the conclusion, that for some reason, as 

 yet unexplained and unaccounted for, this tree has 

 however, that a great nuijority of farmers do not 'always escaped the effects of atmospheric electri- 

 receive from their farms a profit equal to 7 per city. This fact has been noticed for tnore than a 

 cent., owing to the imperfect manner in which their ' hundred years, both in Europe and this country, 

 business is conducted, and the condition of the and yet it is not so generally known as it should 

 soils they cultivate. Difieront views of this mat- be: at least, very little improvement seems to have 

 ter, too, will depend on the manner in which the been made of it. 



profit is reckoned ; some considering only as clear In an address delivered by Dr. S. L. Mitchell, 

 profit the cash or products left, after all the expen- in 1826, before the New V'ork Horticultural Socie- 

 ses for labor, taxes, &c. and those of the family, ty, there is a letter from Dr. Heeton, of Tennessee, 

 are deducted. This is not the correct way. A in which the writer says: "Neither tradition, nor 



POULTRY YARDS. 



Every farmer should supply his table ciiiefl; 

 with fresh meats from his poultry yard. By prope; 

 attention, it may also be made a source of profi 

 in addition. A yard of suitable size enclosed will 

 pickets, including a poultry house, and a supply o 

 fresh water, and a pond to wash in, are indispensa 

 ble to the success of raising poultry. 



To ensure a plentiful supply of eggs in winter 

 let the fowls have a warm habitation in which the] 

 can remain through the day in cold severe storms 

 with room to move about. Place a trough aboii 

 four inches wide and four inches deep, and lengtl 

 according to circumstances, within the yard, with i 

 roof so low as to prevent their getting into tli( 

 trough; keep this well supplied with feed, tha 

 they may have it by them constantly. In summe 

 let them out once or twice a day to ramble awhile 

 if you have no crops near enough to be injured bi 

 their depredations. As they are somewhat carni 

 vorous, some kind of fresh meat is necessary fo 

 them once a day in winter, when they are not sup 

 plied with insects. 



No poultry is profitable to be kept after three 

 years old. Something depends however, on the 

 breed and the manner in which they are kept. The 

 Poland top-knots are considered as the best foi 

 eggs, and are sometimes called everlasting layers 

 They are more hardy than most kinds for the ex- 

 tremes of weather. — Conn. Far Gaz. 



We are ruined not by what we really want, but 

 by what we think we do ; therefore, never go a. 

 broad in search of your wants; if they be real 

 wants, they will come home in search of you ; and 

 he that buys what he does not want, may soon 

 want what he cannot buy. — Lacon. 



•' Father, I come plaguy near selling my pup to- 

 day." "Ah! Billy: well, how near?" " Why, I 

 asked a feller if he did n't want to buy him, and he 

 said no: if he had only said yes, wouldn't I have 

 fixed him ?"— Selected. 



An employer's eyes are aa useful as his hands. 



