PRACTICAL FARMER. 



151 



which we now exhibit to the world, of a nation 

 wonderful for its .energy, enter[)rise and industry, 

 and possessing the finest climate on earth, com- 

 pelled at this day to resort to foreign countries for 

 some portion, even of the necessaries of subsist- 

 ence. This state of things has been brought about 

 in a great measure, by certain of our most bar- 

 barous laws, which are still cherished, having a 

 most pernicious bearing on the prosperity of the 

 husbandman. WILLIAM KENRJCK. 



JVonantum Hill, JVtwton, Feb. 1, 1837. 



SIZE OF FARMS. 



We made some remarks a few months since 

 relative to the proper size of Farms, endeavoring 

 to show that the greatest profit is derived from 

 farms of considerable size, or where division of 

 labor could be adopted. It is our object at this 

 time to show that farmers generally, by cultivating 

 too much land, actually lessen their profits by los- 

 ing the advantage of a division of labor ; while, if 

 ihey should cultivate a smaller quantity in a prop- 

 er manner, they would in reality arrive at those 

 advantages much more readily. 



To make tnoney by farming requirer?, first, as 

 great an amount of j)roduct from crops as possi- 

 ble ; secondly, that this be produced by as little 

 expense or labor as possible ; and thirdly, that as 

 little capital as possible be invested. To arrive at 

 all of these points together, it is necessary to raise 

 large crops, to effect a division pf labor, and use 

 labor saving implements and machines, and till no 

 more land than can be done to the best advantage. 

 That this is to be effected by a course different 

 from that generally pursued, only require an ex- 

 hibition of facts to prove. 



It will perhaps be generally admitted, that much 

 larger crops than are usually raised, may be ob- 

 tained by taking the necessary pains. If the ex- 

 pense of raising the same quantity on a small piece 

 of ground is no more than raising it on a larger 

 piece, the former would, of course, be the more 

 profitable, for it would require less capital in land ; 

 but if it is in reality found to be less expensive, 

 then it becomes doubly profitable. The question 

 arises, what are the relative expenses and profits 

 of the two methods, and if the practice of raising 

 large crops is found to be most profitable, what is 

 the amount of produce which we may reasonably 

 expect from a given quantity of land. The best 

 way to determine these points, is to look at what 

 has already been done, to examine the experi- 

 ments v/hich have been made in this kind of farm- 

 ing. 



Numerous trials have proved, that at least one 

 hundred bushels of corn may be expected from 

 an acre with proper culture ; Earl Stinson's crop 

 averaged this quantity for ten successive years ; 

 ^nd much larger cro|)S have often beeu obtained. 



By the experiments of Gen. Barnum, he is confi- 

 dently of opinion that by the method he employed 

 in cultivating the potato, from eight hundred to 

 1000 bushels may be reasonably expected. Sat- 

 isfactory evidence exists that five tons of hay per 

 acre 1 ave been obtained ; and no less than thiee 

 tons should be calculated upon, when a proper 

 system of farming is adojjted. Repeated experi- 

 ments with ruta baga have shown that with good 

 culture, from 500 to 800 bushels may be obtained 

 with certainty; and from the statement of others, 

 as well as from our own observations, we are con- 

 vinced that from 1200 to 1500 bushels of mangel 

 wurtzel may be produced with equal certainty. — 

 Now, if corn is worth seventy-five cents per 

 bushel, potatoes twenty-five cents, hay eight dol- 

 lars per ton, ruta baga twelve and a half cents a 

 bushel for feeding stock, and two and a half tons 

 of mangel wurtzel worth on an average one ton of 

 hay, as has been found by experiment; then the 

 product of twenty acres may be considered as fol- 

 lows : — 



5 acres of corn, 500 bushels, $375 00 



8 acres of hay, 24 tons, 192 00 



1 acre of potatoes, 100 bushels, 250 00 



• 3 acres of ruta baga, 1800 bushels, 225 00 

 3 acres of mangel wurtzel, 4000 



bushels, 40 bushels to a ton, > 320 00 

 100 tons, 





$1362 00 

 The expenses of cultivating the land and secur- 

 ing the crops, judging from the experiments above 

 alluded to, would be about as follows : — 

 5 acres of corn, $20 per acre, 100 00 



1 acre of ])otatoes, 50 00 



3 acres ruta baga, $20 per acre, 60 00 



3 acres of mangel wurtzel, do. 60 00 



8 acres of hay, cut and cured ac- ^ 

 cording to the best mode we l 16 00 



have seen and described before. J 



Genesee Far.] 



$286 00 



TREATMENT OF MILCH COWS, 



There is, peihaps, no part of the husbandry of 

 our country so much neglected, as that which re- 

 lates to the providing of provender for the milch 

 cows on our farms. On many estates, even those 

 of magnitude, the chief part of the food, if not the 

 entire, which they get, are the blades, the tops and 

 the husks of the corn, with an occasional gratuity 

 of nubbins by way of a holiday feast. The con- 

 sequence is, that if the winter be severe and pro- 

 tracted, there is nine chances out often, that ev- 

 ery cow, long before spring arrives, is either dry 

 or so near it, that the milk she will give is not 

 worth the trouble and cost of stripping, so thuj 

 njany farmers with half a dozen or more cowg 



