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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



EIGHTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING 



At the State House, March 4, 1851. 



Subject, ^'■Profits of Farming P 



In the absence of Mr. Walker, Mr. French, of 

 Braintree, presided, and called on gentlemen to pro- 

 ceed in the discussion. 



Mr. Barrett, of Belchertown, said that his busi- 

 ness was farming, and he thought that by industry 

 and economy, a farmer could provide himself with 

 the comforts of life and gain property. But he must 

 put his hands to the work, and not have too many 

 play-days. Yet he need not work very hard, so 

 that labor would be an evil. He was asked wheth- 

 er formers were as liable to fail as other classes, 

 and he replied that he had never known any farm- 

 er to fail, who paid proper attention to his business; 

 but among merchants and manufacturers, failures 

 were common. He had known farmers to buy land, 

 run in debt for it, erect buildings, stock their farms, 

 and succeed well. The farmer should not till a 

 great deal of land. He must be a man of thought 

 and reflection; he must adapt his crops to his soil, 

 and keep the best of stock. The best kinds of grain 

 should he cultivated, as this makes a great differ- 

 ence in the profit. He must also be a temperate 

 man; and he named an instance of a farmer's fail- 

 ing for want of this virtue; and another failed who 

 devoted his attention to swapping horses. As farm- 

 ers are now becoming more enlightened, they are 

 more respected, and finally they will rule the coun- 

 try. 



Mr. A. G. Sheldon, of Wilmington, said that 

 some others might make money faster than farm- 

 ers, but where one became rich, 99 were poor. 

 No class on the whole do better than farmers. Their 

 business tends to equality in property. In this sec- 

 tion we want more milch cows, and we ought to 

 raise more heifers, as they are more valuable than 

 those brought from a distance. One important item 

 in the farmer's profit is the rise of land. 



Hon. Amasa Walker having arrived, took the: 

 chair, and presided the remainder of the evening. P"'''"' the people were drawing riches from the great 



best quality. Fruit is an important subject, par- 

 ticularly apples. There is opening in Europe an 

 extensive market for ihem; and our climate is well 

 adapted to their production, 



Hon. Mr. Sprague, of Duxbury, said that in his 

 section the land was poor, not well adapted to prof- 

 itable farming. The Rev. Morrill Allen, who is 

 called the model farmer, is about the only man in 

 his region who had gained much property by farm- 

 ing; and he had a salary of $400, which was suffi- 

 cient to support his family, and he gave his per- 

 sonal attention to his farming. It is a question 

 whether a man, under ordinary circumstances, can 

 buy a farm in Massachusetts, and get as much for 

 his labor as the mechanic. Can a man some 20 

 miles from Boston make money by farming ? 



Hon. Mr. Brooks, of Princeton, said that there 

 was a profit in farming, and that every man might 

 make it profitable. He then read from a memoran- 

 dum the profit which he made on a crop of corn, 

 potatoes, small grains and grass, showing that 

 each crop afforded a good profit. He estimated land 

 at $50 per acre, and labor at $1 per day. He 

 showed that in eleven years an acre of land had 

 yielded a profit of $64. He then read statistics 

 showing that there was more profit in raising grain 

 for market, or making it into pork, in the eastern 

 States, than in other sections of the country. He 

 had made 17 per cent, profit in raising stock. Much 

 depends on management. Hogs should be fed reg- 

 ularly, not so that they will squeal with stai-vation 

 one day, and with repletion the next, for they can- 

 not thrive in either case. Mr. Brooks said that on- 

 ly two or three cows could be kept with profit, and 

 he named a case in which two cows yielded an in- 

 come of $100 in a year, besides the skimmed milk, 

 which is worth half a cent a quart to make pork. 



Rev. Mr. Sanger, of Dover, said that there was 

 a great discrepancy in the views of the two gentle- 

 men who had preceded him, \vhich was owing to 

 one living in a fertile region, and the other on a 

 sterile soil. But in Duxbury, where the soil was 



He said in regard to the profits of fanning, that no 

 rule would apply to all parts of the State. One 

 may find one crop the most profitable; another may 

 do better with another crop. The crops should be 

 suited to the soil and location. Certain conditions 

 are necessary in order to succeed by farming. Close 

 personal attention is necessary. One cannot farm 

 to advantage by proxy. Strict economy is neces- 

 sary, and so is skill in the house; but this is not so 

 essential to success with the merchant and manufac- 

 turer. He thought that some kinds of farming, 

 such as keeping cows, required to be carried on 

 largely in order to be profitable. We must observe 

 the changes that are going on and adapt our busi- 

 ness to them. Beef should be sold at a season when 

 it is in great demand. The butter should be of the 



deep. 



Mr. Brooks replied that a profit might be made 

 by farming on light lands. 



Mr. H. C. Meriam, of Tewksbury, said that he 

 was in a neighborhood of good farmers, but all the 

 profit they made was not equal to the interest on 

 the value of their farms. If they would sell their 

 farms they could live better on the interest of their 

 money. As to his own farming, his hands worked 

 early and late, as is usual with those near a mar- 

 ket, and yet he could not make his farm pay more 

 than four per cent, on the capital invested. 



Mr. Sheldon said that he was pleased that one 

 gentleman agreed with him that there was a profit 

 in farming; and if those who did not find it profit- 

 able, would come to his town, he could show them 



