&I)C .farmer's ittcmtljlij btsitar. 



13 



From the Boston Cultivator. 

 Farming a Trade. 

 Panning, to carry it on successfully and v\itli 

 profit, is as much a trade as many other kinds of 

 business. It is as necessary that a regular ap- 

 preuticesbip should be served on a farm, in order 

 to make a neat and profitable farmer, as it is to 

 spend two or three years in learning other trades 

 which might be mentioned. The difference is 

 easily discernible between the latin of a work- 

 man, one who has served his time on a farm, 

 and one who has had litlle'or no experience in 

 bis business. While the former keeps every 

 thing in good order about his premises, and 

 raises good crops, the latter lefs things go at 

 "loose ends," and has stinted crops for his pains. 

 One will endeavor to raise crops with bide or 

 no manure, and with land hall' cultivated, and in 

 return for bis labors receives scarce enough to 

 pay for his trouble; hence the complaint of 

 small profits of farming. While another, who 

 lias devoted bis lime and anention thereto, 

 "served tits time on a farm," deems it to bis ad- 

 vantage to manure bountifully, and cultivate ac- 

 cordingly. He calculates not only on his profits 

 the present year, but for his laud to pay in the 

 same ratio, in succeeding years. The one who 

 considers (arming no trade, but thinks each and 

 every one capable of successfully managing a 

 farm in all its varied parts, often has cause to 

 change his opinions. It is true, most any and 

 every one can work on and till his land, but it is 

 not true that any and every one can do it with 

 the same profitable results. It is true again, that 

 the individual who has plenty of capital with 

 which to improve bis land, has altogether the 

 advantage over the individual whose means are 

 limited. But it is not true again, that the one 

 hiving the largest amount of capital always re- 

 ceives the most actual profit. While one may 

 have a capital of three thousand dollars at his 

 command, to take the advantage of in his farm- 

 ing operations, another may have but five hun- 

 dred, and still receive a higher per cent, in pro- 

 portion to the amount invested. The cause of 

 this, in a great measure, is owing lo the belter 

 management of the latter. Now, it is very evi- 

 dent that the man who has "served an appren- 

 ticeship," been brought up on a farm and devoted 

 himself to bis calling, will, through his skilful 

 husbandry, receive nearly double the profit from 

 the same amount and quality of land, that the 

 individual will, who goes on to a farm with 

 scarcely any knowledge of his business. Tine, 

 be can plough his ground and plant his seed, 

 after a fashion ; but will it be done in a work- 

 manlike manner ? As well might a farmer go 

 into a blacksmith's shop and attempt to forge out 

 a shoe for a horse. No doubt be would make 

 something that would resemble a horse-shoe, but 

 would it be a suitable shoe for a horse to wear? 

 Just so with the unpractised, would-be-farmer ; 

 be might manage a firm and get a living from it; 

 but how would the looks of his firm compare 

 with bis, who was a farmer by trade? Farmers 

 often experience the difference in those whom 

 lliey hire to labor on their land. While one can 

 earn eighteen dollars a month, another equally as 

 strong and healthy, cannot earn more than ten. 

 The reason of this is plain. The one who has 

 eighteen dollars is a farmer by trade ; he knows 

 bow and where to take hold, and how to pro- 

 ceed ; while the other, who lias but ten dollars, 

 (and perhaps is a dear hand at that,) is so little 

 acquainted with the business, that be can scarce 

 begin a job without being told bow and where 

 by his employer, and then he will go to work in 

 a very bungling sort of a way. The fact is, he 

 is a " raw baud " — be has got the trade to learn 

 before he is worth eighteen dollars a month. 

 The saying is, "Everyone to his trade," anil 

 there is more truth than poetry in the remark. 

 ALBERT TODD. 

 Smilhficld, R. I , Dec, 1848. 



Profits of Dairying. — The Ohio Cultivator 

 states that Orr'ni Wilson, of lliiiilshurg, Geauga 

 Co., Ohio, realized from 17 cows, the past sea- 

 son, the stun of §00(5. equal to $34,64 to each 

 cow. The calves sold and the hogs fattened 

 from the waste of the dairy, are not included in 

 tin' above amount. Cheese was the principal 

 article, but the quantity made or the price ob- 

 tained, are not mentioned. 



[Selected paragraphs.] 

 Railroads at the close of the year 18-18. — The 

 Railroad Journal, in summing up the extraordi- 

 nary influences of railroads upon the country 

 and upon the world, says it may be safely estima- 

 ted that the entire expenditure within the last 

 twenty-live years, in the projection and construc- 

 tion of railroads, will not full short of one thou- 

 sand millions of dollars! and their influences in 

 facilitating business, in reducing the expenses 

 and time of travel, and in opening up new re- 

 gions of country, has given an increased value to 

 property of twice that amount ! ! and yet their in- 

 fluences are only just beginning to be felt. 



The Post Office Army. — It appears from tables 

 which occupy the Postmaster General's report, 

 that the Post Office Army directly under the 

 control of the Post Office Department, numbers 

 twenty thousand four hundred and twenty-four. 



Deputy Postmasters 16,159 



Contractors 4,017 



Roule Agents 47 



Local do 21 



Mail Messengers 180 



Total 20,434 



And this is entirely irrespective of the im- 

 mense army of drivers, owners of coaches, 

 teams. &c, indirectly under the influence of the 

 Department. 



The Post Office Department. — The Postmaster 

 General,- in his report to Congress, represents 

 bis department as ill the most prosperous condi- 

 tion. The income of 1848, up to June 30, was 

 $4,374,000; the expenditures, §4,326,000; the 

 department having a surplus left, after paying its 

 own expenses, under the reduction of postage. 

 He nosv recommends a uniform system of five 

 cents for every part of the United States. 



Wealth of the Union. — It is estimatod that the 

 value of the crops in 1848, in the United States, 

 will exceed 8640,000.000. The value of the live 

 stock on farms, is estimated at over 8557,000,000. 

 The sums invested in manufactures for the same 

 time, amount to £3-13,300,00*0. The sums invested 

 in merchandise amount to §322,000,000, exclu- 

 sive of SI 49,000,000 employed in the commission 

 business and foreign trade. The aggregate of 

 the productions and - business of our country, 

 then, amounts to the enormous sum of more 

 than 82,000,000,000. 



The Periodical Press. — The whole number of 

 periodicals in the United Slates, in 1775, was 38. 

 They now exceed 3,000. 



Banks in the United States. — There are 778 

 banking institutions in the Union. Capital over 

 8200,000,000. Circulation about 8125,000,000. 

 Specie about $25,000,000. 



.in Ohio Dairy. — The Cincinnati Advertiser 

 says, that one firmer who supplies that city with 

 cheese, has 1,150 cows. 



Lynn, Mass., lias a population of less than 

 12,000, yet 3,000,000 pairs.of boots and shoes 

 were made there last year. Nearly 8,000 of its 

 inhabitants of both sexes are engaged in the 

 business. The value of the boots and shoes 

 manufactured in Massachusetts in 1847, was 

 $17,000,000. 



.Massachusetts Enterprise. — Since 1846, about 

 857,000,000 have been invested in public enter- 

 prises by the people of Massachusetts. The divi- 



dends to be made on those investments the pre- 

 sent year, will exceed $10,000,000. The valua- 

 tion of the State is over 8-1 50,0C 0,000. 



A nest of Iron Factories.— One of the most im- 

 portant neighborhoods for the production of iron 

 on the Ohio river is at a place called Ranging 

 Rock. Within a circle of twenty miles their are 

 thirty furnaces— twenty in Ohio and ten in Ken- 

 lucky. The produce of all combined amounts, 

 when in full work, to 60,000 tons per annum. 



Growth of Wisconsin. — This territory, in 1840, 

 contained scarcely 30,000 inhabitants. Now it 

 numbers over 240.000. 



Western Products.— A firm in Cincinnati is now 

 packing 2.500 tierces of pork for the use of the 

 French navy. It will be delivered immediately. 



Debt of Great Britain— The interest of this 

 debt is 834,000,000. The animal coinage of 

 the British mint is only about 817,000,000. 



The French Army, nuclei the republic, consists 

 of about 550,000 men. The expense nearly 



£17,000,000. 



(IT 3 A double plough, ploughing two furrows 

 at the same time, with which one man and one 

 team can do as much in one day as two men can 

 do with two teams and two single ploughs, has 

 been invented by George Bartlett, of Rhode 

 Island. It works admirably. 



From the Albuliy Cultivator. 

 Preservation of Grafts.— Messrs. Editors: 

 I have, dining the past year, noticed several 

 communications recommending the use of saw- 

 dust for preserving scions. From my ovi n ex- 

 perience, I find that it should be used with ex- 

 treme caution, on account of its liability to heat, 

 when a large quantity is used. A nursery firm 

 with whom I am intimately acquainted, lost 

 nearly their whole slock ot" apple roots and 

 grabs, by packing them in sawdust during the 

 past winter. I have found Irish loam, dug di- 

 rectly from the earth, much belter than am other 

 preparation for preserving gratis or roots, and 

 every person engaged in this kind of work will 

 find their operations more successful, ihe closer 

 they stick to nature. Now in the way thai grafts 

 are usually kept, some become surfeited «iih 

 water; others are shrivelled and dry, while 

 others may happen to receive jn»t moisture 

 enough. The latter, if selected and set by them- 

 selves will all be found to grow strong and 

 healthy, which would not he found to be the 

 case with grafts kept in a haphazard way, as is 

 usually the case. When loam is used for keep- 

 ing scions, it should be used bountifully, as it re- 

 tains a more regular degree of moisture. 1 have 

 sometimes wrapped bundles of grabs in news- 

 papers, and afterwards buried them in loam, and 

 they have kept in this way admirably; the paper 

 seems to absorb and retain pist moisture enough 

 from the earth to keep the scions in excellent 

 condition. 



ISAAC HILDRETH. 



Big Stream Point. Yates Co., ) 

 New York, Jan. 2, IS 111. \ 



Improvements for Railroads.— Mr. Upton, 

 of the Cheshire Railroad, a very ingenious me- 

 chanic, says the Keene Sentinel, has invented a 

 snow plough, attached, like (he cow-catcher, ou 

 the front of the engine; it works Well. In the 

 rear of the plough, and lying diagonally across 

 the rails, are scrapers which clean the rails from 

 snow. The engine, with ibis plough, will clear 

 the track of two feet of snow without any mate- 

 rial delay. It weighs but about fifty pounds more 

 than the cow-cotcher. He has also invented a 

 very compact and neat switch, which is changed 

 by a horizontal wheel, and handled with more 

 care and expedition than any oilier we have seen : 

 but the especial advantage of it is that il springs 

 ihe rail to its place, from which it cannot be 

 moved a hair's breadth by the passing trains. 



