568 



JNEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



height, the old stems taken out, and the remain- 

 der tied up to stakes or trellis-work, leaving three 

 or four stalks in each stool ; nothing remains to be 

 done to them in the spring. Treated in this man- 

 ner they stand safely, and their purplish-red stems 

 present a beautiful appearance through the win- 

 ter. 



Pruning, transferring shrubbery, arranging bor- 

 ders, beds and walks, digging about trees and 

 •shrubs and setting new ones, may be done to ad- 

 vantage now, and will afford a delightful recrea- 

 tion. The lover of the garden will find that his 

 cares cannot be suspended yet ; he will gladly 

 cherish any thing that has the aspect of a green 

 leaf: 



"These serve him with a hint 



That Nature lives; that sight-refreshing green 



Is still the livery she delights to wear, 



Though sickly samples of the exuberant whole." 



For the New England Farmer. 



HOW TO SECURE A HOME, AND BE 

 INDEPENDENT. 



Mr. Editor: — Having read a communication in 

 the March No. of the monthly New England Far- 

 mer, {rom Woodstock, Vt., concerning^the farm- 

 ing interest of that town, and having waited a 

 suitable time for some abler hand to correct some 

 impressions thrown out, without being gratified, 

 "I take the responsibility" to give my opinion. 



Your correspondent says, "There has been little 

 done beyond what the fathers and grandfathers 

 used to do." Well, they, after having assisted to 

 gain their national Independence, some of them 

 gained another Independence by farming, and if 

 we travel close in their footsteps I think we ought 

 to be satisfied, although some have gone beyond. 

 He says, "There is not a subsoil plow in town, nor 

 have I ever known any of our farmers to plow 

 more than six inches deep." I am satisfied some 

 farms would be benefited by subsoiling, that a 

 machine such as they are attempting to tunnel the 

 Hoosac mountain w'ith, is more suitable for some 

 farms, than a subsoil plow. We plow deep enough 

 to get money. As to improvements in farming and 

 mechanical arts, I think any one attending our 

 county 'fair, which is held in this town, would 

 think us not much behind out neighbors. At the 

 fair of the 29th and 30th Sept., was one of the 

 Boston and Worcester Eagle Double Plovrs, and 

 the team that drew it took the premium, and I 

 suppose because it was plowed the best, for the 

 other team got through first ; had the Eagle plow 

 cut as wide as the other it would have got through 

 as soon. Better plowing I never saw than was 

 done by the Eagle plow. 



Again, your correspondent says, "The greater 

 part are living from hand to mouth, as the saying 

 is." Now, friend Brown, as there appears occa- 

 sionally to be some criticizing in your excellent 

 paper, I dare not attempt to define the words, 

 "from hand to mouth." But I will say, a farmer 

 that owns but nine or ten acres of land, tells me 

 he lays up money. Your correspondent says, 

 "farming is so unprofitable that most of our young 

 men seek some other employment for a living." — 

 I have lived in Woodstock over forty years, and 

 can say I never knew of but one time when farm 



ing was more profitable than now. I have just 

 sold one pair of four year old steers, for ^130, the 

 man not asking me to take one cent less ; a lot of 

 sheep for all I asked, the man saying he would 

 not ask me to take less, because he thought they 

 were worth my prtee. So you see we are making 

 money on both sides : so it is with about all we 

 have to sell. Your correspondent says, "We are 

 in most cases driven to the necessity of hiring out 

 several years, toget something to buy land with," 

 and then go to the West, where land is cheap, or 

 go without a farm. No, not so fast. In my 

 opinion there is not a young man in Woodstock, 

 with good health and a disposition to work, that 

 needs to go West for a farm; but I am willing to 

 grant they may be driven to the necessity of work- 

 ing out to get money to buy with, for I have 

 learned that by experience ; but not with much 

 driving, after all, for I went at it willingly and 

 with a cheerful heart. I know of some in this 

 vicinity that were not driven to the necessity of 

 working outjor money to buy a farm or any thing 

 else, but received ten thousand dollars or more by 

 heir-ship, and spent it in less time than I was get- 

 ting mine. Your correspondent says, "The West- 

 ern fever has carried ofi" a good many." That 

 may be, and the fever and ague has brought some 

 back, and they have bought a farm and settled 

 down here. 



Now some people will go West, and to Califor- 

 nia, ^d over the whole world, and why should we 

 wish to stop them ? We may as well chain the 

 Connecticut river to stop its course to the ocean 

 as to attempt to confine a Yankee to one locality. 

 Now, perhaps I had better tell how I purchased 

 my farm, that some others wishing to purchase 

 may take courage, seeing that wages are from 

 five to eight dollars per month more now, than 

 when I purchased. I commenced working out at 

 the age of one-and-twenty, for ten dollars per 

 month in summer, and eight in winter. Worked 

 until I laid up about $550, purchased a farm for 

 $1,550, paid $550, mortgaged the fixrra to secure 

 the remainder, paid between $400 and $500 inter- 

 est, laid out about $500 in improvements, have 

 paid up the whole, owe no man any thing but 

 good will, and have money to pay my expenses as 

 I go along, all without receiving by gift or heir- 

 ship what would be equivalent to $100 at the age 

 of one-and-twenty. 



I think the farmer who has the promise of seed 

 time and harvest as long as the world stands, 

 should be the last one to grumble. Now, friend 

 Brown, it having been my fortune to cultivate the 

 soil, more than the mind, I leave it at your option 

 (if you can fix it in the right shape; to put this 

 in your paper or throw it amongst your rubish 

 and I will warrant you no less "Patronage" on 

 that account. 



I would merely wish you to tell your readers, 

 there is at least one contented farmer among the 

 green hills of Vermont, who would not change 

 places with the Emperor of Russia, even after gain- 

 ing possession of Constantinople. I would say that 

 in my opinion , one reason why no more young men go 

 into the farming business, is their unwillingness 

 to put their hands to the plow. 



Yours, H. Stow. 



Woodslock, Vt., Oct., 1853. 



Remarks. — The above is like "apples of gold in 



