8 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



this society ; but it is necessary that he should be able to regu- 

 late the gauge of the plough, and hitch the team properly, for 

 but very few of the hired men of the present day can do it. If 

 it is not necessary for him to do all the work himself, it is nec- 

 essary that he should know how to do every part of it, that he 

 may properly direct others. 



The farmer, to be most successful, must also be a merchant, 

 and be well booked up in the prices current, and the state and 

 prospect of the market, in the relation of the supply to the de- 

 mand for his products, in order to know where, when and how 

 to sell them, and also to buy his supplies to the best advantage. 

 The farmer, too, may, when master of his position, like the 

 merchant and manufacturer, employ hired capital in his busi- 

 ness, and increase his profits thereby. 



Yet, after all, does farming in Essex County pay ? It is use- 

 less to preach the ennobling influence of the farm upon the 

 human character, the independence of the farmer, or to cite the 

 examples of Cincinnatus, Washington, Jefferson, Webster and 

 others, to stimulate our young men, unless it can be shown'that 

 farming in this county pays ; for no enterprising New England 

 boy will be contented in a business that does not pay. 



I need only to refer to the returns of the income tax to find 

 instances where men by farming alone, have in this county re- 

 turned annual incomes amounting to from three to five thousand 

 dollars, enough to buy a good farm, with fair buildings. I 

 could name an Essex County farm, of fifty acres, valued at ten 

 thousand dollars, the gross products of which were enough in 

 one year to pay for it. It was an unusual occurrence, but such 

 was the fact for that year. Drive in any direction through the 

 length or breadth of the county, and notice the comfortable 

 homes, the thrifty appearance of the farms, and the contented 

 looks of the occupants. Is the money market tight ? they know 

 it not ; is gold up or down ? it affects them not at all. Do the 

 banks refuse to discount ? they care not, so long as they have 

 one of their own in the barnyard, or cellar, that never refuses. 

 Do men lie awali;e nights, tossing upon restless pillows, wonder- 

 ing wherewith the note, falling due on the morrow, shall be 

 paid ? the farmer is not of them. While ninety-six of every 

 hundred who enter mercantile pursuits become bankrupt, the 

 farmer scarce ever does. I have yet to learn of the second in 



