8 



little patch of corn, an acre or two of potatoes, a few roots, 

 perhaps two or three cows and a horse, all of which is very 

 well in its way ; but you will discover no one central, leading 

 idea, no one crop, no one branch of farming which seems to 

 excite the mind and thought to special activity, no one product 

 on which to rely for the money income of the farm ; and so 

 you will find, at the end of the year, that both ends will 

 hardly meet, — buckle and strap won't quite come together ; or, 

 if they do, there will be nothing to spare. 



Now I am not inclined to advocate the cultivation of one 

 crop or another to the exclusion of all others, for that would 

 be absurd ; be like putting all the eggs in one basket. I would 

 go farther, and say that I would have the farmer raise even a 

 greater variety of miscellaneous crops for the supply of his 

 own family. There is no reason why a much larger assort- 

 ment of garden vegetables for home consumption should not 

 be produced upon every farm. It would promote the comfort, 

 the health and the economy of the household, and need 

 interfere but little with the general operations of the farm. 

 But so far as the management of the farm is concerned, I wish 

 simply to insist upon the adoption of some line of effort as a 

 specialty, whether it be the culture of fruit, the culture of 

 corn or grass, the breeding of stock, the keeping of sheep or of 

 poultry. I would leave the particular object of pursuit to be 

 governed by circumstances, such as the location and character 

 of the farm. I would study its special fitness for one thing or 

 another. 



Some farms, you know, are admirably adapted to the raising 

 of fruit. Some have a warm, southern exposure, with a light, 

 warm soil adapted to the grape, where vineyards would return 

 a profitable yield. Some have facilities for the raising of 

 cranberries, and it is a pity not to take advantage of them. 

 Some are remarkably well adapted to the raising of poultry ; 

 retired, and free from disturbance. Some are especially suited 

 for grass, and the raising of stock would seem to be a leading 

 pursuit, and so on. The idea is to study and take advantage 

 of the peculiar capacities of each farm ; and of ten farms taken 

 at random, in this town or in this county, scarcely any two 

 would present the same characteristics. 



