A rs f > (i A II D E N E il ' S J O U 11 N A L . 



l'IIHI.ISIir;i) I'.Y JOSEPH I',K!:("!\ & CO., NO. 52 NOKTII M AriKK'l' rSIHEET, ( Acricui.tuiial Wah ehouse. )— T. G. TESiSKMHiN, EDITOR. 



\ OL,. .TV. 



BOSTO.N, WKDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 21, 1SS7. 



]Vu. 50. 



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(From the Genesee Farmer.) 

 ISFAIiMX^G PROFITABI-Et 



In proseciiliii'r tliB business of lif.", it is very 

 desiralile to do it in such a manner that, so fiir as 

 regards temporal matters, compeiency may at least 

 be secured ; and the way in which this can be 

 done tlie most easily, pfFectuaily, and with the least 

 proliaiiilily of reverses, becomes an imiuiry of con- 

 siderable interest. We speak now of the ordinary 

 means of obtaining a good living, of the regular 

 prosecution of professional business, of the usual 

 results of trade, of mo ley at the legal rates of in- 

 terest, and (arming as it has been on the average 

 for the last five years. Now in some respects the 

 " times are out of joint ;" all the customary modes 

 of doing business seiMO to be broken up ;"'tnen are 

 in haste to he rich ; and the o[)portunities for spec- 

 ulation, and the success which in some instan- 

 ces has attended it, appear to have had their in- 

 fluence every where — less perhaj'S among farmers 

 than any other class of citizens, though even for 

 them, it will not do to plead entire exemption. — 

 I\]any have sold their farms, and after spending 

 months in looking for others, have come home 

 ngain ami consented to pay roundly for the privi- 

 lege o'" getting on the "old place" again. Other 

 larmers hav^; Bold' out, and without persona! in- 

 vestigation, have at once started for mat eanlily 

 paradise, the far west. Disappointed they have 

 retvn-nod, and after having lost most of their prop- 

 erty in the expenses of removal, are content to 

 again connnence a gradual accumulation of prop- 

 erty. 15ut a great majority are still working on, 

 sowing and reaping, and it is a question which 

 should be solved, whether such are not, on the 

 whole, making money as fast as they jirobahly 

 would with the tame capital in any other legiti- 

 mate business. What we mean is, can a man 

 with five or ten thousand dollare, realize as niHch 

 from it, by investing it in a farm, as he could by 

 loaning it at the legal rate of inteiest ; and will it 

 support himself or his family as handsomely in 

 the first way as the last? To contribute our mite 

 towards answering these questions is the great ob- 

 ject of this paper. 



The man who expects to get rich at once by 

 farming, must expect to be disappointed ; but in 

 this matter he is no worse off than be who has 

 only the same moderate capital in cash, and uses 

 lit in a legal way. In both cases, the addition to 

 the capital stock, can consist only of what remains 

 of the income after all demands upon it are met. 

 We will attempt to illustrate this. Two men, A. 

 and B., are about to commence life with the same 

 capital, say five thousand dollars in cash each ; — 

 and their personal expenses are also the same. A. 

 invests the whole of his in a farm and stock, and 

 g03S to work upon it. B. is apprehensive that 

 he could not live so, and invests liis cash in stock 

 ■which yields him 7 per cent., and determines to 

 do enough to pay his way, so that the interest 



shall he clear, now which of the two are the mosi 

 likely to possess competence, if not actual wealth, 

 at ihe end often years? Perhaps a majority nl 

 tiisf thought would say, B. certainly ; but we think 

 differently, and imagine that the chances are alto- 

 gether in favor of A., and these are some of the 

 reasons for this opinion. 



Ill the first place, his occupation is favorable 

 to health. The life of a farmer is one'of labor, il 

 is true ; but labor, unless ciuried to excess, is far 

 from being prejudicial to the body or mind. Vig- 

 orous exercise, such is the law of our nature, is 

 necessary to the full development of either om' 

 bodiiy or our mental powers, and unless this ne- 

 cessity is forced upon us in part, we are a[)t to 

 evade it, and we suffer the consequence. The 

 nuixim that evtry man nalurnUtj is as iille. as he can 

 be, we do not dispute ; acquired liabits induced 

 by the necessity of exertion, are sufficient to ac- 

 count for any seeming exceptions to this rule. — 

 Hence the probability is, that A. having before 

 his eyes the necessity of labor on his farm, will 

 (K'rform the hibor, and rea|i double the benefit in 

 his health and in liis purse ; while B., who can- 

 not expect to feel that necessity, will of course 

 be less active and industrious, ivill become less 

 and less inclined to labor, «nd will eventually feel 

 the effects of this disinclination in diminished 

 health and decreasing profits. 



Anoiher reason why the prospects of A. are 

 lietier ttiaii those <if n., is to ho found in the hab- 

 its that |iersonal industry is almost sure to create. 

 Experience and observation both assure us, that 

 the man who has any means of living beyond what 

 depends on his own exertion, is very apt to ac- 

 quire contemptuous ideas of economy, and what- 

 (!ver may be his originTil intentions, sooner or la- 

 ter fiiidB hiiHself trenching first on the interest of 

 his cajiital, and then on the capital itself. There 

 can be very few instances found in the coiiutiy, 

 where the sons of rich men have not diminishe<l 

 the inheritance received from their parents, and 

 the examples are still more rare in which the sec- 

 ond generation Lave not succeeded in scattering 

 the descending property to the winds. A pride, 

 as false as it is iujurious, makes those who can 

 live upon their money, dislike exercise, until this 

 dislike becomes a habit rarely shaken off, even 

 after its efl'ects are staring the individual in the 

 face. 



But the most suflicient reason why A. will suc- 

 ceed, while B. will prol>ably fail, is found in the 

 fact, that money invested in fiirniing, is undoulit- 

 cdly far better than money at 7 per cent. This 

 we think will be questioned by few wholiave been 

 in the liabit of observing what passes around them, 

 or examining the reports made of particular farms 

 which have from time to time appeared in the 

 farming journals of the day. In all such reports 

 it is evident, that after deducting the expenses of 

 working, a certain per cent, for wear and tear, 

 and the necessary repairs, and the interest of the 

 capital employed, the remainder will be clear pro- 

 fits. The amount ef this profit will depend on 



circum.'^tances. 'i he expense of wi rkirig a grain 

 (arm will be greater than on a grazing f«rni, but 

 the capital employed in stocking is less, and, the 

 profits usually much higher ; the returns for la- 

 bor are quicker, and the proceeds accumulate in 

 a compounil ratio. 



Mr S. T. Vary of Kinderliook, made a report 

 of his farm for the Cultivator, in which he esti- 

 mates the proceeds from 145 acres of land at $2,- 

 58-5. Deduct one third of this, and there is left 

 $1,524, which is the interest of $21,772 ; IVirVary 

 did not stale his capital or the value of his land, 

 but the profits would pay the interest on 145 acres 

 at S150 an acre — probably more than double ita 

 actual price. 



Mr Carter, of Champion, Jefferson county, has 

 furnished Judge Buel a farm report, whieli makes 

 a total from 100 acres of $1,339. Among the 

 itei'is is one not usually found on farms, viz. mul- 

 berry trees, and which lo Mr C. are quite a source 

 of profit. This amount, less one third, as e.?[.eu- 

 ses, &c., would leave $1,093 as profit, or the in- 

 terest on a capital of §15,000, which would fix 

 Mr Carter's 100 acres at ,$150 an acre — a pries 

 which would make the good farmers of Jefierson 

 county open wide their eyes. 



EXPBRISIEKTS IN RAISING liUCERW. 



We find iii the Transactions of the Society for 

 the Promotion of Agrii ultiire, &c., two co.nunu- 

 nications from Chancellor Livingston, giving the 

 details and results of fourteeti experiments made 

 in the culture of lucern, upon various soils, and 

 in connexion with various crofis. The result* 

 were various. In some cases the produce was 

 estimated as high as six tons four cvvt. the acre in 

 cured forage ; and five crojis were taken in a sea-< 

 son, two to feed green, and three as hay. In other 

 cases, upon stiff or wet soils, or with grain that 

 lodged, the results were unfavorable. The.se ex- 

 periments enabled that intelligent gentleman to 

 lay down some definite rules for our guidance itf 

 the culture of this valuable crop, and among theia 

 the following: 



" 1. Never to sow on ground that is not perfect- 

 ly pulverized. 



" 2. Not to sow till the earth lias acquired a. 

 degree of warmth friendly to rapid vegetation, 

 that is, not earlier than the month of M.'iy. 



" 2. To sow with no crop that will probably 

 lodge. 



" 4. If sown with buckwheat, to apply no gyp- 

 sum or other manure till the buckwheat is ofl." 



Tlie first course of experiments was made in 

 1793. The Chancellor closes this communication 

 with expressing his opinion, that lucern is bettor 

 adapted to our climate than clover ; that it exacts 

 no more labor; that it leaves the soil much better 

 than it found it; and that it is [jerennial in its 

 duration — having remarked two plants in a com- 

 mon pasture which has defied the bite of cattle 

 for upwards of 20 years. 



The second communication details his experi« 

 Hicnts in 1794,and closes vviih further euggcstions 



