406 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 

 Boston, Wednesday, June 26, 1839. 



[For the New England Fani 



Mr Coi.man— Dear Sir ; Ymi will sfe by various evi- 

 dences (vvhicli are certainly plain enou^^h to myself .-t 

 least) that I am not much accustomed to wriiinj and 

 composition, especially for the press ; and I shall there- 

 fore make but n fnw remarks, which have a heavy bear- 

 ing upon my mind, leaving the subject lo such remarks 

 as your pen and heart may suggest. 



I have for years been in the habit of readins more or 

 less the New England Farmer, and have often regrelted 

 that there is so little matter in it of use to tlip small, 

 poor, middlo-inlerest farmer, and to those who can "iit 

 but little land, and arc obliged to devote every inch of 

 it as it were, and every moment of his lime to the pro- 

 duction of the real and substantial arlicles of consump- 

 tion; and that there is so much about flowers, tulips, ge- 

 raniums, «Xrc. Ac. ; and so much about this and that 

 great farm, managed by the rich and opulent, all of 

 which is beyond the reach and calculated to discourage 

 the great mass, and of all others the most important 

 class, the most valuable, I might say the invaluable and 

 indispensable class of the tillers of the soil. What a 

 heaven this earth would become if this employment 

 were d.'sired and sought afrer as are those employments 

 usually pronounced fashionable and genteel. Il appears 

 to me that the greatest good tiiat any one could render 

 his country or the world would be to ascertain the small- 

 est amount of land absolutely necessary to support a 

 family of say from five to ten persons ; and establish the 

 position that it is as much as any person ought to be at- 

 Jowed to possess ; and that it is the dutv of every 

 who has the good of his fellow creatures at heart, to do 

 all in his power to turn the flood and host of the devo 

 tees to fashion, f dly and extravagance back to the foun- 

 tain and source of life from which they have so grossly 

 departed, and formed for themselves plans and habits of 

 life which are no other than avenues to sin, distress 

 misery and death. 



There was a time when some, if not most, of our 

 New EngUmd farmers raised all they wanted to eat, 

 drink, and wear; the mothers, wives, and dau^h^ers 

 spun, wove, and made up all the clothing which thoir 

 fathers, sons and brothers required, while </icy labored 

 in the field. When this state of things existed, they 

 were as independent as any human condition can be 

 made ; had enough and to spare ; were healthy, heariy 



and happy, and comparatively speaking, were giants 



But how are times changed since their day. There is 

 not, probably, a farmer now living in New England up- 

 on this plan. Every farmer's son and daughter (ire in 

 puisuit of som« genteel mode of living. After consum'- 

 ing the farm in the expenses of a fashmnable, flashy, 

 fanciful education, they leave the honorable profession 

 of their fathers to become doctors, lawyers, merchant-i, 

 or ministers, or someih.ng of the kind, and desert the 

 country to flood the cities and waste life in fishion, a- 



rausement, extravagance, idleness and dissipation. 



What a'e the consequences of such a course.' Why it 

 is generally admitted that about »ine out often are, in 

 respect to property and independence, and too often in 

 respect to health and morals, broken down or lost, while 

 of those that remain in the country, the temperate and 

 industrious tillers of the soil, very few fail to reach an 

 old age of independence and comfort. 



It appears to me that it is in the power of the conduc- 



JUNE-36, 1839 



tors of such journals as the New England Farmer, and 

 devoted like that to the exclusive purpose of promoting, 

 elevating and rewarding industry, economy, and good 

 management, to change this state of things to some ex- 

 tent. Having this impression, 1 would enquire wheth- 

 er if good and able men would give their attention to 

 this state of things, something might not bo done to 

 prevent or remedy the evils consequent upon this gener- 

 al forsaking of the soil on the part of the great mass; 

 and the popular and extravagant system of farming a- 

 dopted by the few farmers in this vicinily, under whose 

 rnfluence and patronage the New England Farmer seems 

 "' 1^^- C. S. 



We give place to the above communication as the 

 fair and true expression of feelings which crowd and 

 burden many good and reflecting minds among us. We 

 should be glad to remaik upon them at large ; for it 

 will be seen that if so we chose to do,oui unknown cor- 

 respondent has given us a text to preach upon for every 

 day for a month lo come ; but we must restrict our com- 

 ments within a narrow circle. 



We do not agree with him in his suggestion that the 

 accounts of large farms which have been given in the 

 N. E. Far oer, have been without practical use to farm- 

 ers on a smaller scale. On the contrary, we believe 

 that there has not been a single statement of farming, 

 among those presented to the Massachusetts Agricultur- 

 al Society for premiums, of which we have published 

 fourteen in boicession, which is not full of matter bear- 

 ing as directly upon the pursuits of the smallest farmer 

 as upon those of the farmers who operate upon the larg- 

 est scale. From the farmer who tells us particularly by 

 what method he raises ten acres of corn, we certainly 

 can learn, as well as from any one, how we can culti- 

 vate a single acre ; from the mode in which he reclaims 

 his peat bog, so that instead of producing a worthless 

 kind of herbage it shall be made to yield three hundred 

 bushels of potatoes or three tons of the best of hay to an 

 acre, we can certainly learn as well as from any other 

 example, how we can redeem and render productive our 

 one or even our half acre. Wlion he speaks, likewise, 

 ofthe extravagant fanning in the vicinity of the capital, 

 we should be glad if his notions had been a little more 

 definite. If he intends by it that a farmer whose means 

 are limited and small, who has a growing family lo main- 

 tain by his labor, and who perhaps at the same time is 

 in debt, who should build an expensive house, fill it 

 with elegant and luxurious furniture, devote much time 

 to forming gravel walks, excavating fish ponds, and 

 building expensive and faced stone walls, would deserve 

 to be reproached for his extravagance and improvidence 

 more than that, for his injustice to his family and his 

 creditors, we agree with him entirely ; although for men 

 of ample fortune these improvements and embellish- 

 ments are highly commendable, and a most useful and 

 public-spirited apfilication of their supeifluons wealth. 

 But'if he means to censure ihe farmer who seeks to ren- 

 der every inch of his land productive, to apply all the 

 manure which he can purchase and apply to advantao-e 

 to its improvement, to reclaim all the unproductive 

 pans of his farm and render them productive at an ex- 

 pense which their increased yield will amply and speed- 

 ily remunerate, and indeed to borrow capital for the pur- 

 pose of agricultural improvements, where the security 

 which he gives for it is such as every honest man would 

 wish to give and to receive; and where, in all human 

 probability, the improvement proposed will in a reason- 

 ai)le time give him the power of fully repaying the loan, 

 so far in our opinion from reproaching such a man for 

 extravagance, we do most heartily commend him for bis 

 industry and enterprise. Wo wish the agricultural 



comnmnily abounded with such men, and then 

 should be able to show our young people the strongest 

 inducements to devote themselves to agricultural labor, 

 instead of throwing themselves away upon the idlene 

 and frivolities and dissipations ofthe city. Capital is as 

 essential to successful farming as to successful com 

 nierce or successful manufacturing We recollect tin 

 remark made to us many years ago by a most judicious 

 and experienced farmer in the vicinity of Boston, that 

 " he had always remarked that those farmers who pur 

 ch.ased the most manure, always obtained the best crops 

 and the most money." ,We are familiar, likewise, with 

 several instances, where, for example, peat bog, whicii 

 yielded no herbage worth the mowing, has by a reason- 

 able expense been converted into productive fields, 

 which pay a clear profit of from eighteen to twenty dol- 

 lars an acre, or more than the interest of three hundred 

 dollars. The advice is ofien given to farmers to culti- 

 vate a little land and cultivate it well. Our advice is 

 fo cultivate a good deal of land and cultivate it well. 

 If you design to farm for profit and advantage, then go 

 to the extent of your ability, provided the returns will 

 pay for your investments and labor. Beyond that it 

 would be folly to go. But we should be very unwilling 

 to charge the class of farmers whom we have described 

 with extravagance ; and more than that we are dispased 

 to regard them as the very best examples for the instruc- 

 tion of the small farmer— whereas the Do-liitle family 

 are but a poor pattern for any body. 



But then in another matter we cordially concur with 

 our correspondent. In his wish that it might be demon- 

 strated, as far as it can be done, what is the smallest ex- 

 tent of land on which the substantial supplies of a fami- 

 ly consisting of five lo ten persons can be obtained. He 

 will perceive at once, however, what a variety of cir- 

 cumstances and qualifications nte invovled in the calcu- 

 lation ; as for examole, Wliat is the quality and condi- 

 tion of the land.' What is ihe amount of labor to be 

 expended on it.' What are the sources or means of 

 manure.' VV hat are the crops which it is proposed to 

 I raise.' How are the family willing to live.' Is it pro- 

 posed to live exclusively upon the produce by its actual 

 consumption, or to raise such crops as by sale may yield 

 the means of purchasing the necessaries of life .' Then 

 again, w/iat is indicoted in the notion of family supplies.' 

 A farm may be made to produce all that is necessary lo 

 the comfortable support of lif.^. Ii may furnish all the 

 food and all the clothing which are indispensable lo thf 

 end. But these matters constitute a small part of wW 

 fashion and habit have rendered desirable, and conver'd 

 into articles ofthe first necessity. " Man wants but Kle 

 here below" as far as the support and even comfort olife 

 is concerned. But this assertion is anvthino- butrue 

 when applied to the style of living prevalent ihroihout 

 the cominimity. In passing down Ihrouah Wasigton 

 street in Boston, or Broadway in New York e have 

 often amused ourselves in considenng how (»' of all 

 the infinite multitude of articles exposed for s^ in the 

 shops are indispensable and essential to the <»'brtable 

 support of life. But we are entering upon '*''de sub- 

 ject, from which it is necessary that we shc^ now re- 

 frain. It is often observed that the aclupproductive 

 power of a single acre has never been as^'ained. It 

 would be gratifying to see even an approa 'o Ihe max- 

 imum product. 



We design hereafter to revert to the '"^f of our cor- 

 respondent for the purpose of touching"er interesting 

 matters which it suggests. In the ini 'inie, we com- 

 mend it as a subject for reflection to r readers. i 

 ^ H. c. I 



The Reports ofthe Horlicultural -"^'y 'or Saturday 

 last will be found on another page ""'^ paper. 



