108 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



For the New England Farmer. 

 IS FAKMING PROFITABLE? 



Mr. Editor : — So long as men are governed 

 by the natural inclinations of their hearts, so long 

 as they are controlled by the love of money more 

 than by love for their neighbor, so long will this 

 inquiry be applied to every department of busi- 

 ness in which men are engaged. If you offer eni- 

 2)loyment to him who carries the hod ; if you seek 

 for one to enter the halls of learning ; if you open 

 the halls of science, and invite one to come in and 

 labor there ; if you point to the chair of office, and 

 say to your friends, the public good demands of 

 you to seek it ; if you open the church door, and 

 look for the servant of God to proclaim the news 

 of salvation ; by each and every one, the first in- 

 quiry which meets you is : Is it profitable ? Will 

 it pay ? I am aware that this is no new subject 

 for your columns, <but as I am a tiller of the soil, 

 with very limited means, I am possessed of some 

 facts which, if brought to light, may help to stay 

 the rush of our young men to other professions 

 which offer them speedy returns, but less pi-ofit. 



What I now propose in order to show you that 

 fiirming is profitable, is to give you the history of 

 a young man who has been under my notice for 

 the last six years. A young man in this county, in 



the town of , purchased a farm of eighty acres 



of land in a run down condition, in a stony, rough 

 section. For this farm he promised to pay $2,400, 

 which at the time was thought by the neighbors 

 to be all the place was worth, but being of a reso- 

 lute mind, having a strong arm and willing heart, 

 he determined to try his luck. Having been a 

 reader of the New England Farmer and Massa- 

 cJmsetts PLoiiglinian for years, he did not adopt 

 the opinions nor practice of his neighbors, but 

 .struck out a line of policy for himself, bringing to 

 his aid all the information which could be gathered 

 to suit his own case, both from reading and ob- 

 servation, so that at this time, where stood the old 

 brush pine, stands the substantial stone Avail. 

 The rocks have many of them disappeared from 

 the mowings, some of the wet lands have been 

 uuderdrained, and the best of grasses have taken 

 the place of the poorest. The old barn, without a 

 cellar, has been re-modelled and enlarged, to ac- 

 commodate the increase of crops, until the passer 

 by beholds a modern barn of eighty feet in length, 

 with a cellar under the whole. The house has also 

 been entirely put in order, shade trees have been 

 set out, the yard has been ornamented by setting 

 the larch, fir, cheri-y, crab-apple and various kinds 

 of roses. Flowers, also, have come in for a large 

 piece of ground, and have served to make the or- 

 namental department complete. He would never 

 keep any but the bes| of stock, and, as might be 

 expected, he obtained a large supply from his dai- 

 ry, which was the great secret of his success. 



At the time he bought his farm, he was not 

 worth one dollar in the world ; he had to run in 

 debt for both farm and stock, fiirming tools, house 

 furniture, and every item of personal property 

 which he possessed. This will be sufficient for 

 you to see that if to-day he is worth any thing, he 

 must have made farming profitable. Now I will 

 give you the result of his labors. He has recent- 

 ly sold his farm to one of his old neighbors for 

 $700 more than he ]xud for it, and he is now able 

 to tell \how he stands in the world. To my own 



personal knowledge, he is to-day Avorth hundreds 

 of dollars in cash. If you ask him if farming is 

 profitable, he Avill at once replj^ Yes. 



As might be expected, while he was farming 

 with so much intelligence, and enterprise, he has 

 been one of the foremost in all matters of town, 

 society and district. In a great measure bj his ef- 

 forts, has an agricultural society been established 

 in this town, and none have been more ready to 

 give both time and money to help forward any 

 enterprise which promised to be of benefit to the 

 community around him. 



Now, Mr. Editor, I would like to knoAV in Avhat 

 business could that young man have engaged, 

 without means, Avhich would have given him so 

 good a living, so much comfort, so much pleas- 

 ure, so much health, and at the same time make 

 to him so good a return for his labor ? In clos- 

 ing, let me say that I believe no business, if con- 

 ducted with intelligence, is more profitable than 

 farming. And I would say to all young men who 

 have been brought up on a farm, qualify your- 

 selves for your business, and by all means stick 

 to farming. Strive to be a fiirmer in the fullest 

 sense of that word, by improving your land, and 

 increasing your crops, and not be an exhauster of 

 the soil. Profit. 



Far the New England Farmer. 

 THE "WEATHER OF 1859. 



Mr. Editor : — I herewith present a feAV re- 

 marks upon the Aveathcr of the tointer viontlis of 

 1859, which have not been before treated upon in 

 the Farmer, and which complete my history of the 

 weather of 18o9, at least that portion I choose to 

 offer the public. Though the other months have 

 been commented upon at some length by me on 

 pages 3-59 and 484 of the last volume of the month- 

 ly Farmer, it may be well to briefly recall the 

 leading features of each month; while I annex 

 tables showing the mean temperature, days of 

 Avind from various quarters, storms, clear and 

 cloudy days, &c., for each month and for the year. 



Januarij, taken together, Avas not a severe Avin- 

 ter month, but was quite peculiar, and strongly 

 marked by an almost unprecedented storm of snoAV 

 — nearly Iavo feet falling betAveen ten, P. M., on 

 the 3d and three, P. M., on the 4th, Avhich, drift- 

 ing badly, rendered the roads generally impassa- 

 ble till broken out Avith heavy teams and shovels 

 — and by a term of cold that has no parallel on 

 the local records of this region. The only recent 

 time that fairly enters into competition Avith it 

 Avas in January, 1857, Avhen the mercui-y continued 

 beloAV zero at one time {ox forty -three consecutive 

 hours — from six, P. M., on the 22d, to one, P. M., 

 on the 24th, — Avhile the mercury Avas below zero 

 in January, 1859, for sixty hours in succession, 

 or for two days and a half, covering the 10th and 

 11th; and the loAvest point in both cases Avas 26° 

 below zero. On Monday, the 10th, the tempera- 

 ture Avas 8° beloAV zero at sunrise, or at seven 

 o'clock, and the cold gradually increasing, AA'as 1 1° 

 below at eight; 14° beloAvat quarter past nine ; at 

 ten, 13° beloAv ; at tAvelve M., 1 1° beloAv ; at three, 

 P. M., 10° below; at 4^, P. M., 12° below ; and at 

 ten, P. M., 20° beloAV ! and on the foUoAving morn- 

 ing 2G° below, AA'hile a thermometer half a mile 

 from mine indicated 30° beloAV ! Added to this . 



