1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



329 



li'or the New England Farmer . 

 IS PAEMINQ PROFITABLE P 



I have noticed with interest the discussions in 

 your paper on the productions of land, and the 

 important subject, "Is Farming Profitable ?" It 

 gives me pain to see communications from men, 

 particularly from men prominent in the communi- 

 ty in which they live, speaking discouragingly 

 of the great and paramount interest of agricul- 

 ture, and undertaking, by a false course of reason- 

 ing, to make out that the farmer has mistaken his 

 calling, and that if he wishes to free himself from 

 a perpetual drudgery, he must give up the old 

 farm, and seek a more easy and lucrative business 

 than the pursuit of agriculture in Massachusetts. 



It would be extreme folly to advocate or at- 

 tempt to make out, that poor farming is good 

 business. And what I mean by poor farrning is, 

 to half cultivate the land, neglect the making and 



E roper application of fertilizers, to be always be- 

 ind in business, to plow late, sow late, be neg- 

 lectful about the house, out-buildings, fences, &c. 

 Such farmers are to be found in every communi- 

 ty, and are always complaining of their unfortu- 

 nate and unsuccessful business. 



The commercial man prospers only by the 

 strictest attention to his business, and a very few, 

 comparatively, succeed. The half learned, easy 

 and careless professional man seldom makes his 

 mark in the world. We must not judge of each 

 of these callings by such persons, but rather^ by 

 those who take a high position in their profession, 

 are practical in their operations and economical 

 and industrious in their habits. 



The question a young man should ask when 

 he wishes to select a permanent business is, is it 

 a good business when well managed ? Too many 

 of our farmers are devoid of system in the man- 

 agement of their farms, and this accounts for so 

 many poor farms and poor farmers. I claim that 

 an agriculturist can reduce his business to a regu- 

 lar system, lay out his plans and carry out every 

 department of his programme, and rely upon the 

 result, with as much certainty as a man in any 

 other business. 



"H. C. Merriam," of Chelmsford, in your 

 last April number speaks of farming in Mas- 

 sachusetts, as comparatively poor, and as being a 

 life of drudgery and ignorance in comparison 

 with other callings. If the town in which "H. E. 

 M." lives is represented by his views, so near one 

 of the best markets in New England, it must 

 have a miserable class of farmers, or have miser- 

 able farms to cultivate. 



It is shown by statistics that three-fifths of the 

 wealth of the United States is in the hands of 

 the agriculturists, and by their votes they could 

 control the country. Their capital is as perma- 

 nent as the hills and valleys, not exposed in Wall 

 Street in New York, or State Street in Boston, to 

 the highest bidder, to-day worth fifty per cent, 

 more than to-morrow, not exposed to the changes 

 that make a man rich to-day and poor to-morrow, 

 as it is with those who venture their all in trade 

 and speculation. It is ascertained that not more 

 than fifteen out of one hundred of the merchants 

 of Boston and New York succeed, while ninety- 

 Bix out of one hundred of the agriculturists suc- 

 ceed. This shows the uncertainty of one and the 

 stability of the other. Throughout the vast and 



beautiful valley of Berkshire, agriculturists who 

 are skilful farmers are prosperous almost without 

 an exception. Men wJio use their capital upon 

 their farms find it a sure investment ; but too 

 many invest their surplus money in railroad and 

 bank stock, while their farms need improvement. 



The manufacturers of Berkshire have made 

 more and are better off to-day, as a whole, than 

 any other class of our citizens, and have been a 

 great benefit to the farmer by creating good mar- 

 kets : notwithstanding they are not as indepen- 

 dent in the true sense of the word as the agricul- 

 turists. They are liable to losses, changes, de- 

 pression, anxiety, which present great temptations 

 to pursue a course discreditable to themselves 

 and injurious to the community. 



There is another important consideration ; a 

 few owners of manufactory establishments, like 

 those in Lowell and Lawrence, employ from one 

 to six hundred operatives, for the most part the 

 poor who need the wages of every day for a liv- 

 ing. When business is prosperous, all is very 

 well — a panic, and then five hundred men and 

 women are at the mercy of one or of five men, 

 subject to lower wages, or half time, or no em- 

 ployment at all, and are left destitute, and many- 

 times suffer, being unacquainted with other bus- 

 iness. There are no such contingencies with the- 

 farmer or his help. There is about so much help ■ 

 wanted every year, and he has it, let the rest of 

 the world go as it will, and he feeds and clothes, 

 his help. 



Therefore the conclusion is reasonable that 

 there is no position in which a man is so entirely 

 independent, almost without a contingency, as a 

 good farmer owning a good farm, well stocked, 

 good buildings and out of debt. He plows, plants, 

 sows, reaps and gathers in, and in the most un- 

 favorable season he has enough and to spare. 



Every department of farming is profitable, if 

 well managed ; I speak now of my own observa- 

 tion : More than twenty dairies in this vicinity 

 average 500 pounds of cheese to a cow, besides 

 making more or less butter spring and fall, and 

 this for ten years, each cow averaging $50 per 

 year, and raising heifer calves enough to keep 

 good the dairy, beside what milk the family use. 

 A farm that will keep 25 cows in good condition, 

 is worth $6,000, stocked $1,000— total $7,000. 

 Now suppose the farmer raises nothing else but 

 butter and cheese to sell — 



The product Of 25 cows is $1,250 00 



Interest on farm and stock..., $420 00 



Hired help 200 00— 620 00 



Profit $630 00 



This is not an extravagant statement. There is 

 enough raised from the farm beside the butter 

 and cheese to supply all the family necessities, 

 except the clothing. Thus you see if a man owns 

 his farm he advances over $1,000 a year. 



The wool-raising business, with the increase 

 well managed, in many cases yields even better 

 returns, and I have known of scores who have 

 made themselves well off by raising cattle. 



There have been more estimates published in 

 the N. E. Farvier on raising corn than any other 

 of the grains. I consider it the best grain crop 

 raised in Berkshire, for two reasons : In the first 

 place the farmer makes an extra outlay, prepares 

 his land better than for other grains, manures 



