544 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



OUB NEW TERMS. 



In our last number we announced an entire 

 change in our terms, to take effect from the 1st 

 of January next, and at that time promised to 

 say something more upon the subject at this time. 



We are happy to say that, as far as we have 

 heard from our subscribers, there has been al- 

 most unanimous approval of our plans. All ac- 

 knowledge that the terms we have adopted are 

 much more favorable to those who pay for their 

 paper than the old terms; and those who do not 

 pay, and we fear in many cases do not intend to 

 pay, we are not anxious to count among our sub- 

 scribers. We have received letters every day, 

 since the new arrangement was announced, ap- 

 proving in the strongest manner of our plans, 

 and commending the principle of the advance 

 payment system, as the only correct one for pub- 

 lishers to be governed by. 



Let us contrast the two systems, and see how a 

 mutual gain is made by both subscriber and pub- 

 lisher. Under our old system, we were obliged 

 to employ travelling agents to collect our bills 

 and to obtain new subscribers, at an expense of 

 several thousands of dollars a year. Did our 

 subscribers who failed to send in their money, 

 thus putting us to this expense, think that, for 

 every two dollars paid us through an agent, we 

 were obliged to pay that agent 25 or 50 cents for 

 his time spent in collecting it ? For our bills are 

 small and scattered, and it takes a good deal of 

 time and labor to collect them. And did the sub- 

 scribers realize that, if we could make the custom 

 of paying us through the mail universal, this 

 agent's fee would be saved to us, and could as 

 well be discounted from the price of the paper ? 

 Under our old system we sent the Farmer to all 

 who subscribed, having no guarantee that the bill 

 would be paid, except the individual's verbal 

 promise. In many cases, after sending the paper 

 a year, we would be notified that the subscriber 

 was not reliable, and the bill could not be collect- 

 ed. We think all our subscribers can give in- 

 stances from their own knowledge,where we have 

 sent the Farmer to individuals who will never or 

 can never pay their bills. The removal of sub- 

 scribers, who have given us no notice of a change 

 of residence, or of their new abode, has been an- 

 other cause of many losses. Now, these losses 

 may be very small individually, but the aggre- 

 gate in a year is quite large, and in fixing our 

 price for the Farmer we were obliged to make it 

 80 high that the payment of good subscribers 

 ■would not only afford us a fair profit on their own 

 papers, but would indemnify us for the loss on 

 non-paying subscribers. This is a piece of injus- 

 tice which is inseparable from the credit system 

 in any business. 



Now we propose to make our terms strictly 



cash in advance, thus using all alike, and secur- 

 ing every subscriber against loss by the failure of 

 his neighbor to pay us. We oJTer the Farmer on 

 greatly reduced terms to clubs, thus giving every 

 man an inducement to add others to our list, and 

 paying him, in the reduced price of his own paper, 

 the commission which formerly went to the 

 agent. We assume the risk on all money sent us 

 by mail, if properly sealed and directed, thus sub- 

 jecting the subscriber to a very trifling trouble 

 and expense, instead of adding a much larger 

 sum to the price of his paper to make up to us 

 the cost of sending a collector for it. Does not 

 every subscriber see the gain to him by adopting 

 the new system ? Our own gain consists in sav- 

 ing all the time and trouble we have spent upon 

 the care of our agencies, in the increased ease of 

 keeping our accounts, thus reducing our office- 

 work, and last, but by no means least, in avoid- 

 ing the constant annoyance and vexation attend- 

 ing the old system of giving credit. 



We ask our subscribers to candidly consider 

 the terms we offer in our Prospectus, and we 

 hope to receive their hearty approval and co- 

 operation, that the experiment we have inaugur- 

 ated may prove a complete success. We are 

 anxious to make such an increase in our list, that 

 we shall be warranted in adding many improve- 

 ments to the Farmer, which is already the most 

 expensive paper to its publishers, in proportion 

 to its circulation, of any in Boston, and shall use 

 all our efforts to give our subscribers the benefit 

 of any increase in our business. We shall do 

 this the more cheerfully from the fact that we 

 shall know that every individual subscriber has 

 helped add to our prosperity, and that all are 

 equally entitled to share its advantages. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 LEAVES OP THE FOREST. 



Mr. Editor : — To me it is a matter of pro- 

 found surprise, that so little use is made of forest 

 leaves. As a litter, to bed down cattle, horses, 

 and other stock, they are of vast importance to 

 the farmer. As an absorbent, to mix with and 

 take up the liquid manure which is frequently 

 wasted by evaporation, they are very excellent. 

 As an article for mulching young trees of every de- 

 scription, for covering up grape vines, rose bushes, 

 and all kinds of small shrubbery, nothing can 

 be better than leaves of the forest, especially pine 

 leaves. Besides, there are many garden vegeta- 

 bles, such as asparagus and rhubarb, which need 

 an outside garment for winter. 



Now is the time, before the snows of winter 

 cover the ground, to spend a few days in raking 

 together and collecting the fallen leaves of the 

 forest. A good collection of such materials, 

 whether from forest, or from shade trees in the 

 immediate neighborhood, will ensure a great 

 amount of comfort to horses and cattle, by giving 

 them an easy and warm bed, and will save much 



