1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



21 



FoT the New England Fanner. 



CHABACTER IS CAPITAL— LET US PLAY 

 THE MAi^r. 



"Are you acquainted with the H brothers ?" 



asked an old provision dealer of me, in Boston, 

 awhile since. 



"Very well so," answered I ; "their farm is lo- 

 cated within a couple of miles of my place, and I 

 often call there." 



"Well, what sort of men are they ?" said he. 



"Two hard worldng, thi'ifty farmers, and honest, 

 reliable men." 



"Well, that is just my experience," exclaimed 

 the old man, with warmth ; "and I have traded 

 with them for many years ; v."hen I engage a lot 

 of potatoes, or cabbages, or turnips, I don't have 

 to worry myself about being here when they 

 are delivered ; I hiow I shall find everything all 

 right. Then there is A., a neighbor of theirs ; 

 he's just like them ; one of the honest and honor- 

 able men that I hke to trade with ; but it aint so 

 with Z. ; I have to look out for him ; the measure 

 is too short, or things don't come up to what's 

 promised. I most always have some trouble ■with 

 him." 



So it is, in the long run, other things equal, the 

 honest man is the successful man. When the 

 market is but scantily suppUed, the difference be- 

 tween the sharper and honest dealer may not be 

 po distinctly drawn ; but let the market be hard, 

 the distinction is soon made evident. A smooth 

 tongue may prove a power, when brought to bear 

 on transient, floating customers ; but that perma- 

 nent patronage, which subtracts so much from the 

 hardships of marketing, can be won by those only 

 whose goods are as good as their promises. But 

 were there no pecuniary motives to prompt to 

 honest dealing, there would still remain a man's 

 manhood to be respected — a precious heritage, 

 worth more than was ever brought forth by the 

 sweat of the brow — the immortal right to be main- 

 tained, though the pocket book may seem to sufl'er. 



The practice of putting the best of the potatoes 

 on the top of the barrel, ("deaconing," is the slang 

 term for this,) and the best of the load on the top 

 of the wagon, is a curious illustration of cunning 

 ovcn-eacliing itself; the practice, if I am correctly 

 informed, having now become universal, being re- 

 quired on the ])art of the purchaser, and conse- 

 quently anticipated by the farmer. 



But the genus sharper is common to both pro- 

 ducer and dealer. There are men in the provision 

 trade in the markets of Boston, men who do busi- 

 ness on a large scale, too, who hold theu* promises 

 very lightly if a dollar is to be made by the break- 

 ing of it. Many an honest farmer has been taught 

 his lesson of the standard of manliness on the 

 part of such, by some such experience as this : 



"I have brought that load of onions for you." 



"What onions ?" exclaims the dealer, with well 

 afiected surprise. 



"The onions that Mr. B., of your fii-m, spoke for 

 yesterday." 



"Mr. B. had no business to speak for the onions," 

 replies the dealer ; "we don't want them." 



After a little sharp experience of this kind, our 

 farmer perceives that whenever the article has fall- 

 en in the market, between the time it was ordered 

 and the time appointed for dehvery, Mr. A. will 

 be very apt to declare, with -well assured passion, ; 



that Mr. B. had no right to order the article ; it 

 was not wanted ; or vice versa, Mr. B. will in like 

 manner declare that Mr. A. had no right to order 

 the article ; it was not wanted. It is better to 

 keep our manhood, though there be but fourpence 

 in the wallet, than store tens of thousands in the 

 vault, by such rascality. 



There are noble farmers I wot of, who have laid 

 down and observed a rule for themselves in rela- 

 tion to such sharpers, that I would that all might 

 follow, to the end that the genus might be extin- 

 guished ; viz., never after to deal with such, no 

 matter what inducements they might hold out. 

 They might thus be taught that character is cap- 

 ital. 



The practice by some of bringing out baiTcls of 

 extraordinary capacity to receive onions, potatoes, 

 or other products purchased by the barrel, I need 

 not say is a mean, unmanly act. I honestly ad- 

 vise men who intend going through life on such a 

 basis of action to hang or drown themselves, or 

 in some way stop the record just where it is. 



The efl'ect of such dealing on the relation be- 

 tween producer and dealer is most unfortunate. 

 It produces a want of healthy respect and a mu- 

 tual distrust, to the disadvantage of each party 

 concerned. In the long run, neither party gain 

 by it, pecuniarily, and I doubt not retire from busi- 

 ness pretty well satisfied, that after all, such deal- 

 ing is no proof of any great amount of either 

 sharpness or shi-ewdness. 



James J. H. Gkegory. 



MarbUhead, Mass., 1861. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE "WHOLE THING IN" A IfUT-SHELL. 



Mr. Editou : — In your comments — in a notice 

 of the Transactions of the Massachusetts Society 

 for the Promotion of Agriculture — in the New 

 England Farmer of Nov. 24, you "hit the nail on 

 the head," and state the question just as it is — 

 whether farming is profitable or not, and to my 

 mind, the statement carries its own answer. It is 

 not, whether this or that one makes money at the 

 business of farming ; but how is it on the whole, 

 in the aggregate, as a class, comparing them with 

 the same number in any other profession you 

 please. K, as a class, the farmer does not enjoy 

 better health — no small item in making up the 

 balance sheet of human enjoyment — have more, or 

 as many of the substantial comforts of life, works 

 no harder, comparing muscle with mind, and its 

 results as to wear and tear of the body, and, above 

 all, is the most independent being which treads the 

 ground he tills, or that walks on God's earth ; and, 

 lastly, if, as a class, they do not probate as much 

 property as any other, then, I confess, farming does 

 not pay, and men do well in seeking other employ- 

 ments, to secure happiness and property. 



No man v.'ith any observation can justly ques- 

 tion the above ; they are the farmers de facto, 

 whatever may be said to the contrary. Look at 

 the "out of debt" farmer during the year 18G1, 

 thus far, and compare him with the other classes 

 of the community. See how he stands out "head 

 and shoulders", like an oasis in a burning desert, 

 ahead and above all others in financial solidity. 

 Surely he is the salt of the earth ; his business the 

 basis of aU wealth and prosperity, as well as hu- 



