1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FAKI^IER. 



225 



the proprietors have no hesitation in offering 

 it to the ianniug public as the best rake in the 

 market for all reasonably smooth meadows, or 

 for meadows suitable to be mown with a ma- 

 chine, and hold themselves ready to test its 

 merits in the field with any other horse rake, 

 at any suitable time and place. Further par- 

 ticulars will be found in an advertisement in 

 another column. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 PKOPITABLE FAEMDNTG IN" MASSA- 

 CHUSETTS. 

 Illustrated by a sketch of the success of Mr. Peter 

 Davis, of Framingham, Middlesex County, from his 

 first engagement at seven dollars per month, and a six 

 years' tenancy, to the ownership of one of the best 

 farms in the State. 



During the last twenty-five years nearly all 

 the increase in the population of New England 

 has been in its cities and villages. In many 

 of the older portions of the farming districts 

 there has been a positive and an alarming 

 decline. The young men and young women 

 appear to think that comfort, respectability 

 and wealth are to be sought in any or every 

 pursuit except that of farming. It would al- 

 most seem that the instinct for city life in the 

 boys and girls of our rural districts was as 

 strong as is the instinct for water in the brood 

 of the mother hen that unfortunately incubates 

 a nest of duck's eggs. The effect of this rush 

 of population from the country to the city, 

 from the farm to the factory, the shop and the 

 store, has long been a suljject of regret to the 

 thoughtful among our agricultural writers and 

 thinkers. But all considerations and argu- 

 ments against this current of the times is met 

 by the ever-present objection of the unprofita- 

 bleness of practical farming. 



For the benefit of young men who are bal- 

 ancing the question of leaving or abiding upon 

 the farm, I have obtained a few facts which 

 show what has been done, and what may yet 

 be done, on the soil of old Massachusetts. It 

 was with considerable reluctance, — a reluc- 

 tance that was overcome only by the consider- 

 ation that his success might encourage other 

 young men to imitate his example, — that the 

 gentleman of whom I am about to speak con- 

 sented to the use of his name. 



In the town of Framingham, Mass., twenty- 

 three miles from Boston, on the Worcester 

 railroad, there is a well cultivated farm of 150 

 acres of land, with about one thousand bearing 

 fruit trees, a fine residence, a barn 100 feet 

 in length, with a nice cellar under the whole, 

 and other buildings to correspond, and every 

 thing about them in fine order. The owner 

 pays the highest income tax of any farmer in the 

 town, which, by the way, is in one of the best 

 agricultural districts in the State. He is fifty- 

 three years old, active and vigorous, with an 

 interesting family growing up and around him, 

 and is withal highly respected by his fellow 



townsmen. This estate was not inherited ; it 

 was not acfjuired by speculation ; it Avas not 

 paid for from the profits of commerce, high 

 salaries, or any lucky turn of the wheel of for- 

 tune. How, then, was it obtained? 



Engages by the Month. 

 The owner, Mr. Peter Davis, began life 

 without capital, and has never engaged in any 

 other business than farming. At the age of 

 sixteen he commenced for hunself by an en- 

 gagement for eight months, at seven dollars 

 per month, and continued his work at various 

 wages — but never exceeding ten dollars per 

 month — till twenty years of age. 



Xieases a Farm. 



At twenty years of age he leased 125 acres 

 of his present homestead for the term of six 

 years. Previous to his occupancy, the farm 

 had been leased for twenty years, and had suf- 

 fered the skinning process to which leased 

 land in New England is almost invariably sub- 

 jected. Some portions of it were badly "run 

 out," others badly "run up" to bushes and 

 other foul growth. Although he managed 

 somewhat after the manner of leased farming, 

 he believes it was in better condition at the 

 end of the six years than at the beginning of 

 the term. 



Original Purchase. 



At the expiration of this lease he bargained 

 for the farm, and has now OAvned it twenty- 

 seven years. The conditions of the purchase 

 were $5000 ; one thousand paid down, and 

 the balance in eight annual instalments of .$500 

 each, with interest. In making this purchase 

 he acted against the advice of several of his 

 neighbors, who predicted that he would be 

 unable to meet his payments with accruing in- 

 terest money, and thus lose his entire invest- 

 ment. He believed, however, that, with 

 health, he could pay for it, and the result has 

 justified his faith in the profit of farming, even 

 in New England. For some years he was 

 obliged to borrow some money to meet his 

 payments, but his industry and perseverance 

 gave him a credit by which he was enabled to 

 raise the necessary amount without trouble. 



Amount of Hay raised, and Stock kept. 



During the first year of his ownership, the 

 production of the farm was so small, that in 

 order to keep his stock of eight cows, two yoke 

 of oxen and a horse, he was obliged to buy 

 one hundred dollars worth of hay. The next 

 year he bought ninety dollars worth. The 

 third year he turned the tables, and sold hay to 

 the amount of two hundred dollars, and has 

 sold some every year since, although his stock 

 has gradually increased from year to year, 

 until he now keeps about twenty head of cat- 

 tle, two horses, and ten hogs. 



Mr. Davis now mows about forty acres, and 

 harvests from sixty to seventy-five tons of hay, 

 some ten of which are "meadow." He gener- 



