1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



385 



spading in alternate strips, three feet wide, 

 plants and all, and fining the surface well. 

 The limners from the alternate strips left un- 

 spaded, will spread on to the newly dug spaces 

 and soon stock them sufHciently. The old 

 plants may be subse(juently hoed up, and the 

 spaces occupied used for paths or walks. 



W. H. White. 

 South Windsor, Ct., June, 1807. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 TENANT FARMING, AGAIN. 



In the Fahmer for March 9, Mr. J. G. 

 Hubbard olfers a farm "on a lease on valua- 

 tion, and all taxes paid," and states that he 

 does so as "a test to anonymous contributors, 

 who are pleased to air their theories in the 

 public journals, from time to time, and to in- 

 timate to them that to be of value their sug- 

 gestions must be practical, and they should be 

 able to find those that will practice them." 



^^ow 1 submit that a fair reading and con- 

 struction of the article referred to by Mr. 

 Hubbard, does not warrant the charge that its 

 suggestions are not practical, for it is ex- 

 pressly stated, that '-probably one of the best 

 systems of tenant farming in this countrv, is 

 that adopted on the Wadsworth farms in Wes- 

 tern New York ;" and that "here is a large 

 number of farms, all worked under the direc- 

 tion of an able and competent manager, in a 

 way that tends to the present and permanent 

 advantage of the owner, while it makes a per- 

 manent and profitable business for all the good 

 farmers that work them." To which is also 

 added a brief account of the kind of farming 

 and course of cropping pursued, showing a sys- 

 tem of management that secures good tenants, 

 and keeps the land in good condition, while 

 these farms don't "have to go a begging." 



Lest Mr. Hubbard should try to throw this 

 aside as coming from an "anonymous contribu- 

 tor," or, were 1 to sign my name, as coming 

 from a stranger, I will copy a short extract 

 from the Memorial of the late Gen. James S. 

 Wadsworth, delivered before the New York 

 State Agricultural Society, at the close of its 

 annual exhibition at Rochester, Sept. 23, 1864, 

 by Lewis F. Allen of Buffalo, and published 

 in the Transactions for 1864, page 71. 



"Prolialily no agricultural property in the coun- 

 try, so extensive in domain, has been arranged 

 into a l)L'tter division of individual farms, and their 

 husbandry directed with more systematic economy 

 on the part of the landlords, 'than those of the 

 Wadsworths. The soils were applied to the crops 

 most C(»ngcnial to their natures, and which yield- 

 ed most protit on their outlay ; and as proof that 

 the mutual interests of landlord and tenant were I 

 thoroughly studied, I understand that quite three- '• 

 fourths in number of the tenants now on the farms j 

 are those, and the descendants of those who occu- \ 

 pied them in the lifetime of the elder Wadsworths." | 

 It is also stated that "the moral and pecuniary 

 condition of the inhaljitants dwelling on the ' 

 Wadsworth fiirms is as high, and the line of hus- \ 

 bandry has been as good, in the average, as among ' 



the smaller farmers who hold their lands in fee— 

 and the general agriculture of Livingston county 

 is of no mean order." 



Undoubtedly the editors of the Farmer have 

 read this memorial of Gen. Wadsworth, who, 

 after having three horses shot under him, was 

 mortally wounded in the sanguinary battle of 

 the Wilderness ; and have also heard of the 

 Wadsworth farms and farming in the noted fer- 

 tile valley of the Genesee, and can assure Mr. 

 H. of the general correctness of the account 

 here given. 



Now, in all candDr, is not this practice of 

 letting the Wadsworth farms "tangible and 

 practicable," as any farming in Western New 

 York, and does it not show that the account in 

 the other article was something more than a 

 mere "airing of theories," and that there is no 

 trouble in finding many who will and do prac- 

 tice the suggestions there offered ? 



There can be little need of repeating facts 

 and quotations to show that the statements in 

 regard to tenant farming in England are equal- 

 ly true ; and that being on a much more exten- 

 sive scale is, if possible, still less open to the 

 charge of being impracticable. Should such 

 proofs be required, I may refer Mr. H. to 

 "Observations on English Husbandry," by 

 Hon. Henry F. French, Exeter, N. H., in the 

 Patent Office Report for 1860, page 140, and 

 also to other writers on English farming. 



But perhaps Mr. Hubbard may say, "all 

 this don't meet my case. I ask for a man to 

 take my farm according to the suggestions in 

 your article ; that is the kind of proof I wish 

 you to bring." Well, then, let us see about 

 this ; you offer your farm on a lease at 6 per 

 cent., per annum, on valuation, and all taxes. 

 Now if Mr. H. will read my article again he 

 will see that there is nothingsaid in regard to 

 the amount or price of rent, or whether it is 

 to be fixed by valuation or in some other way. 

 This, both here and in England, is always a 

 matter of agreement between the parties. 

 The valuations relate solely to the condition of 

 the farm, — to crops on the ground, the labor 

 done and manure applied by the outgoing ten- 

 ant, or occupant. So it will be seen, that 

 friend H. has made one impracticable condi- 

 tion, not warranted by the a'rticle objected to. 

 Next, Mr. Hubbard wants 6 per cent, on 

 the value of his farm, and all taxes paid. Six 

 per cent., I believe is, or was, lawful inter- 

 est in Massachusetts, so he wants lawful inter- 

 est and taxes besides. This would be better 

 than money at interest, as then the taxes must 

 be paid by the lender. And then as full in- 

 terest is wanted, he seems to forget that there 

 are few if any old sections, where capital is 

 plenty, in which land will rent for tiie interest 

 of what it will sell for. The greater safety 

 and certainty of the investment, and the gen- 

 eral rise in real estate, leads to investing mon- 

 ey in land at a lower rate of interest, or for a 

 lower income, than will be accepted in any oth- 

 er way. Hence, rents seldom range as high 



