" 'T rr^K^^-^^^W^W*' 



THE ILLINOIS FAKMER. 



281 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Small Farms. 



So men of small means, make farms are un- 

 doubtedly the most profitable. AVe consider it 

 a great error, that many of our farmers, who for 

 the two past years have had good crops and se- 

 cure great prices for them, here used all their 

 means and stretched tkeir credit, to increase the 

 size of their farms by adding to them with lands. 

 We apprehend that this is the case with many 

 who are likely to sufier under the change of the 

 times. They have even appropriated the money 

 that really belonged to the mechanic and the 

 merchant in making fast payments for these 

 lauds. They have now arrived at the position 

 where other payments are due for lands, and 

 the mechanic and merchant is at the door with 

 their bills, and when iaiportunities for payment 

 eannot be put off. 



This taste for annexation, who seems to be in- 

 herent in the anglo-saxen race, does not add to 

 consfort or prosperity. We recollect an tanec- 

 dote of one of the first settlers of Illinois which 

 is in point. When married, he told his wife 

 that they would be fugal and hard working until 

 they had enough to make them "Comfortable,'" 

 and with this understanding they commenced 

 a farm upon eighty acres, fenced it, brought it 

 all into cultivation and got up snug and conven- 

 ient buildings. This was accomplished in a few 

 years and the old lady concluded she was then 

 ''comfortable." The husband thought not, and 

 he delved on and she found it necessary to delve 

 on with him until he added piece of land after 

 piece, and he died without being "comfortable," 

 for the want of an eighty acre tract which 

 would bring his farm up beautifully square with 

 the road ! He died without being at all "com- 

 fortable," and his last days were in entire slave*" 

 ry to raise means to pay for wild lands. 



You may go on to many of these large farms, 

 owned by men who have a passion for annexa- 

 tion, and the word "comfort" has no meaning 

 there. Buildings poor, no shelters for cattle, 

 fields filled with weeds, wheat half put in the 

 ground, fences down, great balks about the 

 fences, and every thing betokening discomfort. 

 If the owner cultivates his land, he has to hire 

 help, whose labor mast be paid for in money, 

 and this is raised and paid with the utmost diffi- 

 eulty. The family belonging to this farm, work 

 like slaves, witkont reward. Now if this farm- 

 er had confined his views, his means, and his la- 

 bor to a small farm, would it not have been bet- 

 ter for him ? He would have done most of the 



labor necessary with the hands in kis own fami- 

 ly; he would have produced better crops than 

 when his own and his hired labor was spread 

 over more fields; he woild not have been har- 

 rassed to pay for his labor; he would not have 

 made slaves of his wife and family in waiting on 

 hired men; he would have enjoyed the pleasure 

 *)f having a well cultivated farm; he would have 

 had time to cultivate taste in lajiBg oat his 

 grounds, planting his orchard, putting up his 

 buildings and fences — in a word, he would have 

 enjoyed most of the advantages and blessings 

 which should be the reward of well directed in- 

 dustry. 



We speak of these thiBgs as connected with 

 the interests of farmers having small means. 

 Those who are so fortonate as to be rich, their 

 hands full of moHey, can very properly own and 

 cultivate large farms, — though we doubt very 

 much whether such farms arc an advantage to 

 the country, though they may be to the individ- 

 uals who own them. Large farms necessarily 

 make settlements sparse — school houses are few 

 and far between — reads and bridges are usually 

 neglected, and the pleasures of neighborhood so- 

 ciety cannot be enjoyed. 



-«•»- 



The Season. 



Winter came suddenly upon us about the 18th 

 of the past month. For several days we expe- 

 rienced a degree of cold that would have done 

 credit t» January. On the 22d November the 

 mercury sank to 2° below zero. We very much 

 fear, although we had a good deal of fine fall 

 weather, all our farmers were not prepared for 

 the sudden change. It is a capital plan always 

 to drive our business. We often lose and suffer 

 much discomfort and loss by letting our business 

 drive us. We apprehend that much fall work 

 is yet unfinished. Shelters for cattle have not 

 been made — arrangements for feeding not com- 

 pleted — potatoes remaining in the ground to 

 spoil, — and others not sufficiently protected 

 when designed to be saved in the field. So many 

 serious losses have been experienced by neglect 

 in this latter particular, that we deem a word 

 of caution may be useful. Potatoes in heaps 

 generate moisture which will cause freezing 

 where there is no ventilation. A place should 

 be left for this purpose, which can be opened in 

 suitable weather. Manure, straw, corn stalks 

 will help protect your potatoes where they are 

 not sufficiently covered with ©ther material. 

 We think we are doing well to repeat our ads 

 vice to those farmers who have not already done 

 so, to save their seed corn. The crop of 





