) 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
dDriginal from Contributor©. 
PURCHASE OF FARM LANDS. 
Hints to those who intend to buy land with the view of culti¬ 
vating it to gain a livelihood. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —What I desire to sug¬ 
gest on this subject does not relate to the quality of the 
land, which should be an important subject of examina¬ 
tion to every purchaser, nor of its situation in regard to 
health, nor to the facility of getting to a good market for 
the sale of the crops raised upon it,—considerations which 
every prudent man should regard in making his purchase; 
but to the quantity of land, and the circumstances which 
should regulate it. Most young men who have not been 
engaged in farming, are desirous of holding “broad 
lands,” and are apt to invest all their funds in land, with¬ 
out reflecting that the land is only one of the materiais ne¬ 
cessary to the profitable production of crops. Agricul¬ 
tural tools and implements, houses, stock and fertilizing 
substances, seed and labor, are as indispensable as the 
land itself. Without a moderate surplus capital to obtain 
these after the land is bought, too much land has been 
bought whether it be fifty acres or five hundred. In 
England this is well understood, and should be on this 
side of the Atlantic. Even tenants there do not take a 
lease without ascertaining how much capital will be re¬ 
quired to farm, with a reasonable expectation of profit, on 
rented land. Most of the embarrassments and failures of 
young farmers in this coimtry, may be traced to this, ra¬ 
dical error; they buy more land than they have the means 
or the knowledge to render profitable. Emigrants at the 
west often lay out their last dollar in land; go in debt 
for tools, buildings, stock and even provisions; retain 
nothing to fall back on, depending on their crops be¬ 
neath the earth and in the skies, and subject besides to 
storms, tempests, blights and insects, to pay off all. A 
single crop fails, and what then? Their land has to be 
sold for less, perhaps much less than it cost, the capital 
is sunk, and the poor miscalculating farmer is ruined. 
Another error is to depend too much on one kind of pro¬ 
duction—making it the staple. When several kinds of 
crops, such as grain, grass and roots are cultivated, there 
is less danger of a total failure. The weather may suit 
one kind, and not another so well. If the season should 
happen to be very warm and rather dry, the Indian corn 
will come in admirably; if it should be wet and warm, 
the grass will be abundant; if cool and dry, the wheat 
will yield well; if cool and moist, the potatoes will 
bring a good crop. But a reasonable variety of staples 
has relation to the market as well as to the weather—to 
the sale as well as to the production. Corn or wheat 
may sell high, and grass, hay and roots low, or the con¬ 
trary. It might happen that the price of one staple may 
be ruinously low. But it will rarely happen that the pri¬ 
ces of several at the same time and through the season, 
w'ill continue so. Those too low in price for profitable 
sale, may be, if of a perishable nature, used at home, or 
converted into fat stock if they bear a better price, and 
more of the higher priced articles sold which would have 
otherwise been partly consumed on the farm, the lowmr 
priced now supplying their place. Variety of crops has 
also an intimate connexion with the improvement of the 
soil, by introducing a rotation in the cultivation of the 
land. Without rotation, enormous quantities of fertili¬ 
zing matter must be given to the fields, or they will in¬ 
evitably become sterile. The richest lands constantly 
cultivated in plants of the same species, or even genus, 
sooner or later yield up all the food in the soil appro¬ 
priate to such plants. Good lands with a proper rotation 
of crops, require much less foreign aid—the previous 
crops leaving on tlie surface and in the soil, supplies of 
food for the succeeding ones. This is so especially true 
of the grasses and trefoil plants, among which red clover 
is perhaps the most valuable, that to cover the fields not 
in summer cultivation with them, is equivalent to a dress¬ 
ing of manure; while they at the same time yield for 
grazing, soiling or hay, a reasonably profitable crop. 
While the collection, preservation and application of 
fertilizing substances should by no means be neglected, 
the grasses and trefoils afford the least expensive means 
of fertilizing the soil. The labor, time, and expense of 
hauling and scattering, is all saved. The seed, the sea¬ 
sons, and the soil do it all. To keep the fields then not 
in summer cultivated crops covered with them, is at the 
basis of good farming. Virgil has said nothing wiser in 
his Georgies, and there is much wisdom there too, than 
“ praise a large farm but cultivate a small one,” and 
more especially if the owner has not ah ample surplus 
capital after purchasing his farm, to enclose, stock, ma¬ 
nure and cultivate it well. We incline to think that in 
nine cases out of ten, the man who purchases one hun¬ 
dred and sixty acres of arable land, would have succeed¬ 
ed better as a farmer, if he had bought only eighty, and 
applied the surplus otherwise, as indicated above. It is 
more economical and profitable to purchase and cultivate 
one acre of land which we make produce 75 bushels of 
corn or 30 of wheat, than three acres which we make 
produce only the same quantity. There is less fencing, 
less expense of cultivation and manuring, less expense in 
gathering and securing the crop. 
Frankfort, Ky., Oct. 17, 1843. John Lewis. 
When the leisure evening hour is employed by a 
family in reading the page of instruction, there grows 
up insensibly in the younger members, a love of home 
_a sentiment incompatible with some of the worst vices, 
and favorable to all the virtues. 
Elevation of Farm Buildings,—(Fig. 96.) 
£ 
Tank 
Jot* 
Liijaid 
Manure 
:rTi 
Ground Plan of Farm Buildings. — (Fig. 97.) 
FARM BUILDINGS. 
n 
BAKN — YARD 
In the first number of our present vol. we inserted the plan 
of a genteel Farm House, designed by T. M. Niven, Esq. of 
Newburgh. At our request, Mr. N. furnished the annexed 
plans of grounds, out-buildings, &c. to accompany the de¬ 
signs for the house, and the whole were published together, 
in the Transactions of the State Ag. Society. 
Explanations. —A. A.—Horse stable, with hay and oat 
loft above and wagon house in front. 
B_Open shed with fowl house over it. 
C.—Shed for calves with small yard (D.) attached. 
E. E.—Hay houses, with accommodation for cattle under¬ 
neath. 
F. —Barn, 50 feet by 35 feet. 
6.—Piggery, with enclo¬ 
sure, (H.) with gallery above 
opening from granary, by 
which the feed may be distri¬ 
buted. 
I_Receptacle for farming 
implements, with granary and 
work shop above, also having 
accommodation for boiling hog 
feed. 
The number of windows in 
front of barn may seem strange 
to those who have not reflect¬ 
ed upon the subject, but I am 
persuaded that ventilation in 
buildings, containing large 
masses of grain in the straw 
and hay, is of the first impor¬ 
tance. In all these windows I 
would have coarse fixed blinds. 
It also adds materially to the 
looks of the building. 
Plan of Buildings and Grounds. — (Fig. 98.) 
He that has in the eye of the world no comforts, can create them for himself, 
and extract enjoyment out of the hardest fortune. 
Cornstalks versus Corn. 
—The editor of the Mass. Plow¬ 
man says: “You must expect 
cornstalks in proportion, if you 
make the hills rich, while the 
spaces between them remain 
poor. If your object is corn¬ 
stalks, put your manure in the 
hill, if corn is your aim, place 
the manure where the roots 
may find some of it in the lat¬ 
ter part of summer.” This is 
sound doctrine. Where the 
whole soil is rich, a little active 
manure in the hill serves to 
give the corn a good start in 
the spring, and may be ad¬ 
missible ; but if the soil is poor, 
manuring in the hill may give 
a few stalks, but will afford ve¬ 
ry little corn. Spread your ma¬ 
nure for a good crop. 
