1891 
213 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Business. 
“CASH BUSINESS ON A FARM.” 
The Wages of a Farm Owner. 
HENRY STEWART. 
Such statements of the cash business of the farm as 
those given in The Rural, on page 73, and later, cannot 
fail to be exceedingly instructive to every reader, both as 
showing what has been done and what might be done, 
under other circumstances; in fact, the successes and the 
failures of those interested. Equally instructive are they, 
too, in the way they show how the accounts are defective 
and often misleading. I have kept strict accounts of my 
farm business for years past on such a system as prevails in 
ordinary mercantile business, and which, some years ago, 
was submitted to the head bookkeeper of the present head 
of the Rural Publishing Company, and was reported by 
that gentleman to be based on correct principles and free 
from any objections. On the basis of this system, I pro¬ 
pose to analyze the statements sent in and make such 
suggestions and criticisms as I hope will be useful to all 
concerned. 
In regard to the account of the cash business of a Ver¬ 
mont farmer (page 73), then, I submit the following 
remarks, taking the cash sales as the basis of the income, 
and showing what charges should properly come against 
the credits given: 
In the first place, there are 200 acres of land worth, let 
us say, $5,000, or $25 per acre. [Land all around it can be 
bought at $10 to $15 .—Eds.] Next the labor of the owner 
and his son, which should certainly be worth for each $1 
per day with board and lodging, and eight months’ wages 
of a hired man at $18 a month, together with the labor of 
the owner’s wife at $1 per day and board ; for I am of the 
firm opinion that a woman’s work is worth at. least as 
much as a man’s, if not twice as much, considering its 
complicated nature and the care and thought involved. 
In addition, there is the outlay for 100 days’ help in the 
house, which should be worth 50 cents per day at least, 
with board. These come as a first charge against the 
business. After these come the charges against the pro¬ 
ducts sold: four steers have been pastured and fed, one 
colt, with some sheep and lambs and pigs. The remainder 
of the stock, it is presumed, have also been fed out of the 
surplus, and the cost of all this feeding will be the value 
of the crops raised. The charge for 100 acres of pasture 
should also go against this stock and be estimated in the 
value of the animals, and if they have not eaten more 
than the value of their gain in weight or increase, any 
balance left should go to the credit of the general farm 
account. But it may be assumed, under present circum¬ 
stances, with the low value of live stock, that they have 
paid for their feeding and no more, and in this case these 
will be left out of the account, considering that one side of 
It will balance the other. The lumber sold may properly 
go to the credit of the land, and as an offset for the inter¬ 
est and taxes, unless some charges for sawing, etc., ought 
to go against this part of the income ; so that, roughly, 
all the money received from sales may go to the credit of 
the farm, with whatever remains to be sold, as the pota¬ 
toes, which are probably worth $1 per bushel. Consider¬ 
ing this as a fair allowance, and that the stock have at 
least paid for their feed at the cost price, and not the sell¬ 
ing value, which should not be allowed in such accounts 
unless for what is actually sold, there are, then, the follow¬ 
ing charges to come against the income. 
DR. 
Interest on value of the farm.. 
Taxes on farm. 
Incidental expenses paid for, including things purchased for farm 
use. 
Labor (owner and son).$736.00 
“ Hired man. 144.00 
Wife .!.... 360.00 
“ House help. 50.00 
-- 1.2o9.U0 
CR. 
For produce sold. 1 134 75 
Less cost of previous year’s feeding of four steers, colt,sheep, pigs, 
etc,. _ 
Balance of charges over and above receipts. _ 
Totals. . . “ 
The results are clearly that the owner of this farm has 
not received one dollar per day for his work, and that his 
wife has not received one cent for her work, and that five 
per cent interest has not been made on the land. Any¬ 
how, the farm has not paid ordinary wages, while a farm¬ 
er’s work should be worth at least $3 per day, and his wife 
ought to have quite as much for her work. 
Now, supposing this farm had been wholly devoted to 
butter-making, and that only 50 cows had been fed upon 
it. The yield of butter might have been worth $2,750 ; with 
one pig fed to each cow at least 5,000 pounds of fresh pork 
would have been made, worth $400. The calves could have 
been reared on a share of the skimmed milk, and have 
been worth $5 each; and if no more had been done, there 
would have been made over $3,000 income. But on a dairy 
farm there are many other products that can be made at 
a small cost. Of course, this suggestion is made on gen¬ 
eral principles. I do not assume to criticise Mr. Morse’s 
management further than to show, generally, that with 
200 acres of land his income is much smaller than it ought 
to be, and if his circumstances are such that he cannot 
possibly increase his income in future, the result is that 
he is not half paid for the value of his work and enter¬ 
prise. That Mr. Morse is an enterprising farmer is clearly 
shown by his statement, and if, as I have tried to show, he 
is not half paid, how much less are other farmers who are 
not gifted with the industry and enterprise he possesses, 
and who cannot show half so good a statement. 
R. N.-Y.—We think Mr. Stewart places too high a value 
on the farm. We doubt if it is assessed for more than 
$1,400. Again, why not make some charge for the board ? 
A very large proportion of the money obtained for the 
products sold was saved. Figure what was actually saved 
as the result of the year’s work, and the showing will be 
much better. We want this question of wages for the 
owner of the farm discussed. 
HOW CAN HE LEARN FARMING ? 
The R. N.-Y. has often spoken of the young men and 
boys in our large cities, who have a natural love for the 
farm and a desire to invest their little savings in a 
“ piece of land.” It seems to us a pity that such persons 
cannot have their desires gratified. The country needs them 
and they will be better away from the city, if they can only 
learn how to fit themselves into country living. The fol¬ 
lowing letter has just been received from a young man in 
Brooklyn: 
“Next fall my father is to buy and stock a moderate-sized 
farm in western Massachusetts and I am to run it and 
have the profits, if any. In the meantime I want a little 
more practical experience, especially in improved methods 
of farming and in stock and poultry raising. I am 25 
years of age, American, strong and healthy, strictly tem¬ 
perate, have had a good business and general education, 
and for the last year or two have made a theoretical study 
of farming,etc., from the best authorities. I am used to hard 
work, both mental and physical, and would like to obtain 
a place on a farm, where, while I would work hard for 
small pay, or even for board, I would have a chance to 
study a successful system. I realize that I have a great 
deal to learn, and wish to acquire all the Knowledge I can 
on the subject in the most direct and practical way. I have 
had some experience and understand the care and handling 
of animals and have handled poultry wuh success. I can 
leave the city at any time after March 15, ’91, and would hire 
out for the season on any reasonable terms, to the right 
party.” 
Now, then, where shall this young man go? How can he 
find the right farmer, one who will teach him and give him 
a chance to learn ? Will such a workman be worth more than 
his board? We want to hear from some of our best think¬ 
ers on this matter. It concerns many boys who may be 
in danger of making a mistake if they are not put right. 
IMPLEMENT NOTES. 
A Three-horse Evener.— In The Rural for May 24, 
1890, is a description and Illustration of a three-horse rig. 
Herewith I give a description of the one I contrived and 
have used for two seasons. It is simpler, lighter, and brings 
the team nearer the load. For the neck yoke, I take a 
single piece of tough timber of the desired size and length, 
C 
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A Three-Horse Evener. Fig. 75. 
and cut it into three pieces, making a joint six inches on 
each side of the middle by bolting on two strips of iron, as 
shown in cut Fig. 1. The pole chain rings A, are the same 
distance from the center ring B. The pole rings C C are 
one-third of the distance from A to B. I equalize the 
draft by a bar of iron K by 2 inches, containing three 
holes. The end holes are 7% inches apart, and the other 
hole is inches from one end—see Fig. 4. The bar 
stands vertically, with the edge to the front, in the center 
of the piece which fills the place of the pole and back of 
the cross-bar to the shafts—or poles—and is held by a bolt 
through the middle hole. A long evener attached to the 
top or short end of the bar takes the draft of the outside 
horses, while a whiffletree at the lower end—under the 
cross-bar—takes that of the middle horse. There is no 
possible chance for either horse to get any advantage. 
The whole thing is shown at Fig. 75 . W. M. F. 
Northfield, Conn. 
The Coming Corn Husker. —In my visions of 1815, page 
42,1 mentioned a corn husker which I think will be in use 
at that time. As sundry flippant ninnies have taken occa¬ 
sion to make derisive comments concerning this coming 
implement, I will remark that I have already seen the 
greater part of it. A few years ago I saw an implement 
that was intended to cut standing corn off close to the 
ground and lay it In gavels as fast as two horses could 
walk. It was a rather crude, home-made affair, but the 
inventor emphatically declared that it would do the busi¬ 
ness, and do It right. While I was examining it, several 
farmers came along, and after looking at it a short time 
some of them said it was no good, because it wouldn’t 
bind the gavels. Others didn’t like it because it wouldn’t 
set the corn up in the shock as it cut It. Most of them de¬ 
clared that it would be harder work to pick the bundles 
up and shock them than to do the whole job by hand. I 
don’t know who the inventor was, but the many unfavor¬ 
able comments on his machine made him furiously hot 
and he removed it in the night, and very likely smashed 
It; but it was one part of the coming husker. A little over 
a year ago I saw another part. This machine took whole 
stalks into Its maw about as fast as a man could handle 
them well, snapped off the ears, husked them as clean as 
the average hired man does the work, and dropped them 
into a wagon. The stalks were taken right along, crushed, 
cut into half-inch lengths and shot into a mow. In a few 
years these several parts will be joined together, set upon 
drive wheels aud the great American corn harvester will 
be moving through the cornfields of the West doing the 
work of thousands of men, and it will neither drink 
whisky nor chew tobacco. FRED GRUNDY. 
Champaign Co., Ill. 
The Rigby Potato Digger. —Since Dr. Hoskins printed 
a few lines about this comparatively new machine, we 
have been about overwhelmed with letters from parties 
who want to know more about it. The demand for a 
cheap and serviceable potato digger is something surpris¬ 
ing. Evidently people are very tired of struggling with a 
long-handled fork. At our request Dr. Hoskins writes 
the following note about the new digger: 
“I think it does quite as good work as the costly, two- 
horse and two-men machines. I hired a friend to dig my 
potatoes, and found it pretty expensive, while a good 
many potatoes were cut and left in the ground—some 
thought enough to pay for hand digging. But we must 
have a machine if we plant largely. I was very glad to 
try the Rigby digger, though I had but faint hope of its 
doing good work. It is said that 505 potato diggers have 
been patented, and so far none has been quite satisfactory. 
My old friend, Mr. P. P. Burleigh, of Aroostook County, 
Me., (father of the present governor of that State,) is a 
large farmer in that county. A poor mechanic of that 
county invented the machine, and Mr. B. helped him 
along until it became so perfect and worked so well that 
he went into partnership with him. Two years ago he 
sent me one of the first he had made. It did excellent 
work, but clogged too easily. Since then, by a different 
arrangement of the parts, he has, I think, fully overcome 
the difficulty. I had no trouble with it last season, though 
the ground was wet and weedy, and the tops still partially 
green. It digs better than the other, taking every potato 
from its bed; but it does not leave them all on the surface 
quite as well. But by harrowing after it with a spring- 
tooth harrow, we get practically every potato, and with 
very little expense.” 
Clark’s Cutaway Harrow.— In the winter of 1888-89, 
I wrote an article in The Rural, descriptive of the har¬ 
rows in common use in this section. I had not then tried 
the Cutaway, and there was only one in the country. I 
have now been using one for over a year and find it in¬ 
valuable as a harrow, especially for fitting sod for corn or 
other crops. When not weighted, the draft is compara¬ 
tively light and the work nearly perfect. I do not think, 
however, that the claim made by the makers, that it 
supersedes the plow, will hold. It answers admirably in 
preparing a corn stubble or potato land for wheat; but 
would not properly fit an oat stubble for the same purpose. 
In the summer of 1889, I used it in putting in buckwheat 
on a wheat stubble, which had grown up in rag weeds. 
While it thoroughly cut up the soil, which was sandy, it 
did not destroy the weeds, which were simply dragged 
down. In a few days they straightened up, so that, in order 
to save the crop, I was obliged to pull them out by hand. To 
make this harrow at all effective in hard ground in place 
of the plow, it would be necessary to weight it heavily, 
and the addition of the weight together with the friction 
caused by four more bearings from which the weight 
boxes are supported, makes the draft entirely too heavy 
for two horses. The discs appear to be more easily broken 
in rough, stony land than those which a re solid, but, of 
course, their penetration is greater. As my soil is mostly 
sandy and level, I lent the harrow last spring to a neigh¬ 
bor, whose land is broken by limestone ledges, in order to 
give it a harder test. In less than two days he 
had broken five of the discs. My conclusion is that, if 
restricted to a single harrow, I prefer the Cutaway to any 
other, but I should like to have the Acme or some other to 
follow as a leveler. wysor 
Pulaski Co., Ya. 
Sit Down and Spread Manure 1 Why not if you can 
get the chance ? Is it absolutely necessary for you to 
break your old back because, “ in your younger days,” 
manure all had to be spread by hand and fork ? The man¬ 
ure spreader made by Kemp & Burpee. Syracuse, N. Y., 
will enable you to ride on a comfortable seat and let the 
horses do the work just as fast as a mowing machine cuts 
grass. The device has been improved; it is better now 
than ever before. Does it run harder than an ordinary 
wagon ? Why, of course it does. In addition to hauling the 
manure, the horses do the work of spreading, Can ordi¬ 
nary horses handle it ? Yes, and do good work. 
No man can serve two or more masters ; neither can a 
tool do half-a-dozen operations well. Breed’s weeder has 
given satisfaction to many farmers who have been satis¬ 
fied to use it as a light scratching machine. It is the best 
imitator of the human fingers in weeding that has been de¬ 
vised. But now we have men who want to know if it will 
rake stones, or do the work of a Thomas harrow. Of 
course, it will not. It will do its own work well, but the 
work of the harrow or stone rake will break it. The 
man who expects too much of one tool, will generally per¬ 
mit half-a dozen jobs to catch him at one time and grind 
him up. 
Graphite Paint.— Circular from the Jos. Dixon Cruci¬ 
ble Co., Jersey City, N. J. This paint is designed to cover 
all exposed surfaces. It is claimed that it is both durable 
and beautiful, and that it will cover more than double the 
surface covered by the same weight of any other paint. 
The reason for this latter statement is that it is made of 
graphite, which is very light, one pound being three times 
the bulk of a pound of white lead. The natural color of 
the paint Is that of slate, but it is furnished in ali shades 
if desired. 
