THE CULTIVATOR 
110 
April, 
Let us glance at some-jof the benefits arising from 
these papers I know nor how other minds may view 
it. but for myself I may safely say, that as a practical 
farmer, the opportunity afforded for the interchange of 
thought, through agricultural papers, is one of the 
greatest enjoyments I have. I welcome the monthly 
receipt of my paper with no common interest, for from 
it I always expect to derive some improvement. The 
suggestions, coming as most of them do, from practi¬ 
cal men, are all worthy of consideration, and although 
they may not all be adapted to the particular situation 
in which we may reside, yet they will doubtless be 
found of value somewhere through our widely extend¬ 
ed country. There is an amount of useful general in¬ 
formation to be gained from the perusal of these pa¬ 
pers scarcely any where to be met with in the same 
space. We not only gain knowledge on agricultural 
subjects, but we become acquainted with the geogra¬ 
phy, geology, climate and productions of our vast coun¬ 
try from Maine to Florida. We learn among other 
things, the important truth that even in the cold and 
mountainous regions of our land, by the aid of science 
and improved tillage, farms are made to produce crops 
which will compare favorably with those raised upon 
the smoothest plains. 
The farmer is a man whose business is at home ; he 
can wander but little, but it does not follow that he 
must be ignorant. Sitting by his cheerful fireside of 
a winter evening, he takes his paper in hand and begins 
his travels. At one time he is among the best farms 
of New England, then in western New-York—then 
with the rapidity of the magnetic telegraph, he visits 
the western and southern states. For the trifling ex¬ 
pense of a dollar or two a year, he becomes familiar 
with almost every portion of the Union. 
There is a sociability too, so to speak, about agricul¬ 
tural papers, which is truly delightful. You become 
acquainted not only with their editors, but with a hund¬ 
red others. Situated in some remote district, where 
perhaps most of those around .you have not yet awa¬ 
kened to the importance of book farming , and are look¬ 
ing with doubts and misgivings upon your mode of far¬ 
ming, it is indeed, truly delightful to be holding mental 
intercourse with many of the best farmers of the land. 
There is many a man among that goodly fellowship of 
farmers, who should I chance to meet with, strangers 
to me though they might be, yet would I clasp them by 
the hand as friends. And are they not friends? Yes— 
friends in the cause of agriculture. They have labored 
to elevate that calling, great and noble in itself, but 
too long neglected and trampled in the dust. 
Much has been done for agriculture, but much re¬ 
mains to be done. Some of the recent statements be¬ 
fore the agricultural societies, show an improvement in 
culture and tillage that was not even dreamed of a few 
short years ago. The men of New England and the 
middle states need these statements to encourage them 
onward. What are we to do by and by ? is a question 
sometimes asked by farmers of these parts. How are 
we to compete with the great west ? Railroads and 
canals are multiplying—facilities are becoming greater 
every day for bringing produce from those markets to 
our seaports. They can raise every thing cheaper than 
we can. What are we to do ? Not sit down and 
mourn over our fate—not sell our farms and move there 
too—but stay where we are, and work head-work. 
Raise 100 bushels of shelled corn where we formerly 
raised 20; raise 2 tons of hay where we used to grow 
one; keep 10 cows, and good ones too, and keep them 
well, where we formerly did 5. 
We may not be able to do so this year, or next, but 
begin the good work and it will not be many years be¬ 
fore we can. Industry, science, economy—must be 
brought to aid us in the fulfilment of our purpose. 
Who are the men destined to rise in the agricultural 
world ? I answer, those who read and reflect. Now, 
more than ever, has a time come when the farmer must 
think. He that worketh ever so hard with his hands, if he 
work not with his head too, will find his intelligent neigh¬ 
bor far outstripping him, with half the physical labor 
he exerts. And those men, so wise in their own conceit 
as to suppose that they can learn nothing from a book 
or paper, on farming, will discover their error, perhaps 
too late to retrieve it. H. C. W. Putnam Valley, 
N. Y., Feb. 1, 1849. 
|j)rofit0 of Sljeep ijjttsbanfirg. 
Farming in Vermont. 
Eds. Cultivator —“What is the most profitable 
course of farming in your section of the country, and 
what is the cost of producing a pound of Merino wool?” 
These inquiries are frequently made, and they are very 
important questions, particularly as to those who have 
been grain growers, and are about to engage in sheep 
husbandry, or in the making of butter and cheese. I 
find it very difficult to adopt any method which will 
give a true estimate of the cost of producing a pound 
of wool, or of butter and cheese. I find the estimates 
that have been made vary greatly in their results. 
Should I attempt to answer these questions, I could 
hardly hope for better success than has attended the 
labors of others. In this section, grain is out of the 
Question. There is no more raised than is necessary 
for our own consumption, and of wheat not sufficient 
for that. To cattle and sheep, the farmers of Vermont 
look for the most of their profits of farming. 
I have looked at the estimates of different individu¬ 
als, of the profits of sheep husbandry and of dairies. 
There is one on sheep husbandry, by H. S. Randall, 
Esq., of Cortland, N. Y., which is incorporated in a 
report on the value of sheep husbandry, read before the 
agricultural society of Pendleton, South Carolina, and 
is published in the Patent Report of 1847, page 505. 
According to Mr. Randall’s estimate, the profits of 
sheep husbandry, are over 27 per cent, on the capital 
invested; and the cost of producing a pound of wool 
less than three cents; and a calculation, based upon Mr. 
Randall’s estimate, makes the profits of sheep husban¬ 
dry in South Carolina, over 100 per cent. That report 
also refers to the opinions of others, and says:—“Three 
very respectable gentlemen in each of the States of 
Pennsylvania, New-York and Ohio, say that one half 
of the wool will pay all the expense, where the winter 
requires five months’ feed.” It is evident from the lan¬ 
guage of that report, that the estimate, corroborated 
by the gentlemen from Pennsylvania, New-York and 
Ohio, is received as correct; and little weight, proba¬ 
bly would be given to any estimate that should vary 
greatly from one made from so experienced and intel¬ 
ligent a wool-grower, as Mr. Randall. I certainly 
should not attempt it until I had given the subject a 
careful examination. I do not question the statement 
of the product of A.’s 100 ewes; their product of both 
wool and lambs, is less than many flocks of that num¬ 
ber have produced. The profits of 100 ewes ought 
not to be taken as a test of the profits of sheep hus¬ 
bandry. We might as well take the product of one 
cow as evidence of the profits of a dairy; or 120 bush¬ 
els of corn from an acre, as a test of the profits of 
grain growing. 
The flocks of sheep in this county range from 200 to 
2000 or more. The average produce of wool per head 
in the whole state, does not exceed 2f lbs.; and the 
average price per pound, for the last six years, has not 
been as high as thirty cents. I have the statement of 
