266 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Atjg. 
' premiums offered for crops of various kinds, and as the 
societies all demand affidavits from the several parties 
concerned, such as the surveyor who surveys the ground, 
the party who raises the crop, and the person or persons 
who assist in gathering and harvesting the crops, there is 
little room left for deception. The nett profit on these 
crops, after deducting all expenses, interest of land, &c., 
&c., varies from $30 to 100 per acre, according to circum¬ 
stances—the average may be considered $50 per acre. I 
presume no one will deny that this is a large profit on the 
capital invested. 
But. says one, still doubtful that anything can be made 
by farming, remember this is but one acre; it is not to be 
expected that a man can have his whole farm in such 
order. Here then, is just the very point that I would 
urge upon the attention of the farmers in our section 
of country at least. It is a system of thorough culture , 
combined with proper calculation—from these alone, are 
we to look for large profits. Land half worked can never 
more than half pay. Thorough culture is the only true 
system for any farmer, whether he cultivates 10 acres or 
100. The more I have thought of this, scanned it from 
every side, and turned it over and over in my mind, and 
the more I have read about it, the more have I been sa¬ 
tisfied that it is in the difference between imperfect and 
thorough culture, that lies all the mystery why some far- 
mers make so little, and some so much. And now, in 
the next place, (for I must run over the subject rapidly, 
as in the space allotted for an article like this, we cannot 
be expected to cover the whole ground,) how are we to 
go to work, to introduce this system of thorough culture 
and calculation to the farming community generally. 
There are two ways in which this can be done, and 
they are both somewhat connected, namely: By prac¬ 
ticing it ourselves, thereby showing its utility, and by 
inducing farmers to think upon the subjects connected 
with their occupation. The first of these things is com¬ 
paratively easy, but some difficulty attends the second. 
To overcome prejudices—to break down old systems of 
farming suited to by-gone days—to induce men to read 
and reflect about what they have always supposed need¬ 
ed no thought or reflection—all these and many other 
things are hard to contend with. But let us not despair 
—the object to be accomplished is a great one, and pa¬ 
tience and perseverance will do much. 
First, then, I say, let us conduct our own farming 
operations in a proper manner, with due regard to the fact 
that we wish to reap the reward of ourlabor and to receive 
the largest amount of profit upon our capital invested. 
Let us keep regular accounts with the several depart¬ 
ments of our farms—the stock, crops, &c. &c.—let us 
calculate the cost of raising every article produced upon 
the farm, whether live stock, grain, or ought else—let 
us mark well what pays a profit and what does not. 
There is nothing, perhaps, in which farmers, as a class, 
are more negligent than in this one point, of keeping ac¬ 
counts. Few, so called, practical farmers have any 
idea of what number of pounds of hay a yoke of oxen 
will consume during the foddering season: so too of cows, 
horses, sheep, &c. &c.; everything is fed by guess work, 
and in consequence much farm produce is sold by guess 
work too. Merchants keep accounts, without them their 
business would certainly prove a failure; go to a mer¬ 
chant to buy goods, who has just received a supply from 
some city or distant country, who has not yet seen his 
bills or made up the amount of cost, and what will he 
tell you? “ I do not know, sir, what to ask for those 
goods. I have not yet calculated their cost.” But alas! 
what do too many farmers do? They calculate the cost 
of nothing. "We raised this grain, say they, and we can 
afford to feed it out, it cost us nothing. Ah, my friend, 
is the expenditure of bone and muscle which that bush¬ 
el of corn or potatoes cost thee, nothing? Were the 
drops from thy sweaty brow, with which thou watered 
many a hill through the long summer day, worth noth- 
ing? Other men in other occupations, live by their la¬ 
bor, whether of the body or the mind. Calculate then, 
friend, and know what thy labor is worth to thee. 
I well know that circumstances alter cases, and that 
different systems of agriculture are suited to different 
sections; but I do say, without fear of contradiction, that 
in many sections the system generally pursued, is such 
an one, that without the most rigid economy, amounting 
even to parsimony, farmers could not live by their labor; 
and I attribute the fault, not to our noble calling, but 
to the negligence and want of calculation of those con¬ 
cerned in it. I have no theory to support, no selfish ends 
to serve; I only wish to awaken thought upon these sub¬ 
jects among farmers, and especially among the farmers 
of this section of our country. If I am wrong in my 
views, no man will be happier to be set right. 
In regard to the question, how shall we induce farmers 
to think upon the subjects connected with their occupa¬ 
tion, let me propose the following plan. I do not know 
of its ever having been tried, or how it will succeed gen¬ 
erally, but perhaps some few districts at least may be 
benefitted by it. 
Let notices be given out that monthly meetings in every 
school district will be called, beginning in October and 
ending in March; this would give six meetings during the 
winter. Let the district school-house be the place of 
meeting. At these meetings let such articles be read 
from the Transactions of the State Society, and from 
agricultural papers, as may be deemed interesting and 
beneficial to those present. 
Some men will get together and listen to a little read¬ 
ing, whereas if they remained at home they would not 
touch a book during a winter evening, but doze in the 
chimney corner, or around the stove, or be at work at 
some manual labor, thinking they could not spare time 
to read a book. 
Let such questions as the following be presented for 
their consideration: The cost of rearing stock, from the 
time of birth till three years old; the number of pounds 
of hay a yoke of oxen will consume during the fodder¬ 
ing season; the cost of wintering, (not half starving,) a 
cow, a horse, a sheep, &c., &c., during the whole fodder¬ 
ing season; the number of quarts of milk given by a good 
cow during the year; the number of quarts given by (he 
same during the first week after the calf has been taken 
away, or four weeks after calving—this to be done by act¬ 
ual measurement in a quart measure, not by milking 
in a pail supposed to hold a certain number of quarts; 
the number of bushels of corn usually raised on an acre 
