359 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
•-- 
1851. 
rigation to run in on,e of the main ditches for eight hours, 
then changes it to another for about the same period of 
time, and then to the third. There is an advantage in 
this—the grass is not kept continually wet, and the 
danger of a too rapid and spindling growth is avoided; 
when grass on watered meadows grows too fast and falls 
down, as all know, it is light, hollow, and of little value, 
but when a steady growth takes place, the value of the 
grass is equal to that of the best grasses which are not 
aided in their growth by the use of water. An opinion 
seems to prevail with some that if the water ceases to flow 
upon watered meadows from drouth or other causes, 
they will in consequence become more parched and feel 
the dry weather more than if they had not been watered 
at all. This I am convinced is a mistake. I saw at Mr. 
Clift’s some fields, which, owing to the excessive dry 
weather and consequent low state of the streams, had 
not had a particle of water upon them for something 
like six weeks, and yet the grass upon them was rich 
and luxuriant, and bore a striking contrast to other fields 
which were out of the reach of irrigation. Nor is it 
alone at Mr. C.’s I have noticed this; wherever my ob¬ 
servation has extended the result has been the same. 
General Arrangement of the Farm. —There is up¬ 
on the farm of Mr. Clift great attention paid to making 
everything as convenient as possible. Water, that in¬ 
dispensable requisite for man and beast, abounds every 
■where. The house, the barns, the yards, are all amply 
supplied, and care is taken that at no time shall those 
supplies be cut off, at least so far as lies within the power 
of man to provide against the contingencies of drouth, 
&c. I give the following as an example. Several springs 
are connected by means of lead pipes, so that in the 
event of the main spring which supplies the house be¬ 
coming low, the others are made to flow into it, thus 
giving an abundant supply at all times. 
The arrangement for keeping the mik cool and sweet, 
between the time of milking and the time of despatching 
it to the cars, was both convenient and efficacious. A 
large trough is kept constantly filled with water brought 
from a spring, through lead pipes, and if required, ice 
ean be added to make the water colder. 
An ample ice-house adds much to the comfort and 
convenience of the household. The milk-house, where 
the blitter for family use was manufactured, was built 
of stone, and so constructed as to combine convenience 
and good ventilation. There was one thing which could 
not fail of attracting my attention, and that was the per¬ 
fect neatness, both in this and other household depart¬ 
ments, which came under my eye, and which fully as¬ 
sured me that Mrs. Clift was a true farmer’s wife, and 
that her duties were by no means neglected. 
Reflections. —I have now taken a rapid survey of 
Mr. Clift’s farm; the few hours I was there did not al¬ 
low me time to make as thorough detailed an examina¬ 
tion of everything I saw, as I could have wished, but it 
may serve to convey to the reader some idea of the cost 
and labor which has attended the progress of its owner, 
as step by step, he has brought it from its former wild 
condition, till it now u blossoms like the rose,” and now, 
perhaps, as that reader, who may be a plain working 
farmer, with small means, thinks of the ample barns, 
the large stone walls, and the numerous conveniences, 
he will say to himself —“ Yes! this is all very well, but 
no doubt Mr. Clift started the world with a handsome 
sum of money, and money can accomplish many things.” 
It is not my wish here, to bring the private affairs of any 
man before the public; this, however, I will say, that 
Mr. C. has made the bulk of what he now possesses from 
his soil. He is, and always has been, a working far - 
mer. 
The means with which he started the world, were 
small, when compared with the end which has been ob¬ 
tained. Mr. C. has always gone upon the principle, that 
without labor no great thing can be achieved, and he has 
argued, also, that if he could make his own labor profi¬ 
table, he could make that of another so, and he has, 
therefore, never been afraid to hire help when needful. 
The sums paid out for labor have been large, and have 
been met from the profits of the farm. Now, in regard 
to hiring labor, I cannot but think, that generally, far¬ 
mers are too much afraid of spending money in this way. 
If a man neglects his business, does no work himself, 
and hires men to do for him what he ought to have done 
himself, he must, of course, make a bad business of 
farming; but if after doing all he can, he finds things are 
neglected for want of time, and many things which 
ought to have been done, are left undone, for want of 
physical labor to perform them, it is our humble opinion 
that such neglect will tell against him much stronger 
than the dollar paid out would have done. One man 
can perform but a certain amount of labor, and it is fol¬ 
ly for him to attempt more than he can perform well— 
whether the labor be mental or physical. It is a custom 
with many farmers, when a few dollars more are made 
than barely enough to support their families, to put it 
out at six or seven per cent interest, when, had it been 
invested properly upon their farms, which an inspection 
would tell stood much in need of it, they might have 
received 10 per cent for their investment. 
Now I am far from recommending the expenditure of 
money upon a farm by working farmers, for fancy im¬ 
provements ; but there is a certain class of improvements 
which, if judiciously made, will always pay a handsome 
profit;—good fences, good out-buildings, and all arrange¬ 
ments tending to convenience and labor saving, will be 
found to pay the farmer a better interest for a while, at 
any rate, than seven per cent on bonds and mortgages, 
or money put out on merchants’ and traders’ notes, who 
often times make a failure, and rob the farmer of his hard 
earned gains. 
There is one thing that operates much against the im¬ 
provement of farms in our country, and that is the fact 
that so few farms remain for a great length of time in 
the same family. In England and some other countries 
of Europe, farms remain for j 7 ears and years in the same 
family; whether that family is large or small, some one 
or more of its members takes possession of the home¬ 
stead on the death of their parents, and works it as 
formerly. Not so here, even if a man takes the voca¬ 
tion of his father for his own and occupies the same farm, 
he is not apt to have it long before he is possessed with 
the idea of “ selling out to go west.” He will not im¬ 
prove his farm therefore, for he is always expecting to 
move, even if he does not. and he thinks t: it will not pay 
to improve for other folks, for nobody will pay the 
