Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1833-05-29
A C RICULTU IL AL.
CHARACTER OF A COMPLETE FARME

CHARACTER OF A COMPLETE FARMER
A complete farmer Is most careful, indus
trious and frugal as well as reputable and use
full man; and unless carefulness, industry and
economy are united in the character, it will be
an imperfect one. Although a farmer cannot
live without labor, yet by labor alone he never
can grow rich and reputable. Much depends
upon his laying out and performirrg certain
kinds Of labor in the times and seasons, when
they ought to be performed. Ii he will not
cart out his summer dung, nor plough those
lands in the fall, which he means TO seed IN the
following sprng-if he will not put his seeds
into The ground early, as soon as the season will
admit-if he will no, attend to his fences and
see that they are suAicient-and if he will not
cut his grass when it is ripe, and do every thing
necessary to secure it in good order, he will be
|perpetually hurried from one kind of labor to
another, and every one will be sighted: his
flax will not be we'll coated, nor his grain prop
Fery filled out; his corn will be shortened for
want of being we'll hoed, and his grass will he
come dead aud dry away in the field. L.,
every kind of labor, therefore, be performed IN
due season. A complete farmer is also a man
of great carefulness and soicitude; without
care, the severest labor on the best of farms
will never produce riches and plenty. Ii the
farmer will not milk his cows in season--see
that they are property tended--go to the male
in the right time, for the next years profit; and
that his dairy is neatly and carefully managed
he may labour without ceasing-will have a
small, poor breed Of cattle, and never enjoy "A
fullness Of good butter and cheese. l. is care
which makes flock increase and grow 20 a
good size, which brings forth the profits
If dairy, and fills The house of a farmer with
rood things, ii he will not carefully inspec
his fields and meadows, and see that his fences
fare in good order, his grass aud HIS corn will be
lcropt by his cattle; snd if he will not gstheI
and put them up carefully md in due season
he will have short and mouldy crop. Ii be-
mows, rakes, or folders his cattle, in careless,
lsloyenly manner, his flock viii be pnched thro
he winter, and become poor and lousy in the
Ispring--p0or oxen, too poor to do the labor OF
the season; poor cows, with little or no milk,
and wretched calves and poor horses, too fee
bic to draw, and too weak to ride with safety
If his SWINE, poultry, and stock 10 general, and
if his carts, rakes, and tools of Ill kinds arr
not carefully attended to, the farmer never can
grow rich and respectable, 1t is attention
which gradually collects from various sources,
and covers the soii with manure; it is attention
which causes The hills, fields and valleys to
yield their increase, and advances and COM
pletes the most beneficial improvements.
There is ii third virtue, without the practice
of which, farmers ran never attain to wealth
and independence: mean Economy With
out this, both labor in raising, and care IN pre-
serving the fruits of the earth, are absolutely
thrown away. Economy is an excellent vir-
tue in any man: it is Indispensable in the af.
fairs and profession of farmer. And of this
he should never be undmindful when he looks
into his barn, his cellar, or his garden, or even
his pastures; to say nothing Of his fields
moving lands and meadows. But farmers, as
well as other men, are too apt to forget, that in
their pursuit after riches, almost every thing
depends upon economy joined with Care and
industry.
A frugal, Industrious man, blessed with but
ia common share of understanding, will undoubt-
|edly succeed and advance his interest, beyond
whatever he expected, when he first set out in
life provided no singular providentia evil should
Ioveriake him More is gained by saving than
by hard labor A farmer therefore, whose ut
most pr fits are small and slow, as he cannot
grow rich suddenly from his profession, should
be rigid and steady economist. He should
consider The saving he may make in every
thing: in fuel, tools, clothes, meat, drink and
pocket expenses: above all, in his time, which
is equal to such money in hand. Every day
that his neighbor goes to market with pound
or two of butter and few eggs, if he stays at
home and keeps steady to his labor he gets two
if not three days the start of him. While his
neighbor wastes his time and spends his mon-
ley in imprudent and trifing pursuits. he saves
both time and money in dressing and improv-
ing his lands, which demand all his attention.
There is no leisure hour to be found on a farm
from early in the spring till late in the fall
Through all that whole period, a good farmer
knows how to spend every hour profitably or
his lands He can have no time to pass il
idleness-in chatting with people as they pass
by-in making needless yisits--n attending
courts, horse races, taverns, and the like. b.
these means the public is annually deprived Of
many thousand bushels of potatoes. corn, tons
Of hay, &c. and individuals themselves, be-
come poor, and fall into the worst of habits
Iidleness, gaming and dissipation.