The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1840-12-01
SVAGES-LARGE FARMS.

We cut the following from an address of MICH
oLAs BIDpLE, Eso-the Monster ms he is often
called by some politicians-deiivered at the Phil
| adelphia Agricultural Exhibitions:
With regard to wages, it may sound strangely, yet
| believe il to be true that the real interests of all
farmers is that wages should be high, and for this
| reason. laborng man is not mere machine
| human poor box, into whose mouth is put daily
number of cents never to re.appear, but living be
ing with wants and desires, which he will fail
to CRAFTY the moment he possesses The means. If
he can earn only scanty pitance, just enough to
Keep him alive, he starves on ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
food bread d. waei, half fed, hafclad, wholly un
taught animal, with useless mouih!ul OF carnivc.
rous tee,h.-But ifhIs wages increase, he Instantly
employs them in comforts; in clothes for himself
and family: and as he rises in the scale, ventures
on the taste of meet. tie employs tailor-a shoe
make IA hatter-a butcher--and these in turn,
purchase the materials OF their trade from the farm
or h imself. The laborer becomes thus customer
of himsclf, and the buyer ofother customers-and
the farmer receives back with abundant interest the
difference which he advances the first instance
between high and low wages. 1t is for this a
son that of our shrewdcst farmers used to say
yes, give our laborers good wages, and they will
buy onr beef. Thus, too, the bounties, of Provi
dence 60 around, a benefcent ci,cle-nnd after
making the lsborer better fed better clad, better
taught-.in Short better man, the farmer himself
is richer, for the very benefits he dlspenses De-
pend upon it, there is 81 IN of national pros
perty than high wagcs-and God grant that for
many a long year it may be the lot Of our country
men, who subsiss by tn labor Of their HANDS, to
work well-to be paid we'I--snd to live well.
Ard now we come TO the real reason why our
crops do not equal those ofEngland II is that our
farms are too large too large for the we EN-
ploy in flaming them. Agriculture is the only pur
suit know, where the owner does not employ his
capital in his business He rents or buys a large
farm. and then has nothing left TO stock it with
lie might rs well rent large store without goods
enough 20 fill single corner of it. In Finland, it
supposed necessary, be fore renting land that the
tenant should have a working capital, of thirty or
forty dollars an acre, 10 employ. 1t is calculated
that besides lime and other enrichinC substances
the cos, of the mere animal applied to the
soil OF England, amounts to three hundred mill.
ions of dollars being moro than the value ef it's
whole foreign commerce. Ye the grateful soil
yields back with interest all that Is thus lavished
upon it. And so j; would do here, il we would
only trust tho earth with portion Of our capital.
But this rarely do A farmer who has made
any money spends it not in his business, but in
some other occupation. He buys mere land when
he ought to buy more manure or puts out his mon.
ey in Joint stock company, convert sunshine in.
10 moonshine; or else he buys shares in some gold
mine or 'end mine. Rely upon it, richest mine
is the barn yard, and that whatever temptations
stocks shares may OFFER the best inves tmcnt for
a farmer is lice stoch and piough-shares.