The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-03-27
Farming, &c.
Massachusetts, Legislative Ag-
riculturaI Society.
The subject under consideration ON Tues

Mr. Sheldon ofWilmington, said that som
people denied that there was any profit j
farming. He believed otherwise; that Their
was no business which gave better prof
than farming, if systematically carried OF
One evidence to his mind Of this, was tn
act that nine out often farmers, without an
systen contrved TO get along. In coun
y town, if mechanic failed he was sure L
ave the farmerand yet with all his losses, TN
Mmer contrived TO live. Many men get n
"A wg without labor; they got their living on
somebody, and that somebody was the far
ler. And still the farmer lived; and this too
" 6rthe most part without any system. Their,
was no other business that would give n mnr
a\Hiug with so little system as most farmer,
had in their business Men ofcapital faiIer
in thehhrming operations. But why? Be
cause they tnrmed to suit their taste g. fancy
and not for dollars aud cents. fla man Womb
make farming profitable, he must not spend
money IN digging trenches four feet deep
and putting up such stone wall ms they some.
lines heard about. a man might easily spend
more money IN fencing his farm than the farm
itself was worth. Fifty cents rod for stone
wall was as much ms Il farmer could afford 10
pay 1t he would make farming profitable.
There were other and more economical
ways OF fencing some Kinds of land thnn Inv
mlIdng stone wall. A fence Of pitch pine
trees might lie raised from the seed ON some
IanGs mat were ut for nothing else: and birch
sea might be sown for lhesaipe burmese On
other kiuSrS OF land. And in RESPECT 10 the
psc Of mmnure, farmers often missed it very
much in not taking more pains to prepare
cLer manure. 1t was oiien put on the ground
ngYh a state as to be comparatively waltz
lea: lie believed there was ii profit in raj
so!corL Halfofthe crop oFnn acre ofcorn
"A wnhpay Tor well manuring Jhe land: and
n tya @r SIX years the land, after Icing SOW
y aGown, w0nld need no cultivation and
niId yicad handsome crop of grass every
'l@r And grass land ought never to be
nn%ed up except 10 enrich il, in order TO lay
dowM AGAIN Let young man, Just start
1E,, clear HP aud plow and plant, and set out
aPPle trees, and re ten years each of his trees
Would he WORTH mGre than ten dollars piece
Ven were ia tee miuch ola hurry: they could
not wait for the profits affirming.
Mr. ID. W. Lincoln 81 Worcester, did not
agrec with Mr. Skcidou in his views express
cd, respecting tiie profits of farming. He
doubted if frming would afford anything
more than u comfortable living. As for the
tnSness paid so poorly as farming He be-
Iieed that day laborer, who should let him
,!ito farmer, would make more money
dM the farmer wli0 hired him; aud would,
aten years time, bc almost able to buy out
the farmer for whom he had been Iaboring,
with the very wages paid to him. 1t was the
common error Of agricultural writers To eX-
aggerate. lie often heard ofraising one hun
dred bushels ofcorn on IA acre. lie would
not say that this could not be done, but he
would gladly 90 one hundred miles to see it.
The same extravaganza was common in
speaking OF other crops. Ii was too much of
II guess work.
Mr. Peters ofWestborO,' thought that there
n1Ibe profit in farming. lie had succeed
cam bringing up IL family of eight children
w the profits Ofhalt of his fathers farm. He
'olevcd that there was fair profit TO he
made by raising corn ut Is cents bushei,
even II you paid Sl2 o. SIS month for la
Oor He had got 80 bushels from one acre,
and could cultivate it for about $50 an acre.
GOULD man live as comfortably OH the III
come otS3000 ms he could on II farm worth
lint money? He did not believe it possible.
Nr Denny of the Senate, thought the sub
ectbetore them that evening was the most
Important that they had yet considered. lie
,01Id not concur with the gentleman from
worcester in the opinion that all the farmer
colId getwas mere living. Take two thous-
.d young men; let one half of them become
LrmerS, and let the other half devote them
selves 10 merchandise, and in twenty years,
aebelieved that it would be found that the
'xners i,cd made the most money.
lieat Gov. Rec. remarked on the great
'langes which had taken rlace since he was
aVoy' The young men from the country
were now crowding into the city: some of
nese got rich, and that rendered others who !
anew them in the country, uneasy. But,
suppose 100 out ofl000 did get rich-richer
nan the entire900 others; was there as much
happhess in that community as there would
nave been had they all remained in the cotn-
ny ana cultivated the soil? 1t was the dis
p p;,; OF the times-and very bad dispo-
L,"a Nwas-not onlyto get rich, but to make
no Ys y. " oe rich Farming was not the bust |
wos 10 80 into to get rich on; but ifhappiness
,, I" an ooJect there wasno business so well
,o,In 70 promote this as farming. Taste
mo un "o Gr, De much gratiffed by common far
Gr;, iney must be contented with good
tod "S pront. They must learn to be conten-
m"n WIN iood and raiment. The increase of
nv G,nuIes was greatly helping the farmer
NJ urEniiShllg ready market for his produce. |
o,0 "r shepard of the Senate, was deeply i'm
y was with the conviction, that if farming
ro WI" no' profitable, it was for the want of G.
naOm nanny IN labor. Iflabor was as misappied
m m""y Other kind of business as it was in far
mn, "E 4; 1t would be the ruin ofmen. Could he
p" "' ,''liSeIf back 20 years, with his expert
10 onn "e would take the farm in preference
any other work.
,o1 Inc same subject is to be discussed at the
%T,a D Profits Of Farming. -TTav
p,ris iLoolsil person went to the parson of the
him h ana making up very long face, told
BY , u" n had seen g host as he was passing
oftbss grave yard moving along against the side