Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-04-15

an enormous demand, IL managed with skill and
energy and industry, could not be Improbable
Let the same skill, industry and capital be devo-
ted to farming that there was to manufactures,
and farming would produce much greater profits,
and at much less expenditure of physical and in
tellectual labor and suffering. To farm prohta-
bly, man should be educated His mind should
be cultivated 1t required more talent to be
frst-rate farmer than it did to be a merchant or
manufacturer He knew farmers who had accu-
INFLATED 900 and even $4,000 by farming
And in all our farming towns men were found
depositing their hundreds Of dollars on interest
This, however was bad investment mer-
chant or manufacturer did not manage in this
way he invested his earnings in his business
so should the farmer and he would make more
money by the operation
1t was wrong in estimating the profits of al
farm, to take single crop. One crop might bel
poor, The profits Of the whole farm should be
considered Much was said at the last meeting
on the question whether there was any profit in
raising corn. He believed that there was profit
in raising this crop, even when all the labor was
hired, and the crop and the price of corn was
small. He knew farmer who paid S2l 80 an
acre for planting and raising a crop of corn the
acre Welded but As busheIs-a small crop-and
vet this crop at go cents bushel only paid for
cultiyating, and more than 6 per cent. on the
land, counting it worth 500 an acre The same
farmer let out % acres Of grass land to be cut
the hay made and delivered in the barn, for 50
ton From the % acres "a tons of hay were
cut worth at least, $40 a ton Now, calling the
land worth 500 an acre, and allowing per
cent, on this investment, would give $l63 the
cost of getting the crop, was SIP, making $340 :
but the hay was worth, at least, $780, or $500
more than the cost Of getting it, and $l6S added
This would be l3 per cent on the Investment
Now, with such facts before us, it must be evil
dent, that the application Of intelligent industry
and OF capital to farming, must make it profit
able employment; to say nothing of the health
and comfort and happiness incident to the bust
ness.
Mr.. Randolph, of East Lexington, said that
there were other sources ofproit in farming than
what could be estimated in dollars and cents
That health was not to be overlooked neither
should the moral influence of farming be disre-
garded. The prejudice Of the young against
farming, had been alluded to. He believed that
this prejudice was ,oorkcd into the farmers
boys by the drudgery to which they were unne-
ccssarily subjected, from their earliest days If
v,
he believed it must be attributed mainly to cx-
travagance in buildings, to idlencss and to mis-
management
Mr. Sheldon thought there was great profit in
farming from its tendency to improve the minds
and morals of men. The labors fthe farmer
operated powerfully to raise his thoughts to God
and to make men feel his dependence on his
r Creator When he dropped the seed, he was
reminded that God alone could make it grow
The farmer felt that he was co-worker with
his Maker. He should never forget the effect
produced on his own mind by seeing a field of
corn, which he had been hoeing cut down by
the frost
4 Mr. Wheeler, of birmingham, remarked ON
the Importance of suitable education in order
!; to render farming pleasant. A man that under
stood something Of geology agricultural chemist
ry botany, &c. would find farming much more
pleasant employment than he did who had no
such knowledge lie said boy that went to
school only ten or twelve weeks in the year, and
8 labored the remainder of the time on the farm,
would make more progress than the boy who
was kept at school all the year round, The
whole man was better educated.
To make farming profitable, such articles
should be cultivated as would sell we'll Apples,
peaches and vegetables, were all very profitable.
A farmar in Delaware, last year realized $40, 000
from his peach orchard. An apple-ralser ON the
+ Hudson river had 10000 trees and sold his APP
piles in Europe at the rate Of from - to SD a
barrel. Peaches in this market, last year though
the crop was very abundant, brought from 81 to
"a a bushcl, and from 25 cents to s shillings a
dozen.
Mr. Merriam diIated on the advantages and
delight of farming, as a source of permanent in
come and satisfying pleasure He regretted,
= however that improvements in agriculture had
: not kept pace with those in the manufacturing
and other arts. We needed professors and lee
turers on agriculture in this country, as they had
| in Prussia and other European countries
Mr.. SchouIer, of Lowell, spoke of a farm near
Cambridge Eng, of500 acres, which was rent
ed at guinea an acre. The owner was great
breeder of Sonth Down sheep, and had rams
which were valued at 300 and $50 guineas a.
piece The yearly neeces Of his ewes averaged
A s pounds each, and of his rams pounds.
= Mr.. Clark, of the Senate said if manufacture
| crs had managed their business with as little
! skill as farmers had, they would all have beer
banlrupts long ago. The manufacturer consult
ed the market, and made such articles as would
sell the farmers did not generally regard the
market; some did, and made money. He spoke,
also, ofthe vast amount of waste land that was
valueless now, which might be reclaimed, and
: some Of it made the most profitable land in the
! country He knew from personal experiment
e that bog lands might be made to pay 5 cent.
S by retaining them. During an acquaintance
of 25 years with farmers, he could not remember
an instance of failure where the man had conlin.
ed himself to farming.
The discussion of this prolific subject is to be
continued at the next meeting. Irac-
cHcr