Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-09-21
MONTPELIER, VERMONT,


:
Those who have strictly investigated the sub
ject, consider large farms comparatively less pro.
ductive than small ones; while they at the same
time impose upon their owners degree Of labor
much greater in proportion than would seem to
be REQUIRED by the mere difference of size. The
cause, it is thought, lies altogether in the differ.
ence of management. A farmer in moderate
circumstances, with fifty or sixty acres of land,
for instance will bring every inch of it into
high state of cultivation-the labor employed in
preparing his grounds will be more than doubly
compensated in his subsequent exemption from
toll; while the owner of a wide spread territory
of three or four hundred acres. which he has but
sparlngly supplied with nourishmcnt, must work
more sedulousy upon every acre during the pro-
gress OF vegetation, and after all, reap but mea-
gre and inadequate harvest. AS single acre of
land highly cultivated, can be made to yield
crop equal to three or four acres scantiIy prepar.
ed it must be obvious, that the extra labor in
dressing the former is abundantly more than
saved by the diminished labor in attending it.
A striking exemplifcation of this fact may be
viewed by any of our farmers, who will take the
trouble to visit the grounds attached to the house
OF Industry at South Boston-there, they NAV
have the theory and the illustration directly before
their eyes. Those grounds, it is said, have pro-
duced this season, from three to four tons of
hay per acre-whlch is three or four times the
quantity of ordinary crops So exuberant was
the grass, that there actually was moi room, upon
the surface where it grew sufficient for the pur-
pose of making the hay. And this was entirely
owing, as we are told, to the previous pains tax
en- to enrich the soil by plentiful additions ofsuit.
able compost
Were the same policy pursued by the owners
oil large farms, there would be little need of emf.
grating from the New England to the Western
states; for the very tracts which now under a
careless system ofculture barely afford sustenancc
for singIy family, might be made to support
three or four and that too, with much less toll
and trouble IN proportion to the quantity cult.
waited Many of our farmers grasp at the man.
agement OF too spacious territory-the conse-
quence is, they impose upon themselves state
OF slavery they accumulate nothing, except now
and then an additional patch of waste land which
serves only to increase their 5urhens without
augmenting their income. Were they, on the
contrary, to conhne their exertions to smaller
spots, while their crops could be rendered eouaI
ly II, not more abundant. they would themselye:
ENJOY lite better-become more independent. anC
with their usual share Of sagacity and frugality
more wealthy they would acquire time to instti
tute experiments, and to examine improvements
they would attain what they now scarcely eve
possess-lelS"re-whereby we mean not the priv
llege of being lazy but that sort of leisure which
poor Richard describes as time for doing some
thing useful'-time for study, for reflection, 70
familiar converse, for looking after the education
of their young--in short, for realizing the bless
lngs after which they are constantly toilng.-
We are no practical farmer-but, according t,
the proverb, wink from blind horse is some
times serviceable