Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-02-17

all would rely upon The general operations OF the
farm for living, one might choose to look TO
tbs rearing Of horses, as afTording the main hope
Of accumulation, another 70 the products Of the
dairy, another to the sale OF grass-fcd, and
another TO that Of siallafed beef; and il might
be that the same farm would answer we'll for
either Of these courses. There is, therefore,
some room for choice on the part Of farmers al
ready located, as well as much on the part Of
those, whose field Of industry is yet to be chos-
en- /; and there canno, be the least doubt that it
contributes IS well TO national as TO Individual
prosperity, that each man should pursue branch
Of industry for which he has fondness, be-
cause in that he will be likely 10 excel.
Next to the importance Of each farmer being
suited with his employment, is that Of each
farm being put to its best use, OF, II il admits
Of several uses, than to that use, for which 1t Is
as valuable as for any other; and we would
have every farmer in the land ask himself, not
what he would undertake to produce, if he
we're on some other farm nor what his farm
might best produce, IL some other man were on
il, but what is the best use that can be made Of
that very farm, such in soil and surface and 10
cation as II is, himself being on il, with all his
tastes and predictions, the circumstances and
wants Of his family being taken into the ac-
count He nigh, say that il a certain neigh
Dor Of his, with sirappng wife and working
daughters, had that farm, dairying would be the
business but that his wife had neither the
strength 10 labor nor the tact 10 command fe-
male help. and that, for these reasons, that
branch Of business was out Of the question for
him. He would then inquire, to what other
use, equally valuable, and more consonant with
the tastes and circumstances Of his family,
could that farm be put An intelligent settle
ment Of the question. what is best TO be done
with farm, located as it Is, rich OF poor in soil
as il may be, rough or, smooth, rocky or feasa-
BILE, well watered or otherwise, with due regard
TO the feelings and circumstances Of those who
occupy il. would be worth millions upon mil
lions to the agricultural interests Of our country
and yet none but the farmer, 10 each case, can
settle this question, because many Of the cir
cumstances. which would bear upon the case
and modify the conclusion, arc known only to
himself.
We would no, ask the farmer to concede that
his former course has been wrong. It may
have been right ia its relations to the past and
yet different course might be better suited to
the altered condition OF the present and the TO-
ture. Farming is not business to be success
ful Of course. We have known some village
merchants, who have bought their goods in
market at whatever the johber chose to ask,
have taken them home and marked them at so
per cent, advance, and then brooded over them
I'LL somebody, in the absence Of all competition,
was fool enough to buy them and after jog
ging on few decades Of yeats in this stupid
way, have rusled out and left a handsome
estate to their children. But those times have
now gone by and We reckon that the mer-
chant who should now enact the same practice
would need that his children should provide
for him in old age. So with regaid TO farming.
we are suspicious that some modes, which
have served well enough TO get through life
with heretofore, will afford but poor bridge
to go over on hereafter and while we would
counsel no violent changes, we do wish that all
farmers would lay themselves open to the ques-
tons We have suggested. We believe that il
would lead 10 some cases at least 10 the adop-
tion Of less beli,tleng variety Of petty en-
ploymcnt, and TO move manly, vigorous and
staples Of life. such in each case as The farm is
best adapted TO produce.
To illustrate more fully our views Of narrow
ing the operations OF farm 10 a few, and Of
pushing those to which the farm is bes, adaied
more vigorously suppose your farm TO be in
the vicinity Of large city and to be well adapt
ed TO the production Of fruits and Vegetables, is
it not manifest, that, by giving yourself up to
that species Of production, you can become ex-
pert in il, can do il better than one who is
meddling with every thing, and in short can
make that farm more productive Of your own
and the public good, than il il were cultivated
with all the variety Of inland farms
Again, il your farm is near the city, and is of
rich, deep soil, nearly all arabic, fi for wheat,
barley, oats, rye, and Indian corn; and if its
situation is such that you can easily bring ma
nure from the city, can you not make il grain
farm, looking for your income mainly 10 the
sale Of those cereals, directly from the field
And by making il your principal business 10
grow the cereals, could you not do that BUSH
ness better aud more successfully, than one,
nine-tenths Of whose thoughts and observations
are employed in other mattersi If you ask
wha, shall be done with your straw, the answer
is sell it; il is always in demand and you are
one Of The few who can afford to sell every thing
that grows from your soil, for the plain reason,
that you can buy any quantity Of manure.
But suppose again that you own a similar
farm, one admirably adapted to the production
of the cereals, but il lies back in the country
where you cannot advaniageously purchase ma
nure You can no lonoer limit vonrself IN n
single branch of farming We will suppose
that you have decided that your farm is better
for blowing than for grazing. Your purpose is
still to grow the cereals. But you must not
sell them, straw and all, from the farm. Two
thirds Of them at least must be expended on
the farm, or it WILDE impoverished. You will
have, therefore, to add another branch Of busi-
ness-ihat Of turning the primary products Of
your farm into secondary products for the mar
ket, thereby returning large proportion Of
their iertilizing properties on your farm, which
may DO done in either or all Of the three follow