Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-11-12
SMALL FARMS.

Mr. EDIroR:-I find in an old Roman poet this
prccept to Roman farmers
"Praise a large farm,-tl a small one.''
Although it was penned almost two thousand
years ago, yet it applies with undated force to
American, and especially to New England farmers.
There is among tlers of the soil passion to be
large landowners, which is prejudcial, highly pre-
dujicial to the agricultural interest. Many begin
life pennyess and landlcss. Their first scanty earn
ngs are spent in the purchase of land. They go on
as their means increase, adding field to field until
some of them may have half township in their
possession. For this object they rise early sit up
ate and eat the bread Of carefulness. For this they
sacrifice all improvement of themselves.
Now is there not more excellent way would
it not be better for and-holders to moderate their
passion for land to be content with few acres ana
spend their surplus money in the more careful tage
Of those few? There would then be land in New
England for all that desire it; agricultural skill would
be developed, and many enterprlsing persons would
be retained on farms through life to ENABLE the pur-
suits Of their carly years, to enlghen by their IN
structon and example their fellow-laborers, while
they are now driven to shops, to merchandise ana
to professional only to be bafed at every turn OF
fortune
No one thing, at this time, is more detrimental to
the farmers of New England than their propensity
to till too much land 1t is making counties poorer
every year. So great has been this impoVerlshmennt
that it is estimated that thousand million of dollars
States to the high fertility it possessed when the
woodlands first feled the forests and let in the
and this same process must go on till we learn
that first lesson in farming; that our income does
not depend upon the scanty tillage of many acres
but upon the liberal tillage of few.
There is an intimate connection between large ana
scanty crops-the earth makes just returns She
yields sparingly or bountifully, just as men deal
sparingly bountifully with her. As most men
having large farms, have no capital besides their
land, buildings aud stock, they not able to in
.troduce more expensive but tried modes of culture
to make experiments or to reclaim their waste lands
When they are urged to make such and such I'M
provements, their plea invariably, is, 1--WE cannot
afford it. The best we do is to support our
families and pay our taxes. Improvement is out OF
the question" So they go on, year after year, in
those old ways Of culture by which large part
of New England soil has become so proftess.
l would suggest to these large land-holders that
they turn part of their land back again into capital,
and that they that capital in tling they ought
to till the rest. Or if they have sons, to divide =
portion among them.-Then they would be compel-
ed to limit their own strength and skill to smaller
surface.-Their not income would be greater, their
lands would become better, the withcred pasture
lands would receive more attention, and the mead
ows, those mines of agricultural wealth, would de
drained and recovered. N. f.. Farmer.