Nebraska advertiser., 1856-08-23
9putmet,
From the Rural New Yorker.
he PROFITS OF


From the Rural New Yorker.
THE PROFITS OF FARMING.
"a screw loose inscience," by c. D.,
in. the RuraI of the 14thult., is a most
valuable article, and I would amend
his well-timed motto by adding, stake
heed chat you urite, and what you read
and hear" IhsEe seen several articles
in the Rural, by practical farmers,
headed "WinF Farming Pay, - els Farm
ing Profitable" &C., followed by state
ments of the expense of producing,
and the mountreceived.fro a bounti-
ful crop, or a successful field, footing
ZIP a nett profit of $25, $50, and some
times $50 per acre, after paying all
expenses, together with the interest on
the capital invested. IF these state
meats are intended to convey an idea
Of the amount of profit that the farmers
annually realize from theirproductions,
it gives a very wrong view of things,
and it too often awakens expectations
IN young and inexperienced beginners,
which cannot be realized; hencea year
or two of sad experience not unfre-
queRtly banishes the delusive hopes of
making fortune, andthey quitfarming
with disgust. The truth is that farm
ing is not the business to make a for
. tune at in a day, nor a year, but it is
a pursuit that there is not the risk of
losing what you have got; it is the
vocation whereby the Industrious and
economical man can be sure of having
the comforts of life, and an indepen-
dent home in old age, and that is all
that wealth can give.
The profit. Of farming cannot be
estimated.by the value Of one bountiful
crop, nor anyparticula piece Ofground,
for there is but a small portion of any
farm that produces annually such
..bountiful crops. The pasture, the
=. summer fallow, andthe frequent failure
of crops adds little per acre to the
farmers receipts, and there are various
items Of expense which are never
charged to any particular crop or field.
To make a correct estimate of the
. real profit Of farming, nothing must
be estimated as credit but that which
is sold,. together with the increased
value. of the stock and the improve.
ments made. on the farm. Nothing
that is consumed at home canbe count.
cd as profit from the. farm, unless there
are members of the family who are
notlaborers, or animals kept for hire
The value of the hay and pasture, il
d. realized from the profit of the animals
which consume it. You must no.
. estimate the value of the corn raised
and the amount received from the porl
. of the hogs which eat it. Then tn,
farm must be charged as Dr.. to all tn,
. labor.performed, your own, as well a
the hired, the women as well as tn,
men, for the-past year Winter as wei
as Summer-the expense of wear am
tear of. stock and tools, which is
heavy amount. if you will foot up tn
blacksmith bill, the wagon-maker, tn
harness-maker, the plow-maker, an,
the furnaceman's bills, together wit
the price of the forks, rakes, hoes
scythesya n cradles, which were bough
the past season, and the interest of tn
capital invested, which includes tn
cash value of stock and tools, as we,
as the price of the farm; the expens
of repairing fences of buildings; high
way end county taxes; the cost of th
groceries consumed by the laborers-
all have to be paid for, from the Pre-
ducts of the farm and have to b
charged as farm DR.. Deduct the del
from the credit, and you have the prof
of the farm for one year. But ther
is often so much difference in I'll
amount of productions, and the markt
- value of farm commodities in diferer
years, that it is necessary to take a
average of anumber of years to-ascel
tain the real profit Of farming.
But if farming is such a slow bus
ness to make rich, how has it happene
that. the Farmers of Western Ne
York have got so well along? 1t b;
been by forty years Of unremitte
exertiOn, and most igideeonomy. tn;
they have accumulated their propert,
and there are few vocations in tn
country where faithful industry cam
earn more than it is necessary fl
themt to pendinprocuring the comfor
of life. w. .GARBuTT
June, 1856.