The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1858-04-14
Useful saints to Farmer,

"oo'osS, IL ~ Nou0tIymau, aaeNn86, OF Nl0lngor
Min"
Useful saints 70 Farmers.
LAYING OUT FARMs.-Order is found in all the visi
Bile workings Of nature, and in those operations which
the flight Of ages alone make a~pparent-though they
are never ceasing-resularity is found under the guild
ance Of unalterable law. Man has within himself per
ceptions Of the beautiful, and he who has them in tht
largest degree will delight to see everything about hin
arranged with the greatest precision Of order and beauty
But order is not only q feature Of beauty, but is eve,
the friend and ally Of usefulness.
There is nothing in this Western country to proven,
o farmer laying out his fields in such manner, IS, while
it shall be truly looked upon IS admirable order, it viii
save ; vast deal of inconvenience, or what is the same
thing = world Of works. l wish to say here that l dc
not intend my remarks to apply to those who, by reason
OF scarcity Of mesns, are incapable Of putting them Il
practice; but they who have the facilities, cannot fail
to see the Importance of Immediately attending to it.
1st. 1t is the basis Of systematic agriculture to divide
the farm into fields Of the same size, if possible, so as
to admit Of a yearly rotation of crops and 4 sufficient
number Of fields, to give each crop its appropriate field
I'd. These fields should all be reached by roads,
S4t0c PuOuC IOSO0) VI SpcCI3l AUx0 SOS0Se 30 Is never
TO pass through any one to reach another
8. To save fencing material and labor, and enhance
the beauty, fences should be made straight, and fields
square, or rectangular. 1t will save material for them,
and labor, and adds still more to beauty if the fence be
q post and board fence, or post and bar.
4th. Placing the farmhouse and barn-if water be
convenieut-as near to the centre az practicable.
A large majority Of farms in this county consis. Of
100 acres each, and for such a farm VI would give the
following plan &C subdivision Should there be 50 OF
40 acres of openings, it will form a good ~pasturage for
cattle, while . small part should be fenced Of for hogs.
This will leave 100 acres to be looked after. If the
quarter section be square, and q road running through
it. l would divide my cultivated land into fields of 20
acres each-So rods long by 40 Withdrawing the IN
cultivated part for the time being With the. woodland
pasture, unless a road interviewed. If the public road
lay along side of it, the same division may take place,
with the farm road running along on a line of ~forties,
30 that all the fields may open into one lane, and q part
Of the fields will also open into the public road. Each
feld should have as many gates or bar openings a.
necessary, for it will not do to be letting down fences
always.
For a farm of so acres With 20 acres Of timber, the
fields should not have more than 10 acres, and l would
select, if possible, other circumstances being favorable,
the poores. land upon any farm, for the barn and barn
yard for this reason mainly: a b~arn.yard, if it be ele.
waited, serves to enrich the ground for a considerable
space around, and as it will need less fe~rtilizing at a
remote distance from the barn, much labor may be
saved by not having to draw the manure to q great dis.
lance.
In laying out any sized farm, from 40 TO 800 acres,
l should make no difference in the size of the field re.
served for an orchard. Not less than s acres. Fruit
is an important thing in the dietary economy, and too
little attention is being paid to its cultivation. No farm
is complete without it's orchard Of apples, cherries,
plums, blackberries, Strawberries, sooseberries, all OF
which may be raised here, there is no question. The
orchard of farm may be contiguous to the garden, and
should open into ? yard leading 70 tie house, and also
into a lane leading to the barn.
have given these few hints, which shall be enlarged
upon at some future day, hoping that some who have
the means, will not be backward to act upon these sug-
gestions. Such order and system can only be brought
about by yearly additions and growth. Hence begin
now, to make farming easy and pleasant. Make sub.
divisions Of your farm as fast as you can. AS soon as
possible get up good barns and shelters for fodder and
stock. At the earliest day practicable, set out an
orchard, and add to your stock yearly the best kind Of
berries. Set out ornamental trees, in your door yards
and along your pasture fences. Gather about you the
most approved farm implements, such - shall save L.
Dor to yourselves and teams, and q the same time bene.
1t the soil. Make a house in which 70 keep tools, when
not in use, and in a series Of years they will more than
pay for the house. rx~ ~ ~
Too Much LANp.-It is a capital error in any man
to desire large possessions of land. It is not the hum.
Der Of acres cultivated, but the. number of acres we'll
cultivated that yields profit and satisfaction, and saves
labor and capital. Many nen-especially young men
just beginning the farming occupation, think they
cannot do without TWO or three hundred acres, some
want a thousand, and to get it, sacrifice al their means,
run largely in debt, have nothing lsftso purchase a
proper outfit, and after working for TIVE or three years,
under the Disadvantages Of debt and a poor set Of i'm.
plements, they beeouae ~disgusted, and quit the business;
all from an improper estimation Of the true wants of
an agriculturist. .*
.:ivatiug beyond 160 becomes speculation and often dis.
astrous. A standing maxim for the successful farmer
Is this Do your own work. This will out of all
surplus land, all outside and vexing speculations, your
work will be better done, your farm be made more fer
tile and valuable, and you will actually have more time
for selfcultivation-which, becomes q matter Of i'm
portance-and for those little matters of taste, which,
while they make the premises beautiful, also add t. the
value. On large farms a driving, ~hurrying, busting
business is carried on which is unpleasant. The owner
becomes by his constant burden Of cares, a hard, grasp.
ing, avarcious man. There are q few, and very few
exceptions to this rule. {,
If you have too much land sell a part, and lay ont
che proceeds in the purchase of stock and implements,
necessary to the better cultivation Of the remainder.
If you have considerable capital, and intend to COM
mence farming, do not lay it all out in land; but in so
much land as you can we'll stock. and afterwards you
can add to it, as circumstances will permit.
Il TIE Petate md PotaaeR elsieg.