The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1860-08-23
Large or small Farms---Which are the
most profitable,

The answer to this question depends
upon the conditions. We nay divide the
agricultural population into three classes:
Those of limited or small capital; and a
grade between, possessing moderate but
comfortable income. These definitions
arc not precise, but sugge-t the idea in
tended to be conveyed sufficiently for our
purpose. Other conditions embrace To-
csIity, market. meaus of manuriug, de-
scriptiou of soil, and other attending cir
rumstsDces.
We lay down the axiom, that, in order
to succeed we'll, eCeygthjng should he well
done. A farmer with large capital, pos
se.siug a knowledgs Of his business would
engage extensively in it; and, as he
could avail himself of all the best labor
saving machines, of division OF labor,
Of the best modes of hu,bandry, Of sbuu-
daut manures and of all special manurcs,
and, in short, of all the appliances of Sci
cuce, it follows that, with him a large
farm would be the most profitable. But
we need not dwell on this self-e5ident
branch of our question.
There is a large class, possessed only
of small capital, whose natural aTocatiOD
is that of agriculture Many Of this class
commit manifest errors. Their capital is
small, bat their AeaytS may be large; they
aspire to responsible positions, and at
tept too mch. In country where land
isabundant, and readily procured on cred
it, 100 acre farm, instead Of 25 or so
acres, is On alluring tsit. With means
only to cultivate aud manage 25 acres,
the remaining 10 are a dead weight
The capital, or the interest paid instead,
is annually extracted from the means re-
quired to improve and cultivate the 25
acres, aud too often is the cause Of utter
failure, and most generally of years Of
toll aud unreq0ited lator. Men Of this
class should coz meuce gith a small farm
and stick to it, until they have so far in
creased their capital, in money ana exPe-
Seuce, that they can aaard to take one
step higher With success.
There are potable in-taBces Of greet
profits realized from cultivating small
farm well, which have been noticed in
agricultural journals to which the reader
can refer. 1t will be ssy to reach the
average given Of an English farm, where
they pay high rents aud taxes. Wheat
is given at 20 bush. per acre, barley at
80 bushels per acre, cats 60 to so bush
els, and hay tons. The product of a
80 acre farm in Maine is given as follows:
200 bushels Of potatoes. 80 bush. Of bar
ley, % bush. of beets, ID bush. of wheat,
10 bush. Of beans, 4 tous Of moved oats,
l6 tons Of hay, 40 bush of corn, 20 bush
of carrots, IS chickens and turkeys,
quantity of garden vegetables, 300 he.
pork, 400 lbs. butter, 3 cows, yoke of
oxen, , heifers, 2 steers, 8 sheep aBd 4
pigs were kept The product is valued
st $500.
Erasmus Littlej0bn, Of Middlebury,
We have the following statistics: In
proved land % acres; uuiwproved, II
acres, aud % acres Of woodland. Soil
sandy and gravelly. His corn cost him
81 ceuts per bu.hel, hay s4 per ton, and
and potatoes % cents per busbel. His
net yearly profits rose from 1851 "a to
$50 92 10 four years. He kept daily
account
The farm of \. HAYWARD & Son, Mon
roe county, \. contained 6S acres of
improved land, and 10 acres of unim-
proved Total receipts s2,726; total cx-
peoSes, Sl,470-net profits, Sl,256, or
l6.4S per acre in one year.
Jos. Watson, Of Clyde, n. 7 =, has kept
the satisfies of 50 acre farm, showing
the net proceeds of 45 acres, above all
expenditures, to be S399.4S in ore year.
This farm bad no peculiar advantages O.
yer ordinary farms. 1t was not situated
near TO city or special market
In another case, the produsts of SO
acre farm amounted in value to 81 ,445
in one year The leading articles were
10 acres wheat, 35 bushels per acre; a.
cres apples, 200 bushels per acre; 5 acres
corn, 80 bushels per acre; 2 acres potatoes
200 bushels per acre; acres barley 40
bushels per acre; acres oats. SO bushels
per acre, besides carrots. hay, pasture, ETC.
These instances illustrate what can be
done on q small farm. Let the reader
contrast them With much larger ones a.
round him, and ask the question, whether
small farm, we'll titled in the hands of a
man Of moderate means, is not more prof
liable than larger one would bel If a
mans whole capital consists 10 labor a.
lone, he should undertake only so much
as he can do wells and so in every case
according to the amount Of capital. The
first consideration should be the probable
outlay required in the business, and then
proportion the extent of the business ac-
cordiDg to the a0attCeJle means in labor,
skill, and other capital.
There are many things contested with