, 1861-01-11
Terms of Subscription:
Agricultural.
From MOore's Rural New Yorker.
IabOr-SaVing Machinery in Farming


We hold as a self-evident truth, thai
work is not in itself meritorious. 1t sgooC
only in its results, and good for nothing
except as something useful is thereby ac
compished. In saying this, we are fully
aware that we are opposed by the 7enera'
bic adage about that parsonage who, ac
cordibg to the couplet. is said to be ever
finding -, :. -..
For idle hands to do'A
And which was all doubtless very true
when It was written but that was a long
time ago, when, if man was not working,
be could have nothing else to do but to get
into mischief But with all the means for
mental improvement which now exist, the
saying no longer holds good, and if any
one, with a Rural or some other newspa-
per or book, cannot now keep out Of mis-
chief without incessont work why-weII
the evil one will and ought to get him, any
how ...
We are, therefore, not 10 the least alarm
ed lest the rapid Improvement in farm I'M
plements, and the almost universal substi-
tute of horse or steam power for human
labor, should leave our farmers unduly ex-
posed to the temptation to lazness, from a
Superabundauce of leisure. OF this there
Is little enough danger, as most Of our
readers can testify. JUDGED farmers, as a
class, have always been the hardest work
ers in the world Most farm operations
are, of necessity, extremely laborious, aud
where, as in this country, land is plenty and
cheap, the temptation is always strong to
bay and cOltivate more than the number of
laborers can really perform. In the great
hurry of sowing and harvesting, thousands
Of constitutions are annually ruined simply
by over work and while this is extremely
unwise, il has really been necessiated by
the disproportiOn OF work to the number OF
laborers. If, therefore, any machinery eau
be introduced by which these tolls can be
ligbtened, every farmer should avail him
self of them as fully as possible, not only as
a matter Of policy, but from considerations
of humanity. 1t is only within few years
that the greatest improvements in farm
machinery have been made, and their ex-
tended Introduction is-th5 best evidence Of
their necessity
But it is not alone 10 making farm work
easier that these new implements, (the
reaper, and binder and mowerl5 are Of
great practical value to the country, They
enlarge the bounds Of civilization by open
ing 70 cultivation large tracts Of land in the
extreme West, which must otherwise, for
many years, remain an uUproductive waste
1t is, of course, impossible to tell how much
more grain is raised than farmers would
have attempted to produce without the i'm
proved machinery for harvesting it. Even
in Western New York We know the grain
from this source is considerable, while in
the West, where farms OF thousand Of acres
are found, it must be immense. Now,
when the reported scarcity in Europe gives
rs q prospect Of remuneratiVe prices for all
sorts of grain, the increased production, to
this year alone, frem the use of reaping
machines, may very possibly be sufficient
70 pay the entire cost. n .-.a
IVis curious fact and worthy of notice
how improved implements in one depart
ment Of farm industry make room for, and
even necessiate them in others. Years ago,
before the introduction of the reaper, there
was little, il any, necessity for the use Of
any other power than horse or OK in plow-
ing. Farmers could easily plow as much
or mere land than they could cut over with
the reaping hook, the scythe, or even the
cradle. But now, with improved means
for harvesting, the necessity Of using steam
power is beginning to be felt, and inven-
tive genious Is already turned ia that d.
rection, and will, we doubt not, produce
just the implements needed as soon as the
necessity becomes urgent for there is al
ways a most remarkable and proVidential
timing in all these inventions, which makes
1t almost impossible that they should be
produced before they arc needed.
The effect will probably be to place the
farming land Of the country in fewer hands,
not only because these machines enable OIL
individual to accomplish so much more
than before, but also because they can be
most advantageously operated on large
farms We think the census, which has
recently been taken, if it does not show All
absolute decrease in the number OF land
holders, (Which is scarcely possible on ac-
count Of the vast tracts Of new territory
which have been opened, will yet show
that the number Of farmers has not To-
creased in proportion to the growth oi the
country. Every year more Of our popula-
tion will find their homes in cities and vii,
lagos, and this proportion will probably in.
crease for some time. This tendency tc
desert farming, over which some mourn, al
the effect OF laziness or other wrong ideas
is really necessity-for, il the same pro
portion Of our population as forty years
ago, we're farmers, the market for graft
would speedily be Overstocked. Supply
and demand will, and must, regulate thest
matters, and we doubt not, will do i,
wisely.