The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-09-06
A9rifuitural..
Rainy Day Thoughts.
GY y PRACTICAL FARMER.


five centes day, and yet remains poor
while the farmer earns his seventeen
cents day and grows rich. Merchants,
physicians and lawyers receive their
thousands per annum, and die poor !:
while the farmer, scarcely receiving us
many tens, dies rich.
How are these strange results pro-
duced! All calculations of dollars aud
cents fail to accoun, for it. Those who
arc dc crmined to bring every hing to
the standard of dollars and cents pro-
nounce agriculture to be wholly without
prof and fl only as u pursuit for those
who have nos sense enough to pursue
anything else.
Let US now cndcavor to account for
this seeming imposibiliiy. When the
mechanic lays down his tools, and the
professional man is idle, they are sink
lug, because their expenses are going on
and their profits are expended. Not so
with the farmer while he sleeps his
crops grow, aud his stock is Oh the
increase.
Farmers grow rich by saving, aud
Others grow poor ~ spending. Others
have first TO earn money aud hen spend
it for food. The wants of farmer are
few hat cannot be supplied from his
farm. Why, then, should the farmer
rcpinc because he has not money 10 buy
abroad, or measure his wealth by CON-
pairing his money with that of others
who must give all for .hiugs which he
has without buying
Herein lays the secrc Of Il farmer's
success i'll raising everything, as far as
possible, on the farm, and buying as
little as he possibly can.
Nor is this mistake the only one made
by farmers. They all wan1 too much
land and too much stock for their land.
Nenlcnlbcr fifty acres actually worth one
hundred dollars per acre is worth more
han one hundred acres at fifty dollars
per acre : because onc-half the work
expended on the first will raise as much
as the whole amount expended on one
hundred acres. In Inc same way wi h
stock it is better 20 tatten five head of
steers we'll than ten only half done, be-
cause they will sell for more, and you
will also save the in crrst on onc-half
he investment.
Thus We see that rs soon as the farm
or gets his farm paid for, and begins to,
make money lie must buy more land and
stock, and 60 on until lie either breaks
up or sells his land.
could now point to several farmers
who own farms Of FROM two hundred to
| three hundred acres, whose actual income
is less Kan when they commenced with
scvcnty-fvc or one hundred acres. The
reason is obvious they increase heir
| laGd without increasing heir ac i've cap
ital they spread the same amount Of
labor, manure and capital over one fourth
or onc-half more land, aud receive no
actual increase of crops in re urn
| whereas, the farmer who spends his sur
plus capital in manures, draining, &c.
Ne, receives an increased return in ex-
act proportion to the amount Of capital
which he invests in such improvements.
There arc hundreds of men now among
US who would be much e,cr off if they
were to sell onehalf of their farms, ard
invest lLc proceeds ill TIE remaining
half
Another class, as soon as they have
surplus capital, convert it into railroad,
corporation or bank stock: or, worse
still, in western land, instead of laying it
out for manure or tile for the improve
mont of their farms.
Old Fnglishcd farmers, who have had
long experience in draining, say tina
when judicially done il will return the
original investment once in every three
years, Or i'll other words, pay from 20 to
80 per cent, per annum' The same
nigh be said Of investments in lime and
manure.
BY proper management l am fully
convinced that an acre Of ground can
and will yet be made 10 give one hum
dred bushels of corn. Amy one can see
the advantage farmer working one
acre of stch land would have over his
neighbor who was compelled to pillow,
harrow, plant apd work two acres for
the same re urn.
If you have more Capi al than you can
use, then make use Of more labor, pillow
deeper, harrow and cul ivate more on
the same ground one acre wi h soil
twelve inches deep, is worth more than
two on which he soil is six or seven
inches deep. .....
In recapitulution, allow nc to direct
your Il tention o several other mistakes,
as we'll as those already mentioned.
y farmer should not keep more cattle,
sheep or hogs than he has food for. If
he has 90 many sheep or cattle on the
pasture, it becomes very short towards
fall and he must either commence on his
stock OF Winter food sooner, or let his
cattle or sheep suffer. If on the other
hand, he has more stock than he has
Winter food for, he must turn oul TO
pasture sooner in the Spring, much to
the dctllment of his meadows, or buy
hay for his stock. bave seen many
farmers who would have been nc ualy
better off if they had gwen two or three
head of cattle away in the Fall, and fed
the whole of their keep to the balance,
than 20 have fed as they did. 1t is an
old-and true saying that an animal in
good order the first of December is
already half wintered. t
A farmer should never depend upon
hi, moi uh hnr fnr what ho o,n nraduoo