Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-12-07
farm, 6ar afa& Apusehol i
wALKs tND rAlKs ON THE FARM.


WALKS ANIl TALKS on THE FARM.
A lady met me in the city yesterday and
iold me she had just seen the Deacon, and
that he said twas going to make farming
pay" Good for the Deacon ! believe he
sincerely zSshes me sueeess-and that, fear
is more than can say for all my neighbers.
They are all very nice people too. If Was
sa-k ,or iTtrouble- they wonld give me their
aid and sympathy. ~ want to borrow, they
lend freely and thar is pretty severe test
of neighberly feeling, especially rhen YOU
are not very prompt in returning the articles
! have had many evidences Of Their Essdhsss.
But they don't think shall succeed as 4 FAR
mer-and possibly they don't want me 10.
Why ? wiz it hurt them2 If was spec
ulator and should buy their barley at a dollar,
and sellit again in two or three months for a
dollar and half what I made they would
lose. But if / should succeed in renoya'ing
ms farfn and should double my crops, would
they be any the poorer
The great objection TO my farming is, that
..spend too much monoy fer bred help
BIS; cannot get along with less Ard find
the best farmers expend the most money for
labor. II have always kept great many
men" said John Johnston, but was always
with them and kept them al work. That is
the point. IF the labor is we'll directed, and
is indiciotisly enployed-if the farmer plans
his work so that there shall be no loss oftime,
he can better afford to hire extra help, than
TO let teams lie idle.
We cannot farm now as when the country
was new. If we attempt it, as many do, poor
crops and run down farms viii be the result.
We must e&pend more labor ana' rore CAPT
tall We must cultivate our land better, feed
higher, make richer manure, and see that it
does not run to waste / am fatting over fifty
hogs. SIT would pay you, said good old
fashioned farmer in the neighborhood, ''to
let man devote his whole time to feeding
them." No doubt about that but you say
keep too many men already. My horse barn
is separate from the other buildings. The
litter is thrown out into loose heap, and if
suffered to remain so, soon heats, and be-
comes FIRE fanged. draw it with one-horse
cart into the barn yard, and the pigs work it
over and make it into the richest kind of ma
nure But this takes labor. l clean out the
pig-pen every day, and give fresh litter.
But this, too, takes labor. One of my neigh
bors says, wash my pigs with warm water
and CASTLE soap. This is one of his jokes.
But 1 do try to have the pigs and the pens
washed occasionally, by thIowing water on to
them with an aquarius. The pigs evidently
enjoy it. and thrive better but this too takes
labor. I am drawing the potato tops into the
barn yard for the stock to tread into manure.
1t will pay twice over, but it takes time. The
diseased potatoes steam up for the hogs,
and mix some corn and barley meal with
them while hot, mashing up the potatoes. It
makes splendid food, and is the best way to
use potatoes partially decayed. But the sort
ing out the decayed ones, washing them and
steaming and mashing with meal, involves
considerable work. 1t would be much easier
to have a pen Of rails on the ground, to throw
all ears of corn into the mud, and let the pigs
do their own shelling, grinding, and cooking
I know more than one of my critics that
adopt this "system," and of Course, they do |
not hire much extra help.
To farm properly, we need capital and Ia
Dor. The latter we are now getting at fair
rates, as compared with the price Of living.
And the thousands of staIwart emigrants that
arrive every month need work, and farmers,
at present prices of produce, can afford TO
employ them. | have a Prussian working /
for me that came over month or two ago.
He cannot speak English but when you show
him what to do, he will DO it faithfully and
well. He is a right, good man, and I should
not object to see all our shipping engaged in
bringing such men by thousands to our
shores. We have land enough and work
enough But we need more capital and a
lower rate Of interest. And surely those men
are to be honored who, having large capital,
q could wish was one of them,) 60 on to a
farm and employ it in developing the resour-
ces of the soil. There are hundreds of such |
men, and the number is rapidly increasing |
Their influence and example must tend to the |
Improvement of our general system of Agri-
Ss,