Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1866-08-24
ga Rolling stone"

IA ROLLING S1Onc.'
We took occasion, short time ago, to
speak of the importance OF devoting atten-
ton TO the culture of special crops, rather
than to spend time and energy on little Of
everything. The old proverb that "a roll
ing stone gathers no moss" does not apply
to those who roll Off the farm, to those who
are constantly changing their residence
alone, any more than to those who are in
clned to roll round it, doing little here
and little there, without so much as making
hobby Of anything.
We know very well that many man
who is so situated as to own but small
farm, makes more from it, a good deal, than
many another who owns far larger farm
but manages it indiflerently well. We do
not here object to large iarme. If a farmer
has the capital, he can own and manage Il
large farm, perhaps, and do it well. Be
sides, there are circumstances where the
purchase of more land may be desirable.
We speak rather of the duty of making the
most of what we have, of doing well what
we undertake, and of adopting some special
line of farming, rather than Of attempting Il
little Of everything and halfdong the whole.
We once knew Il thrifty and enterprising
farmer who cultivated, generally, about
fourteen acres of onions He got, on an
acre. He gave his time and his thoughts
to this crop, made it special study, and
understood it thoroughly. He studied the
market and he studied the crop in every
phase, looking around to see how the crop
was coming ont, not only in his immediate
neighborhood. but at distance, SO as to be
able to Judge when it was the best time to
sell. He lived in Essex County, Massachu
sets, but he knew the extent of the crop i'll
other States, and seldom did Il year pass
when he did not 90 ON tour of observation
into Connecticut or up along the Connccti-
cut River, or whenever else the crop was
largely cultivated, simply TO be able to form
correct opinion as to the proper time to
sell. and the price the crop would bear.
With II prospect of seven thousand bushels
or so, he could well afford to do this, while
with only three or five hundred bushels il
he made money on onions. 1t was his spec
iality, and he understood the crop and the
market.
The same man made another speciality OF
of squashes. lie raised them most perfect
ly and successfully, and so completely post
ed did he keep that few could get ahead OF
him in the profits on this crop He con-
structed Il room on purpose to ripen up and
preserve this crop, furnished with stoves
which would enable him to regulate the
temperature of the squash-room. Every
day he would pass through this room, eX
amning every squash with the utmost care.
If n speck was to he seen, that specimen
went of, without delay, to market. In this
way he could keep the most of his crop till
others had been obliged to sell. when he
could command his price. He made squash
cs pay because he made speciality of them.
and understood tln cran and how IN market
il.
Now suppose he had managed as most
farmers do, and raised little Of everything.
He would have spent a day perhaps each
week in going to market He would have
taken, say bushel of peas, a few squashes.
peck or two of onions, some turnips and Il
few other little straps to sell, to buy
little sugar, some tea, n pound or two of
coffee, &c Perhaps after spending a day,
taken from his work, he would have sold
enough to pay for few groceries, but he
ought to add to their cost the value his time
and labor, and this would have made them
rather expensive.
There is no economy in this mode of
management. 1t costs too much to market
the small truck on a farm in these little drib-
lets. With some speciality, be it onions,
squashes. grapes or what not, the market
ing comes at about the same time. 1t is
soon over with and it costs, in the aggre-
gate, good deal less than it does TO run of
to market with little of everything
If man lives near village or factory
market he may raise n variety of Vcgeta-
bles to meet the demand, and make money
on them but we think, as Il general rule, it
is best to have some speciality and devote
ones time to that, not, as we said before, TO
the exclusion of everything else, but TO
make other things subordinate, to have one
on two crops,4y one or two lines farming,
as the main feature of ones operations, ON
which to rely for the chief money income of
the farm Connected with this idea, is, of
course, that of doing perfectly that which
we undertake, of cultivating well and max
ing the most of the land and the manure,
and other facilities which we have at COM
mand. This halfway business don't pay.
1t is neither the best for the land nor the
purse. Instead OF scattering our energies
we ought to concentrate thcm,-uass.
PlOughmGt.