The Cecil Whig., 1867-07-06
From the Germantown Telegraph I
Farmers Look at This.

Farmers grow rich by saving, and 9th
ers grow rich by spending. Others hav,
| first to make the money and then spend i
ior food. The wants of n farmer are few
that cannot be supplied from his farm
| Why, then, should the farmer repine because
he has not the money to buy abroad, OF
measure his wealth by comparing his money
with that of others who must give all fol
things which he has without buying?
Herein lays the secret Of a farmers sue.
cess in raising everything, as far as posi-
BILE, on the farm, and buying as little as he
possibly can.
Nor is this mistake the only one made by
farmers. They all want too mach land and
too much stock for their land. Remember
that fifty acres actually worth one hundred
dollars per acre is worth more than one hun.
dred acres at fifty dollars per acre; because
ne-half the work expended on the first will
raise as much as the whole amount expended
on one hundred acres. In the same way
with stock, 1T is better to fatten five head
of steers well than ten only half done, be.
cause they will sell for more. and you will
also save the interest on ehall the invest.
ment.
i hus we sec that rs soon as a farmer gets
his farm paid for, and begins to make money
he must buy more land and more stock, and
20 on until he 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
than when they commenced with seventy.
five or one hundred acres. The reason is
obvious: they increase their land without
increasing their active capital they spread
the same amount Of labor, manure and cap
ital over one-lourth or one half more land.
and receive no actual increase of crops in
return whereas, the farmer who spends his
surplus capital in manurcs, draining, &c,
Nc, receives an increased return in exact
proportion TO the amount of capital which
he invests in such improvements.
There are hundreds OF farmers nowamong
us who would be much better of il they
were to sell one half of their farms, and in
vest the proceeds in the remaining half
Another class will, rs soon as they have
surplus capital, convert it into railroad, cor
poration or bank stock or, worse still. in
western land, instead Of laying it out for
the Improvement Of their farms.
Dld English farmers, who have had long
experience in draining, say that when indi.
clOuSly done it will return the original in
veStment oncein every three or four years, or
IN other words pay from - to 30 per cent
per annum. The same might be said Of in.
veStIncntS in lime and manure.
by proper management | am fully con
yinced that an acre of %ronnd can and will
yet be made to give one hundred bushels OF
corn. Amy one can see the advantage n
farmer working one acre of such land would
have over his neighbor who was compelled
10 plow harrow, and planttwo acres for the
same return.
If You have more capital than YOU can nse,
then make uSe Of more labor, oIow deeper,
harrow and cultivate more on the same
ground one acre with Il soil twelve inches
deep, is worth more than two ON which the
Soll IS siN or seven inches deep.
In recapitHaIion, allow me to direct your
attention to several mistakes, rs well as
those already mentioned:
a farmer should not keep more cattle,
2heep or hogs than he has food for. If he
has too many sheep on cattle ON the pasture,
II becomes very short towards fall, and he
must either commence on his stock Of wint er
food sooner, or let his cattle or sheep suffer.
If on tue other hand he has more stock than
he has winter food for, he must turn out to
pasture sooner in the spring, much To the
delglment OF his m"aiJWa. or buy hay for
his stock. have seen many farmers who
would have been actually better of if they
had given two or three head of cattle away
in the fall. and fed the whole of their keen
to Tie ba!anne, than 10 iced as they did. Ii
IS an old and true saying that an animal in
good order ON the first of December is al.
ready hall wntered.
4 armer should never depend upon his
neiShhur ior what hr can produce himRef:
never beg frnit while he can 50 readily plant
trees, or borrow tools when he can make or
bny them; for the borrower is servant to
the lende..
A farmer should never be so taken IN
with political affairs as to neglect his farm
yet he should not be entirely ignorant Of
those matters Of National or STATE policy
which always agltatc free people.
A farmer should shun the doors of bank
rs he would IL plague they are for specua,
tors, with whom farmer should have moth
ing TO DO.
No farmer should allow the rcproach of a
neglected education to lie against his family.
" knowledge is power" and its foundation
should be early and deeply laid in the dis.
uict dollhouse
A farmer should never refuse a fair price
for anything he has TO sell, for any rise Of
price which may Or may not take place will
generally be swallowed up by the interest
upon the capital invested in the articles.