Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-04-19
farm. @alllen y llonafhnld.
INyEs11aG IN THE FARM.

one of the best farmers New York has ever
pro9uced. was wont 20 say Of his own course
IN life Il have pursued different policy
from farmers generally. some ofthem have
skinned their farms. brought VI their chill
dren in ignorance, given little or nothing in
charity, aud have reached cid age with bar
rem farms, uncultured children, aud narrow
views of life, butthey have cash Ia bank I
0nthe contrary, my surplus earnings have
gone to enrich my farrn, until i is capable OF
yielding an abundant support my children
have been educated, and now occupy respect
able positions in society. | have fell it a
privilege to give in charity my table has
been bountifully 9upplied, andmy house open
to the stranger, All this | have, but not
money in the bank and ! ana satisfied with
my choice.
He went to his rest on the 18th Of SepJem-
ber last, at the age Of patriot, sage, couu-
sellor and friend, lear.ag his beautiful home
stead and bis good works as his fitting monu-
meut. This farm was the work Of his life
time, and we wish to commend 10 our read
ers that sound policy which made hig one Of
the model farms Of the Empire State. It
,sab The premium in 1856 as one Of the best
grazing farms, and the report of the Visiting
Committee may be found in the transactions
of the State Agricultural Society for that
year
He reprobated that policy Of skinning the
soil which, we are sorry to say, has been the
prevailing style Of husbandry even in the
North and East and which is still the worst
feature of farming all over the country. Men
have no faith in the capacity of the soil TO
reward them for the labor aHd money they
expend upon it. They get a good crop Of
grain or roots from the land, and instead Of
investing the proceeds in more manure, more
improvements or more stock, they invest in
more land or more bank stock Many man
has pursued this course with his farm until
its fertility has been almost exhausted. He
has transferred all its fatness to the bank,
and IT win not now sustain ten animaIsso well
as it would fifty, fifty years ago. He may
have grown rich in money by the process, but
his farm is ruined Go through the older
farming districts of any of our seaboard
States. and we doubt if the majority Of the
farms viii carry the stock they grazed aud
fattened two generations back. They have
lost SO much in fertility that not even the
improved tools and husDandry of the pres
ent day can make them pay so well as they
did then.
The Carmel farmer had faith in his busi
ness, and felt that his surplus earnings were
safer and better invested in the soil. under
his own management. thaA in the bank under
the management of Others. lie literally east
his bread not only upon the land, but upon
the waters Of his farm, not doubling that it
would return again.
lie put money into dams and sluicc ways
and the brook that had run to waste for ages
was turned over his meadows, and set every
blade of grass it fertilized to coming money
for him. He demonstrated that irrigation
alone would keep up the fertility ofmeadows,
improving the quality and increasing the
quantity Of the grass. He gave Us one Of
the best conducted experiments in irrigation
worth millions to the State if bis example
we're only faithfully followed. The stream
that was barren to others became Pactolus
for him, flowing over sands Of gold. He had
faith in drains, and the rough land was clear
I'd of its stones, and sluice ways for the pas
sage Of wafer we're formed beneath the sur
face, making the drained field of four fold
value for all its future history. He believed
IN improved stock and invested largely in it,,
both for milk and beef He expected to get
more milk and more beef from given mum
Der Of cattle, from the fact that they had
been bred respectively for those qualities ;
aud he succeeded in his object He had faith
IN homemade manures, and worked his muck
mines, and turned the stable, stye and barn
yard to good account. He brought up a rough
farm, worth less than ive thousand, to a val
uation of fifty thousand. He claimed that it
would pay the interest on that, well manag-
ed and that perhaps IS the best test Of val
ne.
We believe this coarse investing in the
farm rather than in the banks better both
for the farmer aud for society 1t is certain
ly much safer; for banks fail much more fre-
qaently than well managed farms The divi-
dends of the latter never fail entirely The
good, substantial living, and the comfortable
home are always secure. 1t makes better so
ciety, farming becomes an improving and inn
proyable art, and intelligence is much a
growth of the pursuit as farm products are OF
the soil. 1t puts the farmers capital into his
business, where he needs it, aud where he
can manage It himself He ventures every
shing upon his business, lives wholly by ii
while he lives, and at death hands over eul
tiyated homestead and living businessto his
heirs This policy glorifes husbaudry and
hastens the Agricultural Millennium. Va
look with longing for the dawn Of that day
american Ag7lcuGtUrist.