American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-03-20
Money and Farming.

A Toledo correspondent says:
Most writer's Oh agriculture have
In view the wellto-do fgrmer, when
recommending ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
high farming, blooded stock, etc.
Now, a vast majority of farmers are
poor; many of them are in debt and
have to labor hard to pay interest,
and cannot save money to make i'm
provements. Many of them knOic
much better than they do, and they
don't do better because they lack
capital to carry out the advice of
agricultural, teachers. Now, can't
you do something for them, by telling
them how they may rise to the level
of the standard set before them ?
The writer who gave his experience
with bis 'persimmon lot was emf
nently sound; but let him tell hun
dreds of Western farmers, who own
scores of acres Of just such land as
his 'persimmon lot either how to
underdrain them without he needed
fifty dollars per acre, or else where
they can obtain the money. 1t is
just here, that the poor farmer suf
fers. His clay land is too wet to
pillow early in the spring, and if he
waits until it is dry enough, some
portions of it become so hard that
his light team cannot pillow it; and
so he cannot get his crops in
in season, and what he does plant
yields very inadequate return for
the labor bestowed upon them.
Again, this Same man is told that
he should purchase a thoroughbred
bull, to improve his dairy. He asks
the price, and is told he can obtain
one with pedigree for from 5000 to
$500. He turns away atterly dis.
couraged.
" Pray, Mr.. NJ, can you not come
to his relief with some well devised
plan of operations whereby he may
lift himself from this slough of DIES.
pond1 Tell him where to proceed
TO evolve something out of nothing
but the crude materials around him.
TO tell him that he should under
drain, build big barns, ,raise roots,
cut and steam his feed, subsoil, and
what not, is but to tantalize him
but he who tells him hOic to do these
things with his paltry wherewithal
will he public benefactor, and have
accomplished some good i'll his gen.
eration."
We shall try and meet, SO far as
We may, our correspondents wish.
Great encouragement" is not
uncommon with other men as we'll as
with small farmers, and the discour-
agement which springs from slack
of sufficient capital" is one of the
most common with which the human
family is afflicted.
The best way to overcome it is 10
work as hard as we can with the cap
ital at command, and not waste its
efficiency by making too large a
"spread." This last failing is com
mon to merchants who extend their
business indefinitely, and to farmers
who hold more land than they eau
thoroughly manage.
1t is not supposa5le that half the
formers in the country can bring
their lands up to the highest pro
ductive power, or can stock their
farms with the best blooded stock
yet we urge the best possible prac-
tice, and close attention to breeds,
satisfied that we shall all do better
with high aims in view than with
humble ones.
improvements on n great scale
certainly demand great means; bat
this should not discourage a snail
farmer, whose means are never SO
limited that he cannot apply the
principles of the best practice upon
a small area-if he will only be con.
tented with small area. A man
can with no more safety go beyond
the reach of his capital in farming
than he can in trade. In either case
he wants good tools and good ser
wants, and books squarely kept
Credits may be easier in the city
but they are easy enough in the
country for man who is industrious
and prudent, and spends his money
wisely.
In the case supposed by our cor.
responder, where farmer holds
lands which can be titled to no profit
without drainage, we should advise
him to sell enough of it to enable him
to put the balance in profitable work
Ing condition. III he can neither sell
nor lay tile, let him try stone drains
or brush drains, or, failing these, the
old system of ridging. These are
not the best methods, but they are
alternating methods, and are hun
dred per cent. better than despond
ency and no work at all.
Big barns, and big walls and steam
engines, and bulls with pedigrees are
by no means essential to great crops
but good, friable condition of the
soil is : and if a man cannot secure
this with the labor and capital at hi,
own command upon fifty acyes. lei
him sell and try twenty FIVE if Ii,
cannot secure it on twenty FIVE, lie
him sell, and try it on ten if he can
not secure it on ten, let him off will
his coat, take to the spade. and max,
- farm out of his garden. Good
sharp work will cure the despondcn
cy that grows out of short capita
quicker than anything we know
Plantation bitters are nOtlhpg II
comparison.- Hearth and Home.