The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-11
HINTS ON AGRICULTURE.
Large Farms ana Small.


profitable; but since the war all this is chang
ed, and subdivision is The order of the day.
We can tell the Farmer that this change at the
South, wherever it has taken place. is not the
result of choice, but necessity. We are as thor
oughly persuaded now, as heretofore, that
large farms are alone profitable; we are not
referring to truck farms. which are governed
by entirely different rules. That our farming
operations since the war have been so unpro-
ductive, has been maiuly Ute to the fact that
the extent Of our operations has been curtailed
and limited by the demoraized condition Of
our labor and by insufficient capital. This may
not always be the case. Our advice to our far
mers is, in all cases possible, to retain their
broad acres-employ cotters, tenants-resort
to any exocdent to tide over present difficult
ties, so as to retain land for extended and prot
liable operations. Small farms-except az
truck patches-neyer can be remunerative to
man of enterprise and capacity. They will
not Justify the use of costly labor saving ma
chinery, and without that they cannot COM
pete with large farms. The reasons stated for
large farms in the North are applicable here
and everywhere. we tuooc Ecd6UuS,
as given by the Farmer:
Tn the North We have had the reverse of al
most everything that took place IN the South.
Our farmers have been growing rich, and ac-
cordingIy collecting means to 60 into farming
ON a more extended scale. The scarcity of
labor during and since the war has had the
effect to bring out every kind OF labor-saving
machinery. Inventive ingenuity has produced
a machine for doing almost eTery kind OF farm
labor that was once performed by the hand
alone, A machine drops our corn, covers,
hoes aud haryests it; while the present season
has perfected another contrlvance that may
nick and busk the corn. A machine sows our
grain or drills it, on ground plouShed by o
gang plough, while others reap, bind, thresh
and winnow it. Cutting hay has become o.
most as much mechanical operation as max
inc c,oth-since it is cut, spread, raked, loaded
and slowed away oil by machinery.
Now, what is the tendency OF labor-saying
machines? Large farms, as matter of course.
man will not buy hay tedder who has but
q few acres of grass to cut. For corn patch
of dozen acres he does not want corn pIan-
ter, gang plough or su!ky cultivator. Perhaps
we might state the case clearer in this way
Manual labor Is dearcr than machine labor;
machine labor is profitable in comparison with
the amount of land that it can be used on.
Consequently, the larger tho farm and the
greater the amount of the machinery the more
| OcOt1CQDlc IL Will UG. III ldCL tuO quCblIOu lluSI
soon be met, can fifty small farmers, with little
or no machinery, compete successfully with
one farmer who owns as much land as all OF
them, and who has abundant machinery for
working it?
But there is another cause which exerts
powerfal influence in favor o. large farms.
Since machinery has removed the drudecry
from farming, AMI railroads have made prices
of every kind Of crops Iemunorativc mon Of
mind and means have selected agriculture as
business in which TO employ their talents
and money. We have mllionairos, scientists
and litcrati now engaged i'll an occupation
which few years ago was considered as de-
grading. These men arc not content and never
will be content to farm it on small SCALE
Spccialtiss in farming will also tend to pro-
duce large farms; hlt when mans attention
is devoted 10 one thing his success is much
more probable than when 1t is divided among n
dozen; and success in business means expan-
sion in business. Already speciaitles IN farm
ing are fast becoming the rule; men are not
farmers in the old seusc OF the word any more;
they arc stock. breeders, dairyman, wool grow
crs and erain-rasers instead. They have mar
rowcd the number of their pursuits that they
may give what remains wider scope.
Hints on the Use of Draft Horses.
"If a horse cannot lay to his work, aud bond
his head down when he desires to do 80, be
sure that he is not properly harnessed.'
Whenever horse is employed for the pur-
poso Of drawing any vehicle, it is of the utmost
importance that he should be able to employ
all his strength to advantage. Every one who
considers at oil, must acknowledge that if q
horse has to do his work in cramped or con-
fined condition, or when he is inconveniently
placed as lcgarls the load. no cannot exert his
full power, which is 30 much loss TO bis master;
or, il forced to perform certain amount, that
lhe is obliged to waste great deal more Of his
strength {or muscular power) than is re-
uure1, to his own great pain and injury.
Tho question how to properly attnch the
horse to the vehicle is, therefore, ono Of the
greatest Importance to every master who wishes
to get q proper degree OF work in fair and
rational manner. Yet, from beng unacqualnt-
| ed With the principles, few examine closely in
to the practice; IN immense deal of horse
strength is wasted every day en- loads which,
if properly attached, might have been comfort
ably moved with far less trouble, exertion and
pain.
The act OF pulling is pcrformc1 by leaning
forward, with the weight of the body against
the resistance of the opposing force, and then,
Inv strong movements of the limbs, keeping up
and increasing tho pressure: the weight OF the
body being of the utmost Importance, as any
one nav tly by pulling at O rope passing over
one shoulder. and standing upright all the
time. 1t will be found that what was before
pulled with case cannot now bo moved at all.
or, at any rare, Only ny tuo Aiooe SC'0ho thtt
continued efforts Of the hmbs. Ihesc muscu-
lar movements exhausting the strength, try
The system violently, whereas rhe body-wcight
is easily employed without consuming the vital
energies.
From the upright position of a mans body,
he ia not fitted to draw loads. II, therefore,
this Great difference is pcrceivablo with his
light frame, how great must be the waste OF
siren 9Th when the horse is prevented from
throwing his whole weight fairly into the COL
lorP Yet this is constantly the case through
various causes.
FirsL. and. unfortunately, in too many cases,
tho roljaris oult. untit for the animal. A horse
collar is, we are sorry to say, frequently look
cd npon merely as ring for the neck, to
which the traces are to be affixed; whereas
there is no part of the harness which is so I'M
portant and which ought to fit so accurately.
How often is little collar, only fit for pony,
iommod on tho neck of q much larger animal,
80 that every pull he makes gives the Ieellng Of
strappulution, and that will, in all probability,
cause some kind OF fit, II long continued, be-
sides its liability TO gall and wiring the poor
animals shoulder. When this has taken place,
the work cannot be fairly PEI formed; and to do
it all. Tho anguish OF the poor horse must be
indcscribable.
Secondly, the horse is often prevented from
throwing his weight into the collar by cheek
rein-a uselo.s and painful incumbrance, in
troducnd by vanity and retained by Thought
lessncss amounting to cruelty. ASK h?rse-
kecpers why they use it, and hardly any Quo
Will rive the same answer, although it's gene
rally supposed by them to be great safeguard
in case of stumbling. The real object with
.vh;oy, II wac NH otluced, was to make every