Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-04-02
- - - =. 49,, -
r...i..,. :. ! isss- 81. I, Fs..n.zsas..


The Ycarts otsatl-sIon1e discusses
the question of large IS stllall-farpns,
favosiissSyie forhler under certain
circumstances We extract from the
article tbs, following:
other thingssheiuS equal, up t.
the measure of.ihe capacity or the
individual, tise morc land d farmei
sciltiyates the greater will be his
prosperity and comfort and his per
cent. OF profit on the capital Invested.
These principles apply to the indi'
. gi,anal, but There are cbgent reasons
of general nature which incline me
10 favor large farms, and 20 consider
them q 4tsis-s' Ameslcan chsraetcrfs-
tic. .-.- e.
We have an unlimited extent or
lind = large portion Of 1T Of remark
-HbIe fertility and, -conFared-with II,
ssparse ponalatioE American ge-
Mus has developed and made ready
to our hand every sort Of agricultur-
al machinery, whereby cur power to
cultivate our acres and harvest their
products is increased many fold. is
there Anything In lie mature or cir
cumstances OF thl3 pursuit which
prevents It from awaiting Itself of
these natural aud artificial advanta-
ges 10 conduct Gu a scale az extended
!. aud profitable as other pursuits2 1t
.cannothe, aud to enable us TO see it
more clearly in this light, let US ex-
anime some Of the Disadvantages and
drawbacks of farming. in q small
way. On small farms the system of
cultivation and the crops grown, are
similar, if not Identical, with The
system ana crops OF large farms, only
less in extent. go this course of
cropping tire small farmer is driven
by force Of circumstance. Tie per-
son who cafltvates thirty or forty
acres IN grass, grain, roots, or special
crops, and kcepsthe animals to cop
sumo his products, finds lie needs for
success in business, identicaf'y the
outfit in machines, implements and
tools as the man who has farm of
one hundred and fifty acres. AL
though he has not shalfso much for
them to 90, he cannot get On without
his moving machine, horse rake, ted
der ana 1forse-fork. He needs the
same ploWs in kind and number, the
same cul.iSRtors and LA, rews, and
tie same variety, but perhaps little
less In number, OF all the numberless
hand tools or the fafm. Thus our
small farmer finds himself compelled
Ito inrrst in. fixed, but 5perishable
capital, nearly as much as his neigh
Dor who carries on three times his
number of acres. In the matter of
team, he is precisely in the same con-
dition. He can hardly afford to keep
Q pair of horsesfer farm work, but in
the busy season of the year, when
hfs~ofk fstsst be done, If done at
all, everybody Is more than busy-it
is impossible to hire. Necessity,
therefore, compelIs him to buy and
own q team, though IL ha idle one
third Of the time.
It may be said, such a man can cx-
change teams and borrow tools and
machines, but that is generally out
ofthe question; but ifitcould be done,
IS practice which, for many reasons
is utterly abonlnal.e, ana should al
ways be condemned. But his extra
expense per cent. on his capital in
vested in land docs not end here.
HE cannot, with his extent of acres, !
afford TO hire the help necessary to
perform many kinds OF work to ad-
vantage as il would be idle, or IN
proftably employed part Of the time
therefore hepeFforms much work at
a Disadvantage and loses thereby.
He has one third as much stock Of
tia, different kinds. and .ene third
the amount Of products to market, rs
the persons tiiling the large farm,
but yet 1t costs him nearly as much
thought, care and attention. nearly
rs much to tend and watch his stock, |
to guard them from evil and pro-
mote their comfort, and nearly rs
much TO seek his market and sell his |
products.
These and many other disadvanta-
ges are inseparably connected with
farming in asmall way, and ere tax
on the patience and comfort of the
farmer, and the income of the farm,
which the large farmer avoids. L.
therefore, am. brought to the ineyita.
bic conclusion that, up to our bust
ness capacity, the larger the farm the
greater the percent. of profit on the
capital invested, and the higher the
COMPENSATION for the thought, care
and labor bestowed. The point to be
aimed at is, to do thoroughly and well
MI we ufdeftake to do, and under
take no more than we can reasona-
big expect to perform, for these are |
the real elements OF success in al! |
business. @. ~