Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-05-26
Farm and FareSlde.
PERu.r.yE.VT FIRM I.uPROI'B-
.UE.vTS.

The great fault with our farmers general
w is, that they carry on their farms with
too little regard to system. They work
hard--fow classes of men work harder-but
in consequence of not having well consid-
cred plan to guide them i'm their labor, it
often proves aimlcss and prolitless. This
doing work over and over, year after year,
which should be done but once, Is the bane
of our farming. 1t is wearing out the far
mer with hard work, eXhausting the icrtil-
itv of his land and preventing any real i'm
provcmcnt in agriculture NOTWITHSTANDING
ing the advancement made in recent years,
not only in appliances for performing the
various methods of culture in better man
ncr, but in the employment of Intelligence
to direct these appliances, there is still 100
much slipshod farming among us. our
farmers plan only from year to year-and
a great many of them do not even plan the
operations OF the season until the season
compels them to do something, when, in
six eases out Of ten, they put in their oats
and corn, beans aud potatoes, simply be-
cause they must raise something TO live
upon.
regard to the principles of rotation of crops,
they SOW and plant, year after year, just
where they can get the handicst chance, and
in lust about the same way. Instead of
building some new and permanent fence
each year. so that in a few years their farms
will Ice completely enclosed, and they be
relieved from the burden of temporary
fencing, they spend days and days in patch
ing up Scarecrow fences, which is little bet
ter after additional brush is put on than it
was before. Instead Of keeping their farm
buildings in good trim, constantly doing
some repairing or improving yearly that
will make them better and add to their per-
manent value, their buildings are constant
~ depreciating in worth, until they need
so much done to them that it will hardly
pay to do it.
Now this is a fair picture of too much of
our fjlrming-not only in Maine, but in the
greater portion of our country. And rad
zeal change must be put in operation before
we can expect any real and widespread i'm
provcment in our system of agriculture.
There will Of course be isolated cases in
marked contrast to the above, and these
will serve as incentives to others-but the
general improvement so much desired must
come from well laid, far-reaching plan on
the part of every man worthy the name OF
farmer. If every farmer would each year
prepare one field in so good condition that
it would need nothing done TO it for several
years following, improving separate fields
year after year in the same way, he would
soon have his farm under so good state OF
cultivation that no hungry fields would cry
out for fertilizers faster than he could sup
ply them.
So, too, with fences, and implements, and
stock, and buildings. If each year some
new fence is built that will not need re-
building for 2j years; some needed nipple
ment purchased that will, with careful us
age be as good as new dozen years hence
some building repaired or enlarged to nice
the growing demands of the farm, or per
manent improvements in other directions
carried out, all the result of a careful plan
~ real advancement in farming, progress
that will contribute to the farmers wealtl
and relieve him from the drudgery OF per
forming useless labor, will be plainly man
iicSt and our State relieved from the bligl
of so much farm labor which "profitet
nothing."- Maine Farmer.