Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-05-10
Small Farms for Poor Men.

merchants, ana VINO nave uauuluu III aBIlVul
tural and horticultural reading, are no doub
revolving in their minds the chances of tbeii
succeeding as small farmers or gardeners
and incline to the belief that one or the other
Of these occupations would afford them q bet.
ter and more wholesome livelihood than they
now have For each one Of these men, there
are in the country probably hundred or a
thousand farmers sons who are wishing they
might better their chances by becoming book
keepers or mechanics or merchandisers' in
some city. Any Of the city people referred
to above would at once warn them to stay
where they are, unless they are sure Of an
opening and know the trade they propose to
follow They will say with one accord 80
You can't be a book-kecper, or a mechanic.
nor merchant, unless You know how Aud
YOU cant learn how without years Of train
ing. If you try any Of these calliDgs and
depend only on your untaught natural abili-
ty, you will surely fail" This is very
sensible caution, yet the very people who give
it are hattering themselves that they can be-
come good farmers without learning how.
They see only the rosy side Of the picture
The books they have rcad--eyen such as hon.
esty describe success in the business-aro not
calculated to make them realize that there
is any other side. Even Peter Henderson,
although he expressly tells us Of the many
difficulties in the way Of success, has made
Of his Gardening for Profit such q bewitch-
ing tale that his readers are prone TO pass
lightly over his warnings, and to glow with
enthusiasm over his account OF $500 profit
from single acre, until their noses fairly itch
for the smell Of upturned earth Let an ac-
count be published Of the hard-earned success
Of some occupier of thirty-acre farm, and
the farm.btten citizen skips the hard-earning
and jumps to the success, imagining the JOY
that such prosperity would give him, and in-
continently determining that he too will 60
and do likewise Perhaps he will in the end,
but we can promise him such Christening at
the outset as will make him wish himself any,
thing else than the uninstructed occupier Of
o farm.
Do we, then, advise men who are struggling
for a subsistence in the city to abandon their
hopes Of independent homes in the country =?
By no means. 1t is our business and our de-
light to foster in every such wholesome de-.
sres but it is our duty also TO be wise and
systematic in our way of doing it, else we
should do infinite harm and injustice. We
want our converts to turn their faces farm
ward with their eyes wide open, to know Just
what to expect, and to be proof against dis
appointment We tell them that the first and
the indispensable thing is to learn the trade.
No man was ever born with the knowledge
that farmer most needs, and no man ever
learned it from books, good and useful as these
are. 1t is knowledge that comes only with
experience and the most costly way in which
it can possibly be obtained is through expe-
rience on the learners own farm. A thor
ough knowledge Of farming is a fortune to any
man who has the health and strength and the
sense needed for the business. Turn him loose
in the world, with a good wife, but without a
cent Of money, and he will hire a farm and
work it proftably until he saves enough to
buy it, The end of the thirty Woodworking
years Of his life will see him a well.to-do fore
handed man. An equally good man, with
some capital and no practical knowledge Of
farming, will toll his way to poverty, nine
accidents apart, the skllfu man will succeed
and the man who has to acquire his skill will
fail before he gets it.
IL Is especiaiy on tue s'hail farms lthos'
Wnleh hgure most largely IN Inc DOCKS as th'
heias OF great proh')' mat skil IS most need
cd a hundred acres oil rich land well s'ocke(
and with good improvements, may furnish
support, thougn pauly managed Tor year o
'"' - - " n,@se '''ins iIoui ,.''i
Nv, 49, ~ eaIJaSnoa ]'oaG y ~" VI '"'',
e, e -. ~ Nv w.? ~ ~" ''''.
Ia IT, W. w. "sy - ""lSn ~ . i a'i
e., - u NV ".'''uS III i''Ou %no nav
,,r 20 800 hlsaI " ,NVn 'nlousn {oa
Ln1N"a aen1 Ou' ~ :noae " %no'
ror.an"o. ana 49,, va" a.; ~ ''.t - " wa -,
That :; wo~iS ho r. ,ha " 'ne - P' t
aat;n;.,S 80 a,, ny p.oPYsou " 0'0ou'
loarn 90 - W. ~ I l w ~
, W. % " @1e. w: al Nno~ Wna' wou,
aJsoa,oS ~ '.,'."''u' ].u eNsn n'su'
H. sa,;no, i; $50 wy ~ ~ ". ""o,e
-, oe ,oe,. g. go " ''a'''i auu
nn IN hnS;nosS ,,;,S",. ,nr 49, '' II ",,''''
- a,'l ~, Ntai" - ~ "ou
aarn ono,,,h - as ~. ~ M eoI
fa,e shoui5 ho ann ho,,o, hoooso n nas
farm, and nn1artoaL tka moot ;n..,.... -
d;a;ani, % ali ID .;,hO,, "n,easo q
you'll certainly No, ,es.er h;s ohanods 80 g,
ure and bofare he mal;6ed b;msolc e., =
manaaoment n hi. proner,r !, worla ha
heon cola INV tho sbar;,F and be wonld s,a
srnntrN haniod hosara ,ha noriJ oss;Iia
w;ssr hn, surelv = mroh s.dJar mdn
,~ ''' '''e' " '1'' '"'' '"'"'
lnere Is just one roau 70 all poor men w
wan. 10 become Out are not good iarme
ana una. Is py DO mean royal road IL
70 10 worS WIN every power oil IN
heads ana hands and hearts as common lab
ers' on other mems farms be careful witt
you select ior your teacher ana made 81
'hs'ne Is enterprlslng economical intellige
anu successful. Let MN understand your
Jec' III going 70 NM ana accept the TACT
lhe ou,se. una. you are working not
money pu' ior instruction. DO WIN alacrl
""a' e'o' you may w ~. '" uo whether
pe !" cluSh u hog'pen OF 70 oreak colt
lou win nave IL 10 10 yourself some d
ana now Is your chance 70 learn now M'
yourself the most valuable mana on the pla
ana SO snow that you are worth the trouble
of so much that is indispensable to succ,
that Won NAV safely set mn nm vnur own