Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-02-14
What Farmers Need.

What farmers need would be long his
tory to tell. The first thing is greater en-
thusasm in their profession Farmers gen
orally place too low an estimate on their call
ing they judge Of it from its commercial
relations alone. Seeing merchants, lawyers,
middlemcn, getting money rapidly, making
fortunes in single season, they bewail the
slow progress to wealth their avocation COM
pels. But is there nothing desirable but
money The esthetica possibilities Of the
educated farmer are beyond those Of any
other profession. Read Irving's sketch Of
" Rural Life in England" or Whitehead's
" Pastoral" and say if any picture the artist
ever placed on canvas equals those described
by these writer's. However the farmer may
be placed, or wherever he has in his hands |
the means to touch here and there the can
vas, and make it more beautiful as the years
90 on, the farmer should possess his fac-simile
with au artists aspirations, aud change and
beautiiy it, making it to " bud aud blossom
as the rose A group Of trees, single
tree, will change the face Of the land--raiso
it sometimes from inanity to an almost speak.
ing intelligence. Who has ever planted a
tree and has not felt an interest in its growth
beyond that of trees planted by others If
fruit tree, has he not watched daily the de-
velopment of the fruit from flower to full
ripened richness, and when at last, full of
the summers sun and dew and rain, it has
fallen to the ground, has he not taken it care
fully up, exhibited it to Others and waited
many days with sort Of iondncss akin to
relationship before sacrificing it on the altar
Of taste An apple on the bough is more
than an apple to him who planted, tended
and saw it through infancy, youth and age
When the farmer considers that he owes
more to the farm than that does to him, he
will begin to be worthy Of it. 1t teaches
Justice. 1t will give, but it must also receive,
and its giving will be in proportion to its re-
ceiving, with this diflerence-tha it takes our
crude gifts and changes them into refined, and
returns them things of beauty" 1t will
have US near will have our care and sympa-
thy.
The farm teaches integrity, No shams al
lowed here what you do must be well done
you must SOW good seed you cannot get figs
for thstles. You may cheat yourself, your
neighbors, but you cannot deceive the farm.
When the farmer learns these things, be is
better than money can make him.
The farmer needs perseverance in we'll
considered plan. If a dairyman let him fol-
low dairying through to its complete triumph.
If mixed husbandry is a speciality (and it is
a good one), then follow that, without that
unstableness often witnessed. We see, for
instance that When wool is a paying crop the
whole attention will be given to sheep a re.
verse comes, and then "pelting will be the
order Of the day. Now, when pork is at low
ebb, many farmers are making small provision
for future crop, and the result will be no
hogs, or few, for sale when prices are remune-
rative The same is true Of horses, large
crop and a small demand aud too little at
tention to breeding such as will pay is the
results. b. l.. IN Country Gentleman