Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-08-30
lu.rsTR ~ F.sR.uE.vG.

Not less than twenty per cent. of the en-
tire capital employed in farming in this
country is wasted. This il low estimate,
| for on many farms the amount of waste is
more than double the sum named. Per-
haps the scarcity and high price of Labor in
few localities may be considered reason
able excuse for this loss, but We hold that
no man should undertake more than he
can accomplish without waste. The first
and most prolific source Of waste can read
lily be traced 10 large FARMS as nine out of
every Ten of our farmers own or undertake
to work twice as much land as they are able
TO, with any sort OF credit or profit to them
selves or others.
In spring, more corn, potatoes and other |
crops requiring culture during the period |
OF growth, are put in than ,an he attended |
To-, and the results are that hayiug and har-
vcsting of grain crowd uron the hoeing,
and waste occurs on all sides. Scarcity of
labor is always put forward as an excuse
for this waste, but the farmer was well a
ware that he could not obt lin the required
amount long before his crops were put in
to the ground, and should have known
just how many mon were required TO take
care of and harvest any certain number of
acres Of any particular crop. We are not
disposed to excuse a man for waste on the
score of ignorance especially in farming,
because the business is one well under
stood
Contrary to the general idea, we believe
that the curse of American agriculture Is
cheap lands, producing low standard of
c,,,,inn and an,ournu n ur1SDinU dis
position to possess broad acres. with cor
responding neglect of the same when once
they are obtained. The first thought of the
4, farmer or his sons is, how much land can
!. purchase ? not, how much will my cap
ital permit me to buy and improve? In
ninety-niue cases out of every hundred,
n man puts his entire capital into land,
and then runs in debt for few acres more.
- reserving nothing with which to make inn
= provements or purchase stock. A mer-
chant who would put his entire capti ia
y, to a building and leave himself no capital
with which to commence trade, would not
u deserve pity If he did fail in business; and
# yet this is just what a majority of our
l. farmers have been and are still doing. The
result of such system is a slavish life for
8 a term of years in order to procure stock,
IL implements, barns, and, finally, a comfort
able house for the wife and family.
|, NO" tnore Is ou. o"o way " ie"'uS
it this "iuespreau evil anu 'nat Is u own
h less lahu '''aAe " Piouuee pet'er ''op',
d and thereby prevent a waste of time and
10 labor. A man should never put more than
IS one half his capital into land, no matter
r now much or now iittie ne may nave we
n can oner no oeuer PROOF Oh 'nlS WIuespie"u
e eNH VI o"hlnS n'oie '''u '""' va" Nv j.
lr diciousiy cultivated IMAM inc average yIeio
If oil any Oh our principal ''rih Ir"""c's' 'n'
d average yleld oil corn Tor instance III so"''
10 OF Inc Middie ana southern o.".es' - no'
ID above len pusheis per acre, anu III ii'''o''
is seldom ABOVE twenty WINE tnose .a' niei
id VINO pant on eouu' rlch iahu' anu a''eii'
k 10 tne cu"ur'' III '"cso same ,"''''''e'' w
$, tam rom ni'y 10 Que "uh"rcu pusneiS pc
,c acre. lheso results prove "ciusNe'y
'na' tnousahus vi "cies are ''"""'S P''"'
IN ca Will .n's grant, anu Tue '"no' oNPo"uo'
III thereon Is Almost IL not entire'y' ""s'eu
~ Inc same Is 'rue III resa'" ~ an MINUS
X graz" eu'''N"'eu !" '"'S ''""" - '
e''' 10 o"' !" 'P''" ~ i'""'
a vi coin' WIG" 'ea''y ho ""9 "o' "''f 'N''7
@, 10 put III zen, ""u '"o 'osu' 70 wy '', 30,
D" 'ou', Ill - 80 ~, ni,,n" mo,
" -. ,,,ii, eo,,or,,,-f,.o mar cant n
IT, -, ,.,o,,1o,i thereon No,nr
IL -, H., ,,ni,,,, s,,.,o'., 50 ,I,i,lv ovor
i,.,o 's,,,r,co or ,ronrd that fine benefit
- -, l., ,o;.o1 ,-bilo If a los