The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-04-09
FARMING AND FARMING IMPLEMENTS

FARMING AND FARMING IMPLEMENTS
If we were preacher, the first sermon
we should attempt to preach to Virginia
audience would be short one on order
and Horoughness in farming. Order is not
more imperatively the first law of nature
than it is the first and chiefest law of the |
farm. Order in the house and in the field /;
order in the stable and in the barn order
in the times Of labor and in the times of re-
taxation; order, in fact, everywhere and in
everything. For order is only another
name for method, and method in the hus-
bandman is the sure road to success in
everything he undertakes. What is done
IN order is always likely to be well done,
and what is well done rarely requires to be
done the second time and so. what is once
done thoroughly is better than what is done
a dozen times over imperfectly, or without
thoroughness.
To be thorough farmer one must pro-
vide himself with the very best farming inn
plements. And his first implement must
be a house his second, housewife
his third, astable; his fourth, something to
put in it, and so on, and so forth. His
house need not be large, but it should be
constructed in the very best manner, so as
to save fuel, colds, rheumatism, and per-
adventure many things worse. His wife
may be small, but she should have big
heart to engage in whatever domestic duties
may contribute to advance his interests as
farmer. If he is up with the lark, she
should be up with the lark also and her
music in the kitchen should be such as to
make his heart glad with the songs of early
morning. Early rising will give her health,
beauty, elasticity of spirits and an early
breakfast, prepared by the cunning of a
sweet wife's hands, will give the husband
strength, resolution, courage to labor, and
heart to work with redoubled energy for
his little wife in return.
His stable, like his house, should be
built in the very best manner, and after the
best model suggested by his own or his
neighbors' experience. Itshould be suited
to both man and beast, with such interior
appointments as to save labor and time in
whatever may be required to be done there.
ia. 1t should be water-tight, with grain.
bins rat-proof, and there should be under,
meath it ample room Tor housing and rottine
all the manure that his horses and cattle
can make. Each load of well-rotted ma
nure will, when put upon his land, give
back return of from five to six dollars in
agricultural profit. And what is true o.
the stable is equally true of the barn.
Both should be constructed on the same
principle of economizing time, which is the
farmers money. The lands near his house
should be first put under the highest cul
tivation, and kept under it soil loose ant
rich, fences good, weeds nowhere.
OF stock, also, he should have the best
1t costs no more to have good stock thai
poor stock, only, if your means be limited
you should have less. What the farme
wants is quality, not quantity. One gooc
COW may cost as much, perhaps, as tire,
poor ones but she will give as much mill
as the three, and what you save is one
third in feed and attendance. We hav
known farmers, with ten or fifteen poo
cows, dependent for milk for not less thai
two months in the winter upon thei
neighbors, amateurs in stock, who ha
only two cows, but which were, however
of the best milk breeds. In this case, th
man with the two cows realized an i'm
. mense saving in feed and attendance, ant
the difference between having the two goo,
cows and the fifteen poor ones might max
all the difference in thrift between the two
farmers.
And SO of poor farming implements, an,
poor horses and mules. The farmer VIII
has the best has great advantage over tn
one who has the poorest. A poor, hall
made, superannuated old pillow, or harrow
and fearfully rusty at that, takes just a
much more horse-hesh, or mule-Aesh, t
drag it as constitutes the difference be
tween thrift and unthrift in farming
Horses and mules tug harder at then
and do less work, just as man with
bright hoe or spade, and one suited t
the exigencies of his work, will go throug
the labor of loosening the soil and putin
it in proper condition for fine garde
crop, at half the expenditure c
muscle, or individual toll, that on
must undergo who has an inferio
implement. With poor spade or ho
be will do half the work and have doubl