Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-01-11
Coos and Essex Farmers. Club, No. 1.

At the meeting of the above Club,
held at Lancaster, on the 23d ult., j.
G.. Crawford, Esq, read an essay,
which we are obliged to condense
for want Of room, on the subject as
signed for discussion by the Club,
HOW CAN FARMING BE MADE MORE
PROFITABLE
The first and great important work
in connection with profitable farming
is to cultivate the soil. The farmer
must understand the art; and by art
is meant skill. A soil, to be cult
waited, must be pleughed it must be
mellow, free from stumps and large
stones, dry, and clear from weeds.
How many farms are there in this
County that are cultivated? How
many fields in the whole State would
bear an examination? Should you
inspect them you would find brush
and weeds in the fence corners
stones piled up like mountains,
stumps left to decay, uneven surface
and rocks marked by the pillow and
harrow teeth, which you have dragged
over for years.
To make farming more profitable
there must be an additional outlay of
money, and especially of labor,
where we find q farm cut up into
small lots, and much of the best land
occupied by walls and fences, the
maintaining of whfGt~issan enormous
tax upon the farmer. These must be
removed, and the fields made larger /;
and by removing them we remove
the place of deposit of obnoxious
weeds, which will ripen and scatter
broadcast over the land; and much
time and labor is wasted in eradicat-
ing them from the fields cultivated.
By removing the fences and enlarging
fields much time is saved in blowing
In blowing small fields, where turns
at the ends are often made, much
time is consumed which, with large
fields and long burrows, would be
saved. AS labor is the greatest ex.
pense to the farmer, whatever he can
do to lessen it, and at the same
time increase the products of his
land, it is for his advantage to do
By spending a portion of the time
consumed in idleness, or the time oc.
cupied in getting over and around OBJ.
structions, most, if not all, tho
Large stones could be removed from
your fields or sunk beneath the sur
!. face, so that your fields could bt
f worked with a machine; and whel
we know that pair of horses ant
mower can accomplish rs much in ;
given length Of time as the combined
labor of eleven men, every farme
should prepare his ground so he cal
dispense with this extra expense. !
your farms are small, and you do no
feel able to purchase machine, tire,
or four can club together and own
mower that can be used by each il
turn, and more than enough to pa,
for it will be saved in one season.
If there arc felds-and there ar
many in this County - which ar
covered with rocks that it would b
impOs Sible to remove, such shout,
, be allowed to go back into forests
t and in few years the product Of til
, growth of wood would be more tina
any other crop which could be raise,
; upon it.
In regard to stock kept upon farms
: it seems that there might be grea
t change for the better. How often d
: we see farmer, when in want of
! horse, buy some old animal whc
has been used up, and is CONSTANT
) depreciatlng in value, use him for
, while, and if he does not die befor
= winter, kill him because he is nc
worth keeping, when, if he had bough
a young horse, or raised one frol
= some good stock, he would have a
; animal capable of doing more work
/ costing no more to keep, steadily il
$ creasing in value, and instead of kill
t ing can sell at good advance owe
=, the cost. The same rule applies t.
oxen. Instead of buying an oil
: yoke of cattle which are on the dc
e cline, and paying the great price 20
must to get them, buy young pal
which will do nearly, if not quite, a
much work, and then instead of keer
ing them until they are so old it wi
E cost more to fatten them than the
> will bring at the butchers, sell thel
when they are in the best condition
: when to keep them longer would b
a loss. Many farmers will keep COW
!; and milk them year after year, whic
: for profit should have been sent
= the shambles before they were mike
e the first season. It costs no more t
Il keep good COW than poor enc, an
by raising the best calves from YOU
, best mixers, you Will soon see
) greater return from YOUR dairy, witt
! out dollar additional expense. You
/ farms must be kept up, not only th'
t they must, in order to be more prof
y able be made better, and in order
u do this we must know the art of Gu
J tivating the soil.
- The knowledge of the art of cult
II waiting the soil involves more know
edge than that which is required
y, hold the plow, or ride q mower,