Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-01-07

Farming as a Business.

4 Western farmer asks me: "Why Is
1t that farmers as class have no price
for their goods, like merchants, mechan-
les, lawyers, cooblers, etc ?r They have.
A farmer sells his corn for the market
price, just as a grocer sells his sugar. He
can not get more, and need not take less.
"A lawyer, after years of hard study and
much patient waiting, gains great and
deserved reputation, and can command
his own price. So farmer who has
spent years in improving breed ofcattle,
sheep, or swine is often able to fix his
own price. Think Of an American-bred
shorthorn bull being sold in Great Britain
the other day at auction for ]. $50 ouineas
OF, with gold at ll3, S9397 In American
currency!
WHY" he continues, should the sons
OF the soil be the ignorant dupes they so
often are. and be subject to the tricks OF
the trade. and why should traders live
more expensively than farmers? Is there
no balm in Gilead?' Ii farmers are zig.
| norant," that is a sufficient answer to the
questions. know good many that are
not ignorant. An average farmer is as
intelligent as the average merchant.
There are rascals in the city who will cheat
if they can, and farmers sometimes are
their dupes. But all the cheating is not
confined to the city. l have known far
ners to tie up dirt in their wool, and put
wet or damaged hay in the middle of the
load. know q farmer who lost over fif.
t. dollars last year from putting wind-falls
in his barrels of winter apples. WhensI
first moved on to this farm. although am
farmer-bred and farmer born, and have
lived on farm nearly all nv life. vet ii
was known that had been editing an ar-
ricultural paper for some years in the city,
and was consequently supposed to be
green" and a fit subject OF the tricks OF
country sharpers, Every horse within
dozen miles that was spawned, or broken
winded, or blind, or balky was trotted out
for me to buy. If COW kicked, or had
lost q teat, Or was poor mixer, the own.
er, though half-a-dozen miles of, would
think that she was Just the COW to sell to
nae. Il q flock of sheep had the foot-rot.
it was thought desirable to give me
chance to cure them-wthout, however.
telling me what the trouble was. Every
blacksmith. carpenter, wheelwright, ma
son, and stone-wall builder in the neigh.
bofhood deliberately cheated me, and
then made his boast of it to crowd of ad-
miring listeners at the country tavern. |
never 90 TO an auction sale, because |
know the auctioneer. himself farmer,
VIII bid against me on the sly, and cheat
me ii he can.
do not wish to say hard things about
my neighbors. Nine tenths of them are
as honest, intelligent. industrious, sober,
peaceful, respectable, kind-hearted peo-
pie as any to be found in the world; but
among the other tenth you will find men
who, according to their ability and oppor-
tunlty, are rs Thoroughbred scoundrels
as yos will find in Wall street There is
amongst them as much low-bred cunning,
AS much vulgar shrewtlness, as much ".
ing and profanity, as | have ever hap
-pened to meet with in the city.
As to why traders live more expen.
siVely than iarmers,' know of no good
reason except that they. have moro
ready money and spend it more freely.
ioor men as rule are more extravagant
than rich men. A farmer with farm and
stock worth 500, 900 may not have more
than -, 900 pass through his hands in
year, While his brother in the city, an en-
terprising man that enjoys a good reputa-
ton, bui with no more actual capital, may,
by the aid OF discounts, indorsers, and
credl, use more than one hundred thous-
and year in his business. He takes
greater risks, and may sooner or later
lose every Thing, but in the mean time he
makes larger profits and lives more ex-
pensiyely than his brother in the country.
To make great profits you mus, run great
risks and make comparatively little
profit. For my part, prefer to be a far
mer; ii you would rather engage in other
business, | have no sort OF objection
Walks and Talks, Ans. Agr.