Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-04-28
2feric,tlfural Department
I. D. r. COLLINS, Editor.
LARGE AND SMALL FARMS.

81, / notice an article from your CORE
spondent at Newport, Vermont, entitled
Small Farms Best The writer seems
to assume that the title of his article is
axiom too evident to be contradicted I;
and doubtless hoped his finely wrought
picture, made more glowing by strong
contrast, might lead every tiller Of the
soil, less observant than himself, to view
the subject from his own standpoint.
All that your correspondent or any 9TH
er witer, has, or may truthfully say
against the silly and foolish practice of
country young men focking to the city
to exc out miserable existence there,
or in favor of improved husbandry. [
readily subscribe to.
When your correspondent speaks of
| large and small farms, we reasonably
expect his remarks to be applicable, at
least, to the latitude and longitude Of
his own state, unless he locates them
elsewhere Now the Vermont man that
owns less than fifty acres Of land, we
would not call farmer. Many of the
mechanics, merchants, and professional
men think they must have that amount
for their own convenience. One hundred
to one hundred and twenty acres Of
good land we would call small farm,
and three to six hundred large one.
While the number Of those that contain
their thousands of acres are too small to
| be reckoned in the comparison. Your
correspondent would seemingly have
every man have by s farm. AS we'll
might he think of combining men in 9TH
er occupations to the same narrow
limits.
Adaptation is the best. The by s
man to the 6 by s farm and the l6 by
80 man to the l6 by 80 farm, and so on.
Who among the men of Vermont that
have depended on farming for their re-
sources have done the most to encourage
the same by the introduction of blooded
stock and improved utensils ? The by
s or the large farmers?
The roller that rolled so beautifully
in Mr.. Wheeler's picture of the small
t farm, l more frequently see on the large
one. A mower the small farmer is only
r just able to have; also the tedder and
S many other approved and necessary i'm.
: plements he never dreams of buying
e The small farmer rarely ploughs over
five or six inches deep for the want of &
e double team of his own to plough ten OF
r eleven inches. Unfortunately for him
f his neighbor appears to be in hurry
|. about that time. wanting his own team
n to do his own work
e Your correspondent speaks of the grail
e often being badly lodged on the farm
|. that he pictures as having the manur
is SO distributed as to do but little good
q Now that is different from its working
y on mine. If your correspondent ha
% not so often coupled himself with farm
1, ers, by the pronoun ''we," | should hav
le taken him to have been some theorisel
N having had little or no experience o
re either small or large farm. Indeed
4, the disadvantages of the small farm
II when all summed up, if the farmer ha
h. any disposition to lay by something t
Of retire from business with in old age.
50 is customary in other callings, are full
VI equal to those of the large farm.
k The small farm may suffice, eve
he with large family, by practicing IL
IN most rigid economy to keep soul an
re body together, and will rarely do mo-
than that without some other busine
do connected with it. | have yet to lea1
that the small farms on an average a
cultivated better, or as we'll, as the lar!
H. ones. For the most part, the man tn
nu has ambition for large farm, has +;
ne ambition to conduct all his manipul
lre tions after the most approved STYLE
ice And where there is will, it usual
H. works out way.
'er AS to the young fools that annual
flock to the cities, think they will ha
nj to be brayed in a different morter fro
III that of small farms before their FOOLS
ian ness will all depart from them.
Mr.. Thrifty of my acquaintance, wi
nef a small family of only one child, a
that a son, had small farm Of six
CO. five acres, worth three thousand dolla
He managed it well, brought out M
an Of its resources, and by dint of econol
obtained the necessaries of life, and |;
pay up a few hundred dollars to meet
exigencies.
her At one-and-twenty the son thoue
ght there was not quite elbow room enou
NIL for consequently he left,
to knowing whittier he went any more tt
Abraham did when be obeyed his {
7on- to do the same thing. After few ye
the he returned with small accumulate
The father, not strong, past the mel
ian, of life, and looking toward
western horizon. offered the son the fa
I've surplus funds, and all, if he would S
IN and care for his parents in their dec
ing years. 1t was no temptation. Wo
it have been so, think you. if the hol
.Ia.l L. i laa.a 1911 IL -.