The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-10-23


of our competing in those articles; and besides,
such are the facilities for transportation afford.
cd by trunk lines of railway, and such their dis
examination against local freight in their natural
struggle for through cargoes, and so great the
means of storage by the system of elevators now
established, that art seems to have combined
with nature TO hinder us in the race. So much
less, too, is the original outlay Tor land in the
prairie countries, and much less the difficult
ty OF clearing and preparing the ground for
crops, that the Cdds from these causes, are still
more increased against us; and practically we
are brought into rivalry ut our own mill doors
with the superintendent haryests reaped frem
lands that cost the western farmer not one.ffth
of what yours in Hartford county stand YOU
Ana yet we SOW and plant our wheat and corn
neatly i'll the same proportion that we did when
the west was unsettled, and the Atlantic States
supplied all the grain.
1t seems plain to me, that our true policy is
to devote less of our land to crops in which the
west has such an advantage over us, and turn
our attention more than heretofore to those
special anu minor branches of husbandry adapt.
cd to our SOIL and which are suggested by the
relations of our immediate locality. In the mat
ter offruits, milk and and other pershable arti-
Giles we have an advantage in getting to market
over distant portions of the country; and look
ing to our special circumstances and local indi-
cations, the peculiar ana leading fact character
istic of your part of the State is its propinquity
to the chain of cities from Washington to New
lOlh, Will inc demands upon y0uf produce
which spring from the consumption oflarge city
populations, and those branches of expectation
which apply to articles that must be promptly
handled. And | would here remark that, while
more convenient to the markets of Baltimore,
such is the relation between that and the other
Atlantic cities, that you have at command the
benefits OF that system of mutual supply which
enterprising dealers and shippers have establish
ed between them; and thus, in a measure at least
you can avail OF the markets of all. The ten
dcncy of the times is toward specialties in all
departments, and II seems TO me, that the special
indication for Hartford county is to study and
supply the demands of these adjacent cities.
There statistics and facts with reference to
the wheat and corn crops of this country and the prof
its derived from the minor branches of ,sbandry that
may be here pertnently cited.
In Isl 0 there were produced in the United States
about oOOOOOOO bushels of wheat and about 992 OOU
Oto bushels OF corn. OF this amount, twelve western
states produced 900 bushels of wheat or over
two-thrd of the entire CROP 600 bushels of
corn, OF three iourths Of the whole amount raised The
state OF Illinois alone exhibiting the extraordinary
yield OF 2OOOOOOU bushels of and % 900 BUSH
els of wheat than of all the corn and near.
one-nnth OF all the wheat or six bushels of grain to
every man, woman and child in the Union In Mary
land there was raised that year eleven aud quarter
million bushels of corn aud 5,654 900 bushels of wheat
only about bushel in ninety of the corn and
one in twenty-three of tho wheat
The large and fertile county of Frederick the lead
ing county OF the State in cereal productions shows
product in the year Of 80 900 bushels of wheat
worth, at Sl5O per Dushel, 81 0OJ ahd 800 900
bushels Of corn, WORTH at 80 cents per bushe SGSD-
OO the aggregate value OF these crops being So
OOO In hailord the same year You raised 24j, 900
bushels of wheat, worth, at the 1907 600 and
about 100000 bushels of corn, worth $3.50 Ou toge
er S69i 900 The tables show that in the scale of pro-
duction your yield was creditable it is greater in
proportion to the ratio of your population than that of
your sister counties In the item of oats, potatoes and
milk Sold you surpassed Frederick county, although
your excess in tie last article may be owing to our
greater production of butter But for the purposes of
illustration, may fairly take the items of wheat and
In nrit Lam,
Frederick counties.
Now in IIerkimer county, New York. which has
less population than Frederick county, there was pro.
duced besides other things in 1870 of cheese 5uOuUO
pounds and OF hay, los, 900 tons.
Estimating the cheese at II cents pound the value
of this article alone equal to that the corn crop of
Frederick for that year while the price of the hpy nj
SIS per ton would about equal the value of the wheat
and corn crop OF the latter together, estimating the
wheat at 81. 30 and the corn at 81 cents per bushe
In Chenango county in the State likewise small
in population than Frederick, there was made in
1870, 532OOOL lbs OF butter, which 80 cents per h.
would nearly equal the value of the wheat crop OF
Frederick. Among the other special productions of
CheEango county, may lie mentioned 800 900 gallons of
milk, $4,000 lbs. of hops 100000 lbs. maple sugar
and 100000 bushels of potatoes.
And in Madison county, New York, the same wear
there produced among other items 400 900 GAL
Ions of milk worth, at 30 cents gallon So 40 900
sum equal TO the value OF all the wheat corn oats DO.
tatoes, BUTTER milk and hay raised in the rich and pro
ductve county OF Frederick during the same period.
The history of a fruit enterprise on Chester river,
Queen Annes county, is suggestive A firm bouUht
tract of 200 acres, about Il years ago $4 per acre
The senior partner recently disposed of his interest on
basis $50 per There are 100 900 bearing neach
trees in the orchard the crop of which nets Annually
between 100000 and $4,000.
have seen it credibIy stated that n Mr. Arnold of
Starkey, New York, bought in the spring of 1865 a
fruit farm of so acres halt in peaches the balance
in apples cherries, grapes and berries for $l OO In
the fall of the year lie sold peaches TO the amoun
of $1,000 and made 81 900 from other fruits Tins
realizing more than one half the purchase money
within six months.
An instance is also given of peach orchard in Ohio,
of about 10 acres purchased for s. OOO which reozeJ
its owner 10000 the first year after the purchase
In the late impetus to Bookkeeping, there are numer-
GUS instances of money making by ladies' A hIrs Tup
per- who is largely engaged in the rearing of Italian
queens, tells ola young lady whose health failing her
from teaching undertook the charge of twelve colonies
of her fathers, that had not been probably managed
Under her care the first they increased to thir
ty colonies, and the third she sold 81 200 worth
of honey and had in the fall 81 strong colonies in good
hives The young lady herself remarks: "The time
devoted to them did not miss, aud the pleasure afford
ed by the work was so great, would enjoy doing it,
even if | profit were derived"
Another lady, widow, with scanty provision for her
support. turned her attention to bookkeeping. She pur
chased ten poor hives in the spring for $50 and expen
ded about much more for good hives. The first sea-
sons yield gave her back her investment and $50 over
The second she sold 5000 worth of honey and
her stock of bees that fall numbered 81 coloncs-a
strong.
Perhaps the largest bee establishment in tho West
is at Des Moines and it is managed entirely by wo.
men.
mere remark That III tile lighter Industries o
agriculture, there Is a more available field thrown
open for woman to assist MS, make her own liyel
hood. In the rearing of poultry, the work the dai
ry, the manufacture of cheese and butter, and tho
lighter work about orchards and vineyards she is
taking active part, and can, with advantage to her
self and the community have her opportunities multi
piled.
Coming nearer home, in Kent county, Maryland less
in population than llariord there in 1870 besides
wheat crop of 4139OO bushels, and crop f724
900 bushels, realized from orchard products 1858 900
equal to the value of the wheat crop of Hartford (Which
was 2l5 900 bushels,) at Sl4o per bushel while in
Anne Arundel county, whose population is about the
same Ms yours, there realized on market gardens
the of SljoO0 equal 10 the value of all the
and oats you raised the same year. I noticed in the
paper the other day that Mr. Buchanan the farm of
j. A. j. Creswe in Cecil county sold this season the
peaches from twelve acres, for " 4425l and that Dr.
Dorsey near agerstown sold his grapes from four
for 81 4u0-whlle n Mr.. Barnard made clear profit
from % acres planted in raspherries of S3,53s &c.
These returns throw the profits of grain crops far into
the shade and the development of the business of can
ming and preserving FRUITS must greatly enlarge their
markets.
In vcnturiu4 make practical suggestions to prac-
teal farmers do with reat diihdeIce, well aware
of the force of the homey maxim that should be
careful mot to teach his grandmother how to take
snuff" but agriculture Is so all-pervadng in its rela
tions; all deeply interested in its success
and its range Of considerations being wide that not
practical farmers can claim to fully compass it, il
is perhaps assuming much to submit nv views
for what they may lie worth. believe that the views
of outsiders 81 some value to every kind of business
in which the public is concerned the profession
of law is benefited 10y the common view of its
processes that farmers may take of it, in lheraiZing
its technical spirit, and making it more coutormable
its great endte administration of justice and the
yindcaon al right. In the spirit then, of recipro.
cal examination and Judgment give you full lii erty
to discuss aud nretel the future Of tho lawyers of
Hartford county, while venture to close this branch
of my remarks with the prediction that in 20 wear,
now those farmers OF Hartford WHO in the mean
time shall have turned their attention largely those
particular branches of agriculture suggested by your
nca rness to seabOard cities, will be the rich far
mers of Hartford, while those who continue to raise
wheat and corn AS heretofore will he the poor ones |
May all b, alive then TO pass npon the correctness
of this conviction.
In contemplating agriculture in its broader and |
higher relations there aspects in which its value
society scarcely be oyeresiimated. do not now
aude it The of the supply of food for the
human family; this is but an obvious and common |
place fact Nor do refer to it the parent of almost
every other industry. moments consideration re-
veas it the power that whitens every with the