The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-01-21
Home Industries.

Farmers ought to be manufactar-
ers-that IS to say there are q great
many Of the raw products ofthe farm
that ought to be manufactured on IT.
All the labor that can be expended on
a product, on the farm. proftablv
ought to be 50 expended. Of course
we dc not mean that the wheat ur1-
duet should be ground there: nor the
corn, nor oats; nor need the barley be
matted. A division of Labor Is neces-
sary. But if farmer has a la-ge
farm and the requisite capital. hemav
convert far more Of his raw products
into marketable articles. and realize
and profit on every. hours labor spent
thereon For instance. we knew
man who cultivated peppermint on a
piece Of interval, getting enormous
crops. lie erected a still and extract
the oil therefrom, making 100 per
cent. on every dollars worth Of labor
invested. He also had a swami
which was useless except to produce
aags, these during the winter even
ings, be wove into chair bottoms
the chairs being made at n neighbor-
ing chai. factory He made = pe-
cent on the chairs thus bottomed. An
other sold his best apples when ir
would pay to sell them, but bought a
cider mill aad press, and converted
sucA as be could not sell at q profit
into cider and cider yinegar-botb
OF which gave him a reputation. d de-
mand for all be could furnish. and q
Peoiit far 5,eater than the raw apple
crop generally aif0iG-. We geve knew
b ~ % sell grape for less than u
cents per pound. fresh from the vines.
f.:hey would 8ot bring that price. lie
packed them carefully, and slowed
them away in q cool dIv room until
the rush in the market was over
when he would get - tO-3O cents uer
pound for his crop. The loss bv de-
cay was very Slight. Tie low lands
along the edge Of a small stream were
planted With Osier willow. These
were cat, peeled, and few Germans
hired so manuiacturethcm 'nsa farm
aaakciS. OF which le kept stock 20
haad, aud supplied vie merchants
and --oceTs with an they. could sell
making 100 per eedt. pcuft on every
dollars w0ryn Of labor expended in
the cultivation preparation and man
uiacJurinS OF he willow.
lis wood lands Welded him pr1-
pori0naJe profit. The ax-helves. OK
vokes, wagon hHbs and spokes. and
ax!es. frames for harrows. timber for
shingles, &e., &c.. which i wood
lands furnished would have astonish-
cd many Nho have more resources
than az had Yet nc kept his wood
land intact. The moment atree had
reached naturltv-when twas grow
ing no better-it was eat down and
converted into something useful and
markctable-ar least such part Of it
as could be tbus coIve-ted. But
nothing was wasted The wood
house kept fall of the best Of fuel.
Every twig and limb Of any size was
so cu5 ps % he utilized The amount
of fuel be ;huS Obtained which most
men would waste, was enormous. IL
was the best kiDd OF kitchen fuel tool
So we might 60 on and enumerate
q hundred things that be utilized,
which most farmers waste. His Ia
bor was utilized. Yet let no one
suppose that he bad, or gave his en-
ployees no leisure. Ills home was not
what neople call utiliiarian home sim
ply. There was sys,em aad intelligence
in work, but there was corresponding
system and intelligence in recreation.
1t is something to learn-to learn 10
utilize all the farm produces.