Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-07-17
Correspondence.
For tho VERMONT FARMER.
NOT WHAT HE DOES, BUT HOW
HE DOES 1T.

IIG DOEO iIs
A series Of editorial articles in your col
umns opened up the question whether farm.
ing pays or whether it is an occupation that
tends rather to entail loss upon the one en-
grged in it. This is broad question, too
broad to be discussed in a single article, aud
yet to my mind it admits Of but one an
swer.
What are the industries Of the country
Agriculture, commerce and manufactures.
FIRST in the list, and the one upon which the
others are based, stands agriculture. Drop
this from the industries Of nation, provid-
cd such thing were possible and it is easy
to point out the result. Manufacturing in-
tercsts would be paralyzed, and commerce
would find her thousand ships rotting along
side useless piers. 1t is not an assumption
to say that the prosperity of a nation de-
pends primarily upon the fertility Of its soil
Inventory the property of those who en-
bark in commerce or are the owners Of fac
tories and mills where one succeeds, scores
are known to fail, and yet no one claims
that commerce or manufacturing does not
pay. So with farming. Hundreds engage
in it who are utterly ignorant Of the busi-
ness, aud who take no pains to become ac-
quainted with the details necessary to sue
cess. Such, of course, fail, and at once take
up the cry that farming does not pay. So
long as the idea obtains that man has no
need of brains or education to conduct a
farm, Just so long will we witness multi
tude who stagger through the year and find
themselves growing poorer all the time.
The saying, "crops will grow while the owner
sleeps" has ruined many farmers as well as
the farm itself. The fact that sOeedS are
growing at the same time seems to have
escaped notice. Set this down as a motto.
Good farming always has paid and always
will pay. Just so long as the sun gives
warmth and rain revives, so long will the
farmer thrive who brings to his business en-.
energy, industry, and brains. Book farm
ing, as such, is not the thing needed, but the
skilled farmer, who looks upon books as al
important element, is more certain Of sue
cess. Throw into the commercial circles al
the shiftless, easy-going farmers, aud lei
them carry into trade and commerce aud
manufacturing the same want of spirit
evinced in their present calling, and what q
cry would arise, that none Of those enter
prses pay The farmer must give his bus
iness personal attention; he must not bC
afraid of hard work he must not pay out
two-thirds of what he saves for hired help
and machinery, and then allow the latter tC
stand out in the weather until it rots oil
rusts out; he must not waste manures
and then purchase high priced foreign fer
tiizcrs he must not pillow his farm to death
and then grumble because he does not rails
good crops l lay this down as a maxim
that no man pows himself out Of debt un
less he has such an abundance Of fertilizer
as to keep his land in condition, and such al
one is not often found. The great trouble
is, farming is done too much by guess,
whereas, figures can be employed in this n
, in other matters you can count with a
much certainty for a return from crops AM
dairies and sheep as the merchant on the re
turn of his ships from across seas why no
use them, then. OF course the writer doe
not wish to be understood as claiming {
possess all these enumerated requirements
q he nevertheless recognizes their necessity
n Taking into consideration the wild Auctua
tions in commercial circles and considering
It the lofty position our agricultural interes
n assumes in the history of the nation, l cair
it to be fact that the farmer is not second
: airy III Importance; (; that in point of wealt
. the farming class ranks first and the que
tion of ''paying" depends upon the man, nc
; upon the calling 1t is not what ma
does, but how he does it.
s Charlotte, July 10. w. w. HIGBEE.
" tba VEpuagT