Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-09-10

A friend in S ullivan county, N. H., who
has large farm, with two hundred acres Of
meadow, most of which is flowed by the
Connecticut, with a fine set Of buildings, but
who is not able to give his personal attention
to the farm, inquiries what is the best dis
position to make Of it, as he is unwilling to
put it in the market at the present low
price of farms. He estimates that it will
winter a hundred cows, and by the purchase
Of an adjoining farm for pasture, the same
number could be summered. The best way
he can figure it, he says, his half of the net
income from the farm if let on shares to a
good dairyman, is as much as the whole
gross income would be if he stocks it with
sheep and carries it on himself. He says that
he has good man on the farm who UNDER
stands dairying first rate, but has not the
faculty of pushing business along. And he
mentions incidentally that he has thirteen
cows on the farm this season and gets no
butter or cheese himself from the lot.
The management of farming property of
that amount without the personal superyis-
ion of the owner, in such way as to realiz,
a fair income from the Investment, is
problem which may we'll excite the iugenu.
ity of the most skillful business man. Very
few farms at the present day are
doing more than to pay for the labor
expended on them, say nothing Of capital.
Where a return is made for capital
invested it is tribute to the executive abil-
ty of the manager Of the farm. The great
difficulty our correspondent has to meet is to
find man who is capable of managing such
farm we'll, whose services as lessee, tenant
on shares or manager on salary, can be pro-
cured. Men with that degree Of ability and
experience are not plenty, and when they
are found, are not to be engaged. Your
man who carries on farms Eat the halves" Is
not that kind of man. Mt he. If a
young man he lacks the experience aud ripe
judgment necessary. If Of middle age it
will usually be found that he has failed in
the effort to carry on a farm or some other
business for himself. The men who are
wanted for such place are practical farm
ers with interests Of their own to look after,
or they are looking toward some business
which promises, as they think, better returns
than farming. 1t may be that the existing
prostration in business viii turn loose men
who can be relied on to carry on such a
farm at a profit. Otherwise it is vOiu
search.
| With the right man at the head, capable
ofplanning, not only the work for the season
but for each day, and Of getting a days
work done by every hand between the rising
and setting sun, it pays to hire plenty Of
help and practice thorough culture in all
things. But if the manager is not master
of the situation in general aud detail even
il he is hard worker himself, but lets hi'
man dawdle away the day with seven hours
work, then the more help there is OIL
the farm the worse the showing on tn
balance sheet at the end Of the year.
The skill and efficiency of the man bcinI
granted, then there is no question that dairy
ing pays better than wOol'grOwiug. But
is hardly necessary to say that the man VIII
makes no more butter and cheese from dair
of thirteen cows than supplies the family
3 and help Of such farm, is not likely to d
a successful business with dairy Of sever
or eight times that number. The produC
Tor the pFodt) of dairy Of hundred COW
would be reckoned something like this 10
. lOO::0:0O,
!. Farmers are very numerous who can tax
!. two men aud manage we'll, who have nc
t brain enough to keep eight mon at work
!. good advantage.
s The high price Of farm help is to be take
J. into account. Ii might do TO employ hel
o at els per month TO carry on farm wOr
!. which would be done at loss with help
d s25.
o Where it is desirable or necessary TO 8