The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-11-20
M'snskt EARN.
SOME HINTS FOR FARMERS.

A correspondent of the Ohio " Farm
err" who is farmer himself, writes as
follows:
"a farmer in good circumstances, re-
siding in a neighboring township, pur-
chased thorough bred Short-horn bull,
well built, of good pedigree, and what
rendered him still more valuable in this
dairy region, he descended from family
of superior mixers. One would sup
pose that the money was invested to
excellent advantage, but aside from the
improvement of the owners stock he
never half paid for the food he ate.
The owner charged the enormous sum
of So to insure, and though | have
known many Of his grades to sell for
more at one year of age than three
year-old natives would bring, yet the
neighboring farmers would not pay So
for calf The trihing amount to be
invested would have doubled the value
of their cattle at one year of age and
yet they growl about hard times
low prices of stock etc. Their stock
ought to be low. | can find an abund-
ance of native yearling steers through
out the country that would hardly make
g back load for good strong man.
The large, mellow, meaty grades which
drovers so delight to handle are not to
be found here, but in their place Cor in
the place that should be occupied by
such), are to be seen little skinny scrubs
which at three wears old average eight
or nine hundred weight. Every native
steer that is brought to maturity on
our farms is raised at dead loss of
the amount which it costs to keep him
for one year, which at q low estimate
NAV set at twenty-five dollars. Talk
about hard times being caused by mid
dlemen, when in the case under consid
Grafton, an outlay of three dollars would
have Welded more than seven hundred
per cent interest. And | can point to
examples where a similar outlay in the
Improvement of different focks of sheep
would have returned a proportionate
profit upon the investment.
And these very prejudiced, one-sded,
envious men, who would not pay three
dollars for calf from thorough bred
bull, or half a dollar for a lamb from a
Cotswold buck, are the men who are
continually sniveling about high taxes,
exorbitant tariffs and like nonsense.
Hard times, indeed You deserve to
be made to squeal when you pinch your
selves, pinch each other, and try to
pinch those who would delight in see
ing q better class of stock upon every
farm in the country. You ought not to
complain, for if you don't get more than
forty-fve cents for your wool when
your neighbors all about you are sell
ing for ffty-fve cents, or two dollars
per head, while others can sell readily
at twice that amount You may have
the consolation of knowing that the
middleman makes the most on that he
has paid the most for Let it be hard
times for such men. They are a dam
age in any community where those who
would like to see progress and improve
ment are in the minority. OF course
they do not see it in the light that others
see it, and they never willard why ?
For the simple reason that they stand
just where their fathers left them
They never read agricultural journals
or books because it costs few cents to
pay the subscription price, and if any
body is so silly as to advise them to
try some other plan, they believe moth
ing in it, and are ready to tell you so.
Let them alone"