The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-10-15
Agricultural department.
BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
System in Farming.

er's want OF defn1te o0sefvatl0n. HOW
Ia n bad method TO bo improved If the
operator has never even studied .hat
Accurate observation of what uue t.
doing Is first necessary before any pro
gress can be made IN amending 1t. YOU
ask most farmers the amount of grain
raised per acre, or even the exact
amount Of seed sowD, aud no definite
answer can be given. suppose you en-.
deavor 10 find the exact cost per acre
for the labor In raising oats, wheat OF
other crop they cannot tell you, even
for a single field They do not believe
ia experiments, or any of your new.
tangled notions" but they should. at
least know the facts concerning what
they have practiced for lifetime. The
great body of farmers are Ia the habit
of travelling the same road year after
year without observing anything upon
either side. They seem to adopt the
rule recommended In dispensing chari-
ty, mot to let the right hand know
what the left hand doeth." How Inn
poriaut that the grain-raiser should
know the cost In labor OF producing
each Of bis crops. that no may know
whether he makes or loses IN that
branch of farning--that the dairymen
should know tho average cost of keep
ing u COW. both In food and labor that
he may know the cost Of pound of
butter or cheese. Is 1t not strange that
farming alone, of all occupations, should
be carried on without any regard to the
comparative cost Of production and the
market value Of the product? The
farmer keeps no account with his fields
10 know whether he Is making or los.
lug by their cuiLivation-ao account of
the cost off bushcl Of coru, wheat or
cate of the cost Of n pound of butter,
cheese, beef or wool. He simply knows
whether he has got anything left at
the end of the year, and sometimes not
even that. Not knowing where the
loss occurs, he cannot apply the reme-
dy. How long could a manufacturer
continue business If he did not know
the actual cost ofhis product? Yet the
farmer, as general rule, does not even
zee the need of this knowledge. You
viii often hear him say that his busl-
ness cannot be carried on by rule like
mechanical business that there are so
many unforeseen circumstances con-
nected with farming operations that no
exact order eau I've adopted. 1t Is not
easy to see why definite system may
not be adopted in farming as well IS in
any other pursuit. 1t is this hap-haz-
ard way of carrying on farming that
has led to the general opinion that ag-
ricuiiare cannot be profitably conduct.
ed on large scale. This want of sys.
TEN, want of close observation, and the
proper application of experience, has
Kept agriculture. intellectually, in the
background. If we were TO indicate
the greatest want Of agriculture, at this
time, we should name II intellectual
training.
Let us take conspicuous examJ 10
to show what system, accuracy in plan.
ning and execution, can do in farming.
Grain raising, being so entirely depend
ent upon the weather and season, the
preparations for II often limited to so
short period, is certainly as difficult
TO put undcr accurate system and order
on large scale, IA any other branch
and yet we find Mr. Dalrymple Of
Minnesota, some years since. under
taking the task Of sowing one thousand
acres OF spring wheat IN season. This
he did with entire success, raising q
larger average crop than was produced
by the small farmers In the vicinity.
He went on for several years, increas-
Ing the acreage until he reached $500
acres. He could bring sixty pillow
teams into the field at the striking Of a
bell. and accomplish the preparation OF
l26 acres per day. A month saw the
end Of the sowing At harvest time,
fifteen reapers manned with drivers
and binders, went into the field and
100 acres were cut, bound and shocked
each day; few days saw the last
shook capped.
And now the first that was cut was
ready for the great steam thresher.
That Is placed in a convenient position,
and teams haul the grain as fast as the
throat OF the great iron cylinder, driv-
en- by steam, can pass II through. The
grain having become dry in shock
while the cutting was going on, lie now
bagged and hauled to the Mississippi
flver as fast as lhreshed, aud sent d.
rect TO market. Fifteen thousand dol
lars profit remained 10 reward his EN-
terprise for single year. Mr.. Dal-
rymple retired from farming for few
years, tut we see that he has opened
new farm and has raised l 800 acres the
present season. and harvested with
nine self-binding reapers In one week.
Only one ,nan IL employed to each
team, and twelve men follow the nine
feapers 10 shock the wheat He now
harvest the wheat at oDe-fOnrth the
expense Of former years IL IL stated
that he proposes 10 raise 8, 900 acres of
wheat next eesson This shows that
an accurate system Is as practicable
in agriculture as Ia any other business.
Every farmer should put his business
into systematic order, and observe
closely everything connected with 1t.
in this way he may make more pro-
gress In five years than in lifetime
under the no-system usually practlced.
The farmer needs to educate the head
as well as the hand. The time Is now
at hand when skill Is to win. Brute
force and unthought has had its day.
Let the farmer note the coming change
Country Gent.
l..