Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-03-02
Successful Farming.

There are those who think a man who
has ever done anything but follow the plow
must Of course be ignorant of the Oldest and
finest of the arts-agiculture, but here is
what Mr.. Murray, the famed Boston preacher
says of farming which shows that he knows
thing or two on that subject. The fact is,
he is a most accomplished and successful far
mer who leaves it and goes back to it with
zest and relish that nothing can abate.
The pride of farming is in having clean,
trim, snugly-kept place, with the buildings,
fences, fields, and all its appointments in good
order. The influence which tells, in making
farming desirable avocaton for young men,
is in the fine appearance of a farm. Who
that has any love for the soil ever rode by u
nice looking farmhouse and barn, with every
thing attractive around them, and did not
wish he owned such place, and was as good
a farmer? Who ever rode by dilapidated-
looking farm, and was not glad that he left
the farm home to learn a trade or a profess
sion when a boy? The contentment, comfort,
aud wealth Of the farm home is in its orderl y
management.
An English writer, who had Travelled much
in this country, says of the influence of re-.
ligion, that he could tell as he came near to
country village what were its religious
privileges. If the fences were in good order,
the roads well made, the houses painted, the
barns in good repair, the carts aRd wagons
housed, he was sure to find the church stee.
pie pointing heavenward, the school-house
with open doors, and an appearance Of re-
fuement, respectabiity and religious life in
the community.
What this writer discovered as the moral
status Of the country homes, will bear the
same test in its material character. We
have seen farmers who held in their possess
sion sail the land adjoining them" whose
barn-yard was so full of stock that it had
had the appearance of hive of bees; who
owed everybody, and whom everybody owed.
Every thing seemed to be at loose ends on
the farm, in business management and in
general appearance, and they were believed
to be wel.to-do; but we never knew ono Of
this sort OF farmers whose estate would set
tie for fifty cents on a dollar. On the other
hand we never knew a farmer, with much or
little in his possession, WHO had clean, Or
derly, well arranged farm, that was not in
comfortable circumstances The very habit
of shiftlessness is destructive. A gate il
left with one hinge broken until it is blown
to pieces two or three screws, in time,
would save the expense of q new gate. A
barn door drags at the bottom or rubs at
the top; to close it, it must be slammed il
soon becomes loosened, broken, and a largo
expense is necessary to do what little, il
time, would have saved Fences are neg
lected; the cattle and sheep crawl through
or jump over, injure the crops, and learn to
be roguish, diminishes their value
A shingle blows of Of the roof the hole i,
neglected until the hay is wet, aud becomes
musty, or the plastering in the house il
drenched, cracked, and falls off, A pane o
glass is broken out, and an old hat substi
tuted. The place would not sell for sxty
cents on dollar with that hat in the sash
You may select the best farm, in the mos
perfect condition, and put shiftless ma,
upon it he shall not exhaust the soil, no
unnecessarily wear out the farming tools
simply for few years be shiitless,--an'
that farm will not sell, after seeking lon
for customer, for half price yet the amour
of actual expense to put 1t in good orde
might not be ten per cent. The most ex
pensive luxury farmer can indulge in !
shiitlessness.