Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-03-14
Large or Small Farms.

AMONG the questions frequently dis
cussed at agricultural meetings and in
the papers, is that of the comparative
profits of large and small farms. It is
q discussion equivalent to the Canvass
ing, in q commercial aSsemblage, OF
the relative proftsbleness Of small or
large store; or, among manufacturers,
of the comparative advantages Of fac
tory on large or small scale. There
can be no doubt that men have accu-
mulated considerable wealth from
small commercial business, or BY
manufacturing industry conducted on
moderate scale-and also by the till
age of small areas of land. Industry
and economy, eOnjOined with business
capacity and good acquaintance with
the work in hand, will in time usually
secure competency in any RyOcation.
By slowly laying dollar to dollar, with
a shrewd investment of profits, man
can make himself independent, and
even rich, doing but 8 very moderate
business all the time.
For the majority of mankind this is
the safest, and indeed the only practi-
cable method. Out of thousand men
but very few have the natural capaci-
ty, or the acquired ability, to conduct
any business successfully on 3 large
scale. Napoleon declared that there
were only two men in Europe who
could handle an army of 100000 men.
A similar rule applies to every branch
of human endeaVOr. And one Of the
chief elements of success is to know
one's-sef sufficiently well not to under
take more than can be successfully car.
ried out. This applies as well to farm
ing as to every other business.
But farming has never yet been
legitimate business in America. Land
has been too abundant for that, as well
as too rich with the accumulated fer
tility of ages. So far, we may say that
there has been but little real farming
done on this whole continent. When
It comes to true farming-andit is now
beginning to come to that in the older
States-it will be necessary that q man
calling himself farmer should know
something about his business, and be,
TO that extent, q business man.
As business man his capacity for
business will regulate the amount Of
business he Will be competent to do.
That, and the amount of capital he can
control, will settle his status, whether
as large OF q small farmer. And as
farming is more and more conducted
on business principles, the business Of
farming viii divide itself into different
classes. 1t will then become like other
businesses, and as in trade there.is 3
place for the large merchant and the
small tradesman, so in farming there
will be large and small farms, and all
profitable in proportion to the capital
and labor intelligently expended upon
them for the production OF salable
crops.
When agricultural business is thus
organized, it will be found, in many
cases, that the era Of land under Hllags
win not so much determine the profits
as the amount of labor, capital and
skill laid out in order to force the soil
to its highest productive capacity.
This, united with knowledge Of the
kinds Of crops that are most suited 70
tha market, an ability to forecast prob
denand and prices and shrsWd-
Ia taking advantage Of sudden
f5f the market, VIII be the prime
of success or failure.
Srge cities, or in placal
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