The Portland daily press., 1879-11-25
AGRICULTURAL.
Good Farming, Not Size of Farms.

Good Farming, Not Size of Farms.
The question of large or small farms is
debatable, and not always decided in the
same way in different localities and under
different circumstances. In Texas, Cali
fornia and the northwest, the cattle growing
and wheat producing sections, the farmer
who controls large tract of land has i'm
portant advantages over the small farmer.
The wheat grower who owns several thou
sand acres of land can have costly and nee
essary machinery and the advantage of COM
bined capital. 1t costs less per bushel to
SOW, harvest and market wheat on farm of
several thousand acres in extent, than on
farm containing only as many hundred
acres. The small farmer always finds his
machinery expensive. The same argument
holds true in regard to stock raising. The
large farmer can care for more stock for
each man employed than a small one. He
finds it easier to Introduce improved breeds
of stock, and if there is difference in mar
kets he can always reach better. On the
other hand, a large farm at the East fire.
quently costs too much to purchase and man
age. and the result too often is that the farm
is carried on at a loss, and presents neg
ligent, slovenly appearance. But this is not
the case with our extensive cattle and wheat
farmers Of the West. A farmer who has
enterprise and thrift enough to induce him
to take up a farm of several thousand acres,
usually knows what to do with it. Such a
farmer is better off with large farm .han
with small one.
In the neighborhood of our eastern cities
the other extreme prevails, for it is here
that we find our smallest farms. Here are
our market gardeners, who make a good liv-
ing on a few acres. The market gard is
the small farm in its perfection. The aim
of the market gardener is to bring his farm
II IN ba bUhpst of ai nal ln daOrna of fnrfij
ity, to reach perfection in cultivation and
secure the greatest possible profit for money
invested This also is the aim of the. far
mer who carries on farm of from so to $50
acres Of land devoted to mixed husbandry
There is another class of small farmers near
our large cities who do not find it desirable
to increase their farms above certain eX-
tent, and this is our dairy farmers, on whose
farms the principal thing is the dairy-the
other stock kept and the crops raised being
merely incident to dairying. This system of
farming furnishes employment for the en-
tire family, with possibly the assistance Of
hired help during the busy season. The
dairy firmer is usually certain of fair profits.
1t is in small farms rather than large ones
that our wealth as nrtion consists.
Those Western States that are divided
into large wheat farms and stock ranches
can never become so wealthy and populous
prevail. This is an important considera-
ton. 1t may be urged that a large farm is
a good investment for a large capital. This
is true, but there are other channels in
which agricultural capital can be invested.
A farmer owning 100 acres of inferior land,
with poor buildings. poor fences aud poor
stock, has no business buying more land.
He has no excuse for buying land at any
price while he can make much better in
vestment for his money in improving the
land be already has, in building fences, re-
pairing buildings, undertaking, or i'm
proving his stock. The farmer who raises
1000 bushels of oats from so acres, should
not produce 1000 bushels by sowing twice
as many acres, but should improve his land
and get the 1900 bushels from so acres. A
farmer who works 100 acres of land and de-
sires to increase his income, and attempts
to do so by increasing the size of his farm
before he has tried to increase his income by
improved methods of farming, should quit
the business. The income of the farmer
should be increased in every possible man
ner from his small farm before lie tempts
to increase his income by a mere addition to
the number of his acres. When this has
been done, then, and not until then should
the farm be increased in extent. am not
inimical to large farms, but insist that they
should be as fertile as small farms, and thus
much more profitable 1t is unwise for
farmer to purchase large tract of land for
the mere purpose of owning it, but such
seems o be the idea of many of our large
farmers-COr. COuntYu Gentte1np