Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-12-31
Capital on the Farm.

Capital on the Farm.
No matter how skilful or energetic
man the farmer may be, it makes a world
of difference to him whether he has his
farm paid for and thousand dollars in
hand, or has a thousand dollar mortgage on
his farm and no money in hand. In the
last case he soon learns that "poor folks
have poor ways" as matter of necessity.
He may see many Improvements that might
be made which would greatly increase the
productiveness of his land. He may be con-
WINGED that an improved breed of cattle or
sheep would yield him better returns. He
may see plainly that he both buys and sells
at a disadvantage because of lack of cash.
All these things he may have a lively con-
seriousness of, and will feel every day like
one-armed man because of his debt But
to convince him that he had better have
worked out longer, until he had saved more
money, or had better have bought smaller
farm. The Rural New Yorker has been for
some time printing series of articles under
the title, " History of a Poor Farm" These
articles are plainly the work of a man of
practical experience and of much good sense.
In recent issue he discusses the question
Of the Employment of Capital in Farm
ing" We make extracts as follows;
My old nelghbor never tires of grumbling about
the recklessness OF modern farming and is espe-
cially severe upon DIR. Jones and myself for turn
ing Williams head, as he says. William has re-
Gently purchased two hundred loads of manure
from neighbor at a dollar load and borrowed
the money from the bank on his note, to pay for
1t. The old gentleman thinks the man who sold
the manure has far the best of the bargain. Will
liam is model grandson He humors the old gen.
tleman's ideas in a very respectful manner, and
in this instance has agreed to give one-third OF
the increase of crop to his grandfather for T. use
Of ten acres, upon which he intends to put the
two hundred loads of manure.
But he is paying out $500 for ten acres" said
the old gentleman companngly. to Mr.. Martin
"Well. what OF it9' replied Mr. Martin. The
manure is Of the richest kind, and is worth twice
what William gave for it, | should say. How it
is, Fred, what ought that manure to be worth in
cash o.
1.-THE manure is well rotted and fine, and in the
best condition; it has been gathered since last
winter, and has been trodden and turned over by
more than twenty h'gs since then. / never saw
better manure than that my father is now haul
ing home. Perhaps there never was any like 1t
analysed so that 1t will be fair to take Dr.
Voelcker's estimate for its value: one ton would
contain eleven pounds and half of nitrogen worth
twenty-five cents pound, or 81 S71; ten pounds
of potash worth sixty cents and six pounds of
phosphoric acid worth sixty cents; in all, "a OH
per ton. Father will draw two tons of this in
load in his rack market wagon, which is the way
he brought it, so that each load will be worth
over So
Fred" who is Williams son and the
old gentleman's greatgrandson, here COM
putes the value of the stable manure his
father has bought at the rate usually paid
for the same elements of plant food in com
mercial fertilizers. And if the same method
of computation is used in reckoning the value
of all farm manure, liquid and solid, when
properly saved, most farmers would be as
tonished at the value of their manure piles.
boughten fertilizers are worth the prices we
pay for them, good stable manure is well
worth 81 a ton, as Fred estimates it. But
manure such as farmer Drychaff carts from
under the unspouted caves of his barn to
his corn field in the spring, having but little
of the urine absorbed, and what little it had
washed out, with all the other soluble mat
ter by the drip of the caves, would be dear,
often, at fifty cents ton. But to continue
the extracts
Manure is worth less or more, according to
the use you put it to- remarked DR. Jones. "If
you use 1t to grow market truck which sells for
S400 or $500, or even more an acre it Is worth
m n IN unn TOM cd
ture with it and grazed cows for milk at two cents
quart. Money must be judciously spent for
fertilizers, or it may be very easily thrown away
but we could buy good manure for fifty cents
ton, or even four times that price, it will pay A
neighbor OF mine put $50 worth of manure on one
and one-half acre of early potatoes, and sold one
hundred and fifty barrels at SO a barrel He had
at least half the value of the manure returned a
second time in crop OF late cabbage. 1t is the
use made of 1t, in which its value lies"
Precisely" remarked Mr.. Martin, "and Will
liam will make 500 an acre from his sweet corn,
il he has but moderate crop and only moderate
prices, and lot Of fodder for his cows, and he
can get second crop from the field, besides
Don't you think he can do that ?' asked Mr.
Martin of the old gentleman.
He ought to do that" he replied, "and |
know If he had not the manure the field would
have no crop worth speaking Of for the clover has
run ont. But to borrow the money first is too
risky"
IL
vestment, but the $50 an spent by his grand
son will pay more than one hundred per cent in
terest, and perhaps twice and three times as much
and yet he cannot see it," | remarked, aside TO
DR.. Jones
That is the usual way with farmers" replied
the doctor, " few of them can be made to see
that the safest and most profitable investment is
the Improvement OF their own farms; and that
the employment of capital is the only way to
make their farms pay But capital can only be
protitably employed by those who have business
skill to use it. Solomon said that wisdom is a
defence and money is a defence, but the excel
leney OF knowledge is that wisdom giveth life lie,
us say profit, unsteady TO those who have it, lie
also said money answereth to all things and II
there is one place in which it answers a better
purpose than in another, it is on the farm. The
History OF this Poor Farm is altogether one of the
wise uses OF capital, for think capital has been
used wisely here. There is no show or fuss and
our old friend, even, think, cannot point to any
thing in which the money spent has not been used
judciously and economically"
DR.. Jones is pleased to be complimentary
more 80 than deserve, and can point out my.
self some things which am not satisfied with"
Let us have them" said Mr.. Martin, "ar
honest confession IL good thing"
well, don't agree with Solomon altogether
because money won't answer In place Of brains
Money may be thrown away very easily, II on,
does not watch its expenditure very closely Tn,
fact is, have not been liberal enough in my ex
penditures; in some instances, have quite failed
TO get my money back again. In others hay,
employed labor without watching the men closel,
enough, and the work done has been lost in grea
part. can point you to one item alone: tn,
woods pasture was all cleared and the brusl
piled but as was not with the men b. direct them
the brush was heaped right under the best OF tn
shady beeches, 80 that to have burned it Their
would have destroyed them. When this worl
should have been done and the ground cleare,
for sowing to grass, the beets needed wedding am
cultivating, and the man had to be taken 70
that the woods pasture grew up with brush one
more and the work has TO be all done over again
that Is loss OF from fifty TO sixty dollars
That was your mistake and none OF Sole
mons, remarked DIR. Jones. "If you had bee
wise enough to have employed second man an
spent six dollars for weeks labor the wor
would have been finished, the pasture would hay
been ready for use in the fall and the loss DR.,
vented. The proyerb is true; your wisdom an
the money would have been a defense against los
and injury, but you see you failed to emplo
either"
"Well, go on with your confession" said MI
Martin.
Last year." continued, g. used six hundre
pounds per acre OF artificial fertilizers on wha
ever crops | put them on corn beets, rye an
potatoes; and II paid me to do it, This year
used three hundred pounds per acre, and It di
not pay"
Just 80" remarked Mr.. Martin al think
said as much at the time. 1t Is as though yo
fed your horse well last year. and he was fa
worked well, and was healthy. This wear yo
put him on half ratons and he has hean ,,oo,