Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-03-16
From the Southern Planter and Farmer.
Does Farming Pay? And II not, why not

From the Southern Planter and Farmer.
Does Farming Pay? And II not, why not
BY CAPT. F. GUY, CHESTERFIELD.
| These questions have troubled me TO
long time, and I would like to hav
them discussed In the columns OF tn
Planter by others more competent thai
myself.
We hear the cry all over the land
"that farming does not pay" Can it b
SO? Are we to believe that this grea
foundation Of all other business doe
not pay those engaged in it? When
even now that large portion of ths
world are fed by America, and the grea
balance of trade Is SO much In our favor
and then say farming does not pay
1t can't be so. I, for one, don't anG
can't believe it. There are vast num-
bers engaged in it and dependent upon
it, and can 1t be possible that, as class
they are getting poorer every day? Il
so, how are we to continue to live, and
who is to buy us out, and how can the
merchant and mechanic and others live
if we stop? Where will the manufac-
turer get his raw material, and how will
the merchant live and prosper IL we all
go under Does all else pay except farm
inge Suppose men allow this doctrine
to be taught and believed, what will be.
come of our lands?
But again, what is it to pay? What
is meant by the phrase does poys That
every one who follows it, as a business.
must necessarily make o fortune to prove
thatsM does p0ys Are there no cases in
which men have accumulated fortunes
by farming? And are there not plen-
ty of men who are making good livings
out of farming? Please tell me of any
business that is conducted so carelessly.
Suppose the merchant, OF any other
class, were to neglect their business as
the average farmer does, where would
they be in twelve months Could they
live at all? And yet the farmer lives.
And / fear there are too many that don't
make any calculation to see whether il
does pay or not.
The merchant or mechanic has his
house to rent, wood and coal to buy.
every egg, chicken, turkey, duck and
everything else he eats or drinks, even
the water. Now, let the farmer credit
himself with all of these, and see how
the matter stands. How many mer-
chants or mechanics have three or six
months provisions by them, and how
many farmers have from six to twelve
months rations on hand? Many farm
eIs have capital stHck not exceeding
So, 500, and yet they raise families, feed
and clothe them, and, if an accurate
calculation was made, many of them
could show fifty or more per cent. per
year In gross receipts. Can any other
class do better? am sorry to saw it.
but it is even so, that very many So
called farmers do not have the care and
industry to have half a garden, no milk
OF butter for even one.third of the year,
and there are no small number in this
class, and it is in the power of most any
man, not cripple, to have these things
in abundapce. We have ten whites in
our family, and keep only three cows,
and have q great abundance of milk
and butter to eat three times day, and
are never without vegetables, fowls and
eggs, and 1 believe it is in the power of
most every farmer to do likewise if he
would. If there is no clear money in
farming, there is certainly a good liv-
ing for every one that will try to get it,
and that is all we get in this world after
all you can say. 1t is useless to hold
our hands, 60 to the cross-Hoad stores to
drink mean whiskey, curse the negroes,
and Yankees, and let the houses and
fences 60 down, the lands go to poverty
and broom-sedge, leave the taxes un-
paid and cry out farming don't pay"
How can it? 1t is the farmers fault
and not the lands; help the lands and
they will help you.
Farmers need encouragement, but
don't give them this cry, do your best;
take the Scripture for your guide.
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do.
do with all thy might" Let this be
your motto and you will never want
for anything you deserve. If you don't
believe it, try it. Learn to improve
your lands and stock, and attend we'll
to your own business do not hire ne
geoes and leave them to idle their time
away while you ride about. Such farm
ing don't pay; it can't.
To show you what can be done, I will
give you an instance of young man in
the county of Isle of Wight. by telling
you what he did last year, in his own
words:
Having been solicited by you to give
my first years experience in farming, I
hereby endeavor to do 80. 1 had no cap
tai to begin with no land of my own
to cultivate, nor any; farming imple-
ments at all, and only owned one horee.
1 rented of a friend about nineteen
acres of land. for which paid 1925 five
acres of which planted in corn, and
made twenty barrels and 1000 pounds
of fodder; the remaining fourteen acres
I planted in peanuts, and made 1900
bushels. I borrowed money to procure
labor and implements with which to
cultivate and harvest the crops, which
amounted to $500. I realized from sale
of peanuts 81 600; from corn and fodder,
$40. After paying all expenses, have
$545 left as clear profit.
Hoping the above lines may be of
some encouragement to the young farm
ers,
remain your friend,
GEO. r. NELMs."
Now, friends, who can beat that-old
or young? and he paid what every one
would call heavy rent-nearly $12 per
acre rent. How is this for pay But
this man works when he goes at it, and
he sees that those he hires work too.
This is the kind of farmers I want to
see Old Virginia restocked with, and
you will hear no more of "farming
don't pay" when they get to work.
Pardon me, Mr.. Editor, for taking up
so much of your valuable space. I am
in earnest, and could not stop sooner,
and may not trouble you again soon. I
hope others may speak palmer words of
cheer, that the young farmers may
know that their works are not in vain,
but the future is more hopeful than the
past.
Honesty lisa quality which the republic
can party dons or doffs as it would coat,
In the North, where it pays to preach, if
not to practice honesty, the party is
loud in its denunciation of everything
that even squints at the reputation Of
pecuniary obligations, but in Virginia,
out of the entire number of republicans
in the House of Delegates, all but two
voted to repudiate the States just debt.
ASeg. Gazette.
Facts for Dairymen.
It should be borne in in mind by
rrac cfica1 dairvmen that the parfpete ed