Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-07-20

dinOnB our lhrtnefS JDaJ inOney cah po hi""o
only on large farms. Hundreds and thou
sands of our farmers are to-day ruined and
exiled men because they have entertained
that belief. When man has the cash and
the knowledge to handle large farm, let
him listen to and learn of Mr.. Sandorn. lie
can find few better instructors. But what
the great majority of those who are the
farmers of New England to-day want to
learn is that capital must bear true pro-
portion to the business undertaken. Let us
illustrate the idea from another kind OF
business than farming. Suppose man with
$4,000 wants to set up woolen mill.
Should he buy small one, with single set
of machinery, and pay for it Or shall he
begin with $4,000 building and mortgage
that to finish it; buy his two or three sets
of machinery and mortgage that buy his
wool aud other material on credit, and de-
pend on advances from his commission mer-
chant to pay his help2 How long will the
value of mills so established and so run be
maintained :
Now this is Just parallel 10 the condi-
tion of the most Of New England agriculture.
The farmer is often in debt for his land, for
his stock, for his family supplies, and for
his hired labor. And in most of the cases
where one is fortunate enough TO own, by
inheritance or otherwise, his farm and stock,
he has no cash capital, and frequently no in
telectual capital, to carry on the business
successfully. This is the true condition of
agriculture in New England wherever values
are declining. Mr.. Sanborn attributes it en-
tirely to small farms. We say, most of the
farms are too large for the men that are on
them. Farms in Vermont are much lower
in price than ten years ago. Yet when well
handled they produce as much, and the
produce will sell for as much money as then.
Is it to the smallness of the farms that we
must attribute the decline No; it is due
to the fact that so many of our farmers have
( failed for lack of capital in money and
knowledge. Their farms have passed into
the hands of creditors, are for sale in num-
Der greatly in excess of the capital seeking
such investment, and consequently the price
(not the value) of all our farms is depre-
ciated. Now is the time for farmers with
capital in money and knowledge to buy
farms in Vermont. No country offers a
better chance for the skilled farmers Of
England, who have abandoned their holdings
under lease in that country because they can
make no money at the rate of rent they must
pay. Farms never were cheaper according
to their value than they are to-day in New
England, but it is not because they have
been "small farms well titled" 1t is be-
cause they have been farms, large or small
but generally very equal in size, not well
titled, for lack of money and lack of skill in
their occupants.
Mr.. Sanborn makes a very unfortunate
comparison between the farmers of England
and farmers of France. The extensive
farmers of England have been ruined by
thousands (and the larger their holdings
generally, the greater their ruin) under bat
harvests, American competition and disease
among their live stock. They are emigrat
ing in all directions. The French farmers
in wooden shoes " on their I" ten acre farms,
are ready with their "old stockings" ever,
time the government wants a loan to sub
scribe for two or three times more than il
called for. But is the one fact any argu
ment against large farms, or the other an.
argument in favor of small farms? Not il
the least. The English farmers have gon,
down under "crisis" too big for thei
capital, just as so many of our business mel
went down in 1873. The French farmer
stand safe in their wooden shoes, will
money to let, because their farms---large o
little-are generally owned, free of debt anc
intelligently farmed No people on eartl
have such a horror of mortgage as
farmer. When like horror takes hold o
New England farmers, and when they ceas
to shy at an agricultural book like half
blind horse at wind-blown piece Of pa
per, the farming land of New England viii
begin to go up in price, and it will stay ur
Farmers of that stamp will be far bette
qualified to profit by Mr.. Sanborn's teach
ings in extensive farming for profit thai
most can now possibly be.