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

Mown down, withered, aud flung and tossed,
No real treasure is lost.
But underneath the great full moon,
Or in the summers burning noon,
orin the darkened winter hours
Grow ripe and sweet our mown-down flowers.
Farm Manager Sanb0rn on Extensive
Farming"
We are Just in receipt of the 1880 Report
of Secretary Gilbert of the Maine Board of
Agriculture. Like that of our Superintend-
ent Mead, it is small volume, but good
one. Maine was struck by the political cry
of retrenchment two years ago the same as
Vermont and the politicians there, as here,
managed successfully to quiet the cry by
cutting off the Board of Agriculture, retain
ing all the profitable extravagances-that is,
profitable to themselves. There, as here,
also, the board has since been re-established,
but with narrow limit to the size of its re-
port, which must not exceed two hundred
pages. We have never been very much in
favor of free books printed at the public ex-
pense. We believe that the newspapers give
| IL
ever is read and said at agricultural meet
ings than any published report can do, and
the cost falls then upon those who take the
papers, and not directly upon the taxpayers.
But many are in favor of those reports,
and truly their cost is trihing compared
with other wastes and leaks in governmental
expenses, about which we hear not word,
because there is row of politicians suck
ing away at every one of them.
Among the papers of this report is con-
tanned the address of our friend, j. w. San
born, the energetic and successful farm
manager of the New Hampshire agricul-
tural college. This address is substantially
the same as the one delivered by Mr.. San
born at st. Albans last winter before the
Vermont Dairymen's Association. 1t is full
of meat. 1t is the purpose OF Mr.. Sanborn
to set before the farmers the advantage of
farming large areas of land thoroughly and
cheaply by the aid of machinery,-in short,
TO introduce in New England the best west
ern methods, with some notifications. We
have, as our readers know, urged the ad-
vantages of such methods in these columns
for years, Every word that Mr.. Sanborn
says of the superiority of extensive" " farm
ing over the old ways is true. Large capi-
tai invested in agriculture can only be made
to yield satisfactory returns, in the common
crops and products, by adopting every me.
chancal improvement and all the teachings
of science that bear upon the subject In
Sanborn's address, and desire our readers to
be familiar with the principles and methods
which he SO skillfully lays down and makes
practically successful
But in his statements and illustrations
Mr.. Sanborn is not always quite felicitous
We felt that, when we heard his address al
st. Albans; and now that we have it in
print, we want to say little about these, as
We think, erroneous assumptions. Mr.. San
born says, "the watchword of old has beer
small areas well titled The new, fol
profit, will exact large areas well titled.
We have rallied around small areas
and have rallied again to smaller ones to be
answered by still declining values.
Large profits are the product only of ex
tended business under low prices, in farm
ing as elsewhere. Large leases have given
rich tenantry to England, while ten acre
farms have clothed the French peasants
with wooden shoes. The policy by which
we have lost for long period is obviously
not the one to pursue further
The above and similar sentences comprise
about all in Mr.. Sanborn's address at which
we take exception as incorrect, misleading
and not essential to his main argument
These we wish to review. To begin with
perhaps our friend is verbally right when HI
says that the /" wdtchpord Of old has beer
small farms well TILED" But has tha
been the practice of old, or is it the practic,
now ? Are small farms, well titled, respon
sible for the decline in the value of ou
farming land in New England Is the com
parison he draws between the large farm
of England and the small farms of Franc,
just one2 We think not and proceed
to say why.
In farming, as in every other business
success requires adequate capital, proper
toned TO what is undertaken. Profits will
be proportioned to the money, skill anc
labor invested. These constitute the busi
ness trine, as phosphoric acid, potash an,
nitrogen constitute the fertilizing trim
upon the farm. Upon farms of all sizes il
New England the weak spots in farming
have been the lack of money capital and o
, mental capital,-lack of cash and know
edge. Wanting these, mere industry beat
y its wings to pieces against the bars of an iro
! ! cage That has been the case in Vermont
in New Hampshire, in Maine, and indee
n everywhere that we find agriculture declir
ing and farm lands lessening in value. Tn
n mere size of the farm has nothing whateve
the money capital possessed at the star
OF course the smaller this capital the smalle
will be the sum of profit at the close of tn
II year; but the per cent of profit need not b
any bhdiici' INC SafiHb III eho uoo vi ooHi
machines, in the tillage of large fields, an
in the handling OF products, on the larg
: farm, is offset and usually more than offse
Z by the nicer work, choicer products an
= greater economy in small things on I'll
q q small farm, As both the great merchar
and the small shopkeeper have before thel
Y the possibilities of success or failure, a
u cording to their pecuniary and person'
q equipments, 80 il is with the large and sma
farmer. The greater prizes go, of cours
TO the larger operators in both cases, bl
the greater risks and losses also attend then
r with an equal step.
NJ ,..a.tar a,;l oa,, laFaIl A.