The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-05-19
Advantage of Small Farms.

huV dHbdSO VI Olld11 L dIluo
tFrom the Burlington Hawkeye, April 2S,l
Small farms are the exception in
the United States, but are the rule in
the countries in Europe, where agri-
culture has reached its highest state
of prosperity. We had over 1000, 600
farms in this country in 1880, accord
ing to the census, but we had only
1875, 24l that were less than ten acres
each, and yet it is authoritatiyely as
serted that an average acre of cucum-
bers or cabbages in New York or
Pennsylvania is worth oyer 500 net
profit to the owner, and it is said on
quite as good authority, that an aver
age acre of grape vines or fruit 1.-THE
vines and trees being eight years old
is worth clean profit of 800 to $3.50.
The hest peach orchards of Delaware
and New Jersey are worth good
deal more. and land planted in ber-
ries or cherries, or both often yield
$3.50 to $500 an acre. A farm, there
fore, of ten acres, carefully cultivated
may be depended on to literally sup
port large family and leave a sur
plus for ''hard times" or old age or
sickness.
Some statistics from New York
State afford the best illustration of
what may be done by small farming.
Most of the farms in that State are
small. ranging from ten acres to two
hundred, but the average is under
fifty. The total of land cultivated in
farms in 1879 was in round numbers,
$4,000, 900 acres, and the farms 377 900
in number. The total product Of the
$4,000, 900 acres in small farms in New
York were valued at S17S,025, sos.
But one other State illinois, with
$4,000, 900 acres cultivated produced
more than New York. The acreage
cultivated in Illinois was 40 per cent.
more than in New York, but the val
ne Of products was only - per cent.
more. This is the difference between
large and small farms. While the
Illinois farms average more than six
ty acres. the New York farms run
below fifty. New York is not a great
grain state, but it produces one-sev-
enth of all the hay of the country,
and that means a great dairy bust
ness, which is more profitable than
grass farming. New York produced
in 1879 almost exactly one-seyenth of
all the butter made in the United
States and nearly one third of all the
cheese. The total value Of fruit pro-
duced in all the States in 1879 is stat
ed officially at S50,S76 154. New
YOrk's share of this total was 50, 409,-
794, or one-sixth. The whole hop
crop of the United States in 1879
was 26,546,37S pounds; New York,
q ,62S,93l pounds, or about so per
cent. of the whole, If she had such
hop crop last year, it brought her
farmers half as much clear profit as
all Iowa's wheat crop. But while
our wheat fields covered 100000
acres, New YOrk's hop farmers did
not cover more than 5000 acres. On
less than 100000 acres. the small farms
of New York produced 1854 200
bushels potatoes, valued at S25, 000,-
900. Proba bly, the potato fields did
not average more than an acre and a
half each, but the clear profit was
equal to nine or ten acres of wheat in
the states where large wheat fields
are the rule. And yet it has been
abundantly demonstrated that small
farms, planted in fruit trees, vegeta-
bles, vines, berries or raising grapes,
Yell a much larger profit to the
farmers in this western country than
farms of like size in New York,