The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1884-03-14
The Egis and Intelligencer,
Bel Air, Nd, March IA, 1884.
DEER CREEK FARMERS CLUB.
Does Farming Pay?


The Deer Creek Farmers Club met at High
lands" the residence of Mr.. John Moores, Satur
day March Sth. In the absence of the Presiden
Mr.. Johns IL. Jnnney was called to the chair:
The question discussed was as follows: At tn,
present prices of farm produce, does farming
pay? ;. -.,.-
whether farming is profitable business, with
wheat ut 81 bushel, potatoes 10 to 40 cents, bon,
more than it is worth. A farmer free of debt
with farm well stocked, can make money, but
man in debt for his farm, who has also to go IL
debt for his fertilizers, implements, &c., cant
Geo. Il. Silver thought farming does pay, but II
takes long Will W FOR DO bnV
much ready money he is not harrassed with notes
bills and debts as business men are. Mr.. Silver
ing that on n farm which will produce 20 bushels
of wheat to the acre, IL barrels of corn, ] ton OF
timothy or tons OF clover, farming VIII pay pay,
enough for their expenses of living They enjoy
life and live as comfortably as other people.
Thomas Lochary thought If a man wanted to
make money rapidly farming is not the way to do
it. If a man has good land, which can be easily
he can clear little money and make a comforta-
Bile living. If farmer brings up. eight or ten
head of boys and girls and makes little money
he ought to give his wife credit for three-fourths
of it, There is more in saving than in making
money.
all the credit they should. MIR. Moores wants the
farm to pay something besides 6 per cent. inter-
ISL on the value of the land. None of us can sell
our farms and live as well on the money invested
at per cent. as we do now. 1t is not fair TO take
the prices of one year. as basis. Grain is low
now but it has been double and triple p esent
prcea, and stock keeps at a good price.
Wm, Munnikhuysen did not believe man can
take farm with debt on II, make living and
LAY the dept. good farmer, owning a farm free
al debt ought TO make some money. If a man in
dt bt loses his crops he is embarrassed. The in
ever = pay T off their orisages lie Would say, in
reply 10 the question, that farming does not pay
al present prices OF produce.
some discussion took place about the cost Of
raising wheat and corn. MIR. James Lee thought
it costs ~ cents per bushel TO grow wheat and 20
C .nis per bushel for OATS when so bushels of the
latter are raised. Mr.. Geo. Il. Silver read statis-
Ic5 showing the cost of growing wheat to be BIZ
cyuts per bushel ON product OF 20 bushels To the
Bennett II. Barnes was of the opinion that there
j. money in farming at present prices, and would
rather have 80 acres OF land clear OF debt, than
in Hartford have made money. a man can pay
II mortgage of threo-fourths or even the whole of
his farm, if he has not too large or too expensive
u family. a farmer with no apparent effort ac-
cumula,eS stock around him, which is worth
money. Altogether farmers life is the hap
pest on earth.
r. John Rogers also believes there is little
N pney in farming and some hard work, too, for
IL man OF limited means. The profit is sure 1t
is not wise for man to go too deeply in debt for
farm, but II man is little in debt he will save
more, and If he pays off his debt, that much is
saved Men get impatient and think the business
TOO slow. If corn Is low man need not sell ii,
hut had better feed it to stock. This winter he
fattened some hogs and found it paid well. A
farmer must give as close attention to business
other business men, but he is not compelled
to be on the spot all the time.
John MooreS believed farming pays in proper
ton to the attention given. AS class farmers
nre negligent in attending to, business. If they
gave one-half the attention the merchants, the
professional men or the mechanics give to their
business, success would be certain. A farmer is
an independent sort ola gentleman. He is his own
boss even though he may be poor man. If n
farmer has a large family it is not necessarily
great expense to him. as all can assist If managed
amount produced. For the last 10 years we have
had heavy wheat crops He accounted for this
by the fact that during that time farmers have
been drilling in fertilizers with their wheat.
Judge Waters said that great deal of money is
invested in this county in lands, stock &C., all OF
which has been made at farming. Farming is not
II business to get rich at but to make Il good,
comfortable, respectable living, there is nothing
superior to it. 1t is possible for man to figure
out that certain crop does not pay, but the re-
suit proves that crops have paid. Probably
man could not buy and stock n farm on credit and
pay for it,. If that could be done everybody
would go at farming and get rich. In any bust
ness with the same certainty and the same want
,of risk the profits must be small. No doubt farm
ing pays, but it depends on the man himself how
W. ID. Lee was decidedly of the opinion that
there is money in farming, but there are no
large fortunes to be made at it. AS class far
mers are the most independent people in the
community and that is worth great deal. If
farmers would lose less time and work n little
harder they would find it more profitable.
Johns III. Janney was convinced man can get
rich at farming He considered any man owning
man in the city who has $l5O0O0. OF course that
is not rich as compared with Vanderbilt, but rich
es are only comparative, and mans wealth is
measured by the solid comfort he gets out of it.
Let II farmer keep an account of his family eX-
penses. as il he were i'm the city, creditng his
EARN $50 per month for each horse he keeps, and
market prices for every chicken, pound of butter,
&c, and he would be astoniShcd at the amount
his farm produced. Then look at the security of
hn hllli foil
make living only and makes fortune, Not
% per cent. of the farmers fail. You can not eX-
pect rapid wealth from any business secure.
AS for the work the head man on farm does
not work oue-fourth as hard as the head man in
mercantile business. a man with 200 or go acres
can make more money by seeing everything
properly attended to than by working with his
hands. There is no more independent life than
make n great deal of money. He thought it was
the decided opinion of the members present that
farming does pay:
ought to be $40 an acre over the entire farm. One
secret Of good farming is to make every acre pay /;
not 10 depend upon any one crop, as wheat, to
run the whole farm.
John Moores thought it important for farmers
to keep record of all their doings They would
find IL valuable.
The following resolutions in reference to the
Maryland Agricultural College were unanimous
"Res5iped. That it Is the deliberate opinion of
this Club that the so-called Maryland Agricultur-
nj College Is n humbug and deusion, and that
we VIII endorse any vote OF our senator or hep-
resentatives which looks to the withdrawal of
state aid in whatever shape from that institu-
ton"
"ReSOlCed, That in the opinion of this Club what
funds are in the control of the State from the
Industrial Educational Fund of the United
States, could with great benefit be devoted to
the m lntenance of an Experiment Station"
The club then proceeded to elect officers for
the ensuing year, with the following result:
President, Mr.. Thomas Ioohary. Secretary and
Treasurer MIR. Edward p. MOores.
Adjourned to Meet at Mr. VIM. Webster's April
9Th. Question for discussion: Paying one-third
OF the purchase money on a barn, is it possible
for man to pay the remainder and keep up the
Improvements out of the profits of n farm p