Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-09-04
SOME GOOD ADVICE.
Why Small Farms Arc to BE Preferred
to Large Ones.

subject, a recent writer-no less an
authority than the Statistician of the
Agricultural Bureau-pertinently and
suggestively remarks: .'Do. farmers
real re the full meaning of the small
farm plan? 1t means schools. churches.
society, culture in all direct ons. Mon
ster farms mean a desert, isolation,
barbar,sm. Small farms encourage
good tillage, make large crops, high
prices of land and property for all. In
stead OF four million farms, in less than
a generation eight will be required.
Available public lands are becoming
scarce. When farms are no. longer
given away, and landowners must di-
vide. they will sell only at a strong adj
vance on nominal rates. 1t is a good
tune Tor a poor man to secure a foot
hold upon a convenient bit of soil,
become a land Spectator in a COM
mendable way. and make a home for
himself and children before the COM
petit.onforl land shall crowd h M to the
wall of homelessness." There is much
sense and force in this comparison of
small and large farms, for the former
naturally bring the intelligence, O
ality. and reinements of civ lizat on,
while the latter have a tendency to
produce i%literacy, roughness, and the
other disadvantages of isolation. And
the suggestion about poor men secur-
ing land of their own, is most timely
and sensible. for the period is fast APP
preaching when that will be a most
difficult and expensive matter.
There are, however, other cogent
reasons why small farms should be
preferred by the great majority of cul-
tlvators. The great drawback in many
sections of the country. and espec ally
in the West and South, is that the
farms are too large. The result In
many instances is poor culture, bad
crops, and little or no profit. For a
man who lacks means to invest. and is
deficient in the executive ability neces-
sary to plan and manage, can not farm
hundreds or thousands of acres sue
cessfully. This has been time and
again demonstrated in every part of
the country where it has been attempt
ed. Our own notion is that small
farms, we'll cultivated a~e almost inva-
riably the most protitable; and hence,
we firmly bel eve (what has so often
been asserted). that if many a farmer
would sell half Or two-thirds of the
acres he now occupies, and poorly tills
and manages, and devote his entire
time and energies to the care and cul-
tivation OF the rema nder, he would
derive far more profit from his labor
and investment, with much less vexa-
ton of spirit. The fact is, as some
body truly asserts, we have too many
farmers who are LAND poor''-who
have so much land they cannot make
a living. P~aradoxical as this may
appear, it applies truthfully to
many a naturally fertile and pro-
ductive locality. When such farmers
have learned that 1T is not economy to
WI more land than they can till IN the
most profitable manner S that it will
pay for the money expended in keeping
it free from taxes. weeds and other en-
i~cumbyances, they will have solved the
problem of ease in practical rural ! fe.
The happiest and thrlftiest farmers we
have ever known lived on farms of only
ten to n hundred acres, every foot OF
which was made to count. On the other
hand, the farmer who has so many
broad acres that he can not walk over
them da ly-where rods of fence cor.
ners are never cult waited or otherw. sc
ut lized-lives a life of anxiety and
worry. HIS taxes are heavy and his
crops light. He can not give reason
ably thorough cultivation to SO much
land, Now, if the farmer who owns
one hundred acres of land will sell half
of it and expend the money received
therefor in c%ultivating the other fifty
getting improved stock, implements.
fertilizers, etc.-he can make each acre
produce as much as two are O do
ing. And in many Enthusiastically
near markets. where choice. fru is and
vegetables are in demand-many q
man with fifty or eve thirtt ere
might sell half his farm and cultivate
the remainder to like advantage.
In the Middle and New England
States-as we'll as in 10 alities else
where which are neal or easily &C
cessible 10 good markets there are
plenty of small farms of from ten to
thirty acres, which are very profitable,
while there are thousands OF large
ones containing hundreds of acres
each, equally fcrt lie, yet so badly
managed. that they yield their owners
little or no dividends. 1t is the latter
class of %cultivators, by the way, who
croakingly aver that farming doesn't
pay" Of which fact they are living
witnesses. Any non-progressive read
ers who may %perchance be attempt ng
to bore augur holes with g mlets-by
attempting to cult waite large farms
successfully without either the ade-
quate practical knowledge, means, or
executive ability-are ADVISED to call a
halt, and consider whether a change
would not prove ad. analogous. In
stead of working like slaves and
living in a miserable manner. in order
to run a big farm or purchase ''all
the land that joins Them" it would
be wise for hosts of farmers to sell
some of their broad acres, concen-
trate their efforts upon limited areas,
and look more to the comfort and hap
piness of their households, and the
proper education of their children.
Even if large farms were the most
profitable which we deny-small ones
are to be preferred for many and Co
gent reasons, not the least of which
are the comfort, peace, and general
wal fa ro of tho owners and their FAM =