The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1891-03-27
Does Farming Paw?

L al mug uOcS HOb pay. why HOG
For many reasons. The farmers sons If
he has any, no longer work on the farm
and it takes money to hire foreigners in
their place. The government, too, has
entered into the competition with New
England, giving its acres for almost
nothing to whoever would take them, of
native or foreign birth. This has built
up the West, but is to-day Il prime cause
for the ease with which eastern products
are crowded to the wall. Take cattle
for instance. With government land to
pasture them on for almost nothing how
can NeWtoWn farmer expect to compete
while pasturing on land that cost, per-
haps, 500 an acre. The change in our
social status has also greatly affected
farm profits. Less than 100 years ago, Il
young NewtOWn farmer, whose descend
ants are comfortably off to-day, married
in the Fall and went to housekeeping. He
had an old fashioned silver piece of small
value IN his pocket when he begun fami-
~ life and, the next Spring, he still had
the same piece. He had not taken in nor
paid out cent all Winter. Barter and
work for others had supplied necessary
household supplies, outside of his own
stores. Those were days of economy,
when money was scarce and the farm
produced material for clothing, shoeing
and feeding the family. Little was bought
from the store and much of that was paid
for with something raised on the farm.
why shouldn't farming pay under such
conditions of thrift and industry? Now,
most NeWtOWn farmers buy everything,
from coal for fuel to barbed or ribbon
wire for fencing and the poor old farm
grOans under the double burden of west
ern competition and eastern luxury. No
one would deny farmers, nor any one
else, the comforts and luXuries of our
10Th century civilization, but no man can
expect to multiply his expenses and keep
up the profits, unless he can also increase
his income proportionately.T The profits of
18th century farming would be far
greater than those of the 18th century
were farm life equally simple and self
sustaining. While city and village life
have seduced the farmers sons and
daughters from home and increased his
household expenses, these crowded COM
munities have their compensation in con-
vcnient and profitable markets. But, not
satisfied with outside competition, farm
ers have damaged their profits by cut
throat competition with one another.
Look at the glut of milk in New York.
OF what use are combinations of one sort
or another to force up the price, while
every farmer is straining nerve and mus
Gle to flood the city with more milk than
it requires? Is it reasonable to expect
any great profit from milk farms with
such state of things? Why, NeWtown,
at one time during March, had almost
butter famine and yet farmers, some of
them, were sending more money out of
town to buy butter than received from
profits of milk shipped to New York.
Let US suppose parallel case. 1t has
been proved by l0-years' test that a
"a u : n N hn nrnfita hlu nrintaH in
Newtown. Suppose, melted by this
success, three or more papers
were started here; would it be reason
able to expect that all would be equally
profitable? Nor would it be any more
reasonable for those who lost money by
the venture to say that there was no
money in the newspaper business. OF
course there is no profit in any business,
even farming, that is Overdone. Farm
ers 60 too much in drOves, like sheep. If
one of their number has made notable
success, all the rest rush pell nell into
jhe same business, too often without
stopping to think whether their business
qualifications, their circumstances and
equipment or their acres are likely to in
sure success. OF course profits must
lwindle in such a mad and senseless rush
Tor wealth. Farm machinery cost too
much to-day for any new ventures until
he whole range of possibilities has been
scanned. Farmers, too, take
heir eggs to market in one basket too
much and, il the basket goes to smash,
is lost and the disaster is SER
ously felt. Let some of our farmers, to-
lay, have couple of milk checks pro-
,ested and total loss and they could
hardly recover from the shock in year.
They have no other source of consider
able income. Diversity of crops would
be valuable innovation. Then, if the
potato crop was failure, the hay crop
might save the day; or, if the apple crop
failed, the corn lot would meet the defic-
It. 70 drain the whole farm into milk
cans and ship it to New York in order to
have big check once month with
which to meet feed and other bills is not
business sagacity. There should be some
other anchor out to keep the farmer from
The reef of disaster and distress, if the
main anchor gives away. Sagacity, in
lustry and economy count for as much
on II farm as they ever did, but, in reck-
)ning profits, it should not be forgotten
hat, in these days of millionaires, $1,000
loes not mean what it did century ago
md that there is more real comfort in an
honest dollar, bravely won. than in ill
gotten thousands, wrung from the dis
,ress of others.
Their Blood Was Evidently Impure