Smyrna times., 1893-12-20
Does Farming Pay =?
FIGURES WANTED.

A CORRESPONDENT of the C0uatrv Gen.
lemdn, writing from American Unino.
N. Y, has the following to say in re-
ference to farming: If any consider
able number of farmers could show a
precise record of the finances of their
business it would shut up that nm
worthy cry of farming don't paw"
1t is to the discredit of our profession
that so few of our number can give the
exact figures of the profits of the farm.
The great majority of them know that
they get along somehow. They have
commOdious dwellings with pleasant
grounds around them, with Ornamen-
tai trees and shrubbery, gardens. or
chards, stables, carriages and horses
besides those which do the farm work.
Their houses are furnished hand
somely with carpets, sofas. pianos.
books, pictures and magazines. They
educate their children. They con-
tribute their share to the benefit of
social and religious life. And vet. for
the want of study of the precise fip-
ures of their incomes, they give way
to the popular cry that the farm does
not pay good percentage of its cost
The use OF such dwellings and sur
roundings, has itself the value of the
cost of the farm. This might be
proved if we should consider what the
cost would be to the family if thev
were to live in village and pay rent
for such a dwelling and surroundings.
A farmer was recently induced to sum
up at the end of the year the net in
come of his business. He was sur.
prised to find that it was largely above
the legal interest on the cost of his
farm stock and implements.
| have recently had access to an old
book which has a record for fifty wears
o. a farm of two hundred acres, and a
summary of the profit is given at the
end of each ten years.
In every one of these decades the
net profit of the farm was more than
the legal interest on the value of the
farm, stock and implements. In some
of the decades the income was ten per
cent. of these values and this net
income was besides the valuable use of
such a home as is mentioned above.
doubt not that a great many farmers
In this State could show equal or bet.
ter results.
can give many examples of success
ful farming where young men have
started in the business without anv
capital and have now good farms paid
for and are themselves and their
families valuble members of society
At the present low price of farms in
this part of the State it Is quite safe for
young man to buy a good farm and
go in debt for it. What the good
farmer wants first, is faith in his busi-
ness, and his wife also should have
faith in the business. If they do not
like farming they will not be likely to
succeed in it. He SHOULD have farm
that is IMPROBABLE, for the improve
ment OF the farm is a valuable part of
the income. | can show a farm that
now produces five times more grass
than it did 30 years ago and the wheat
crop is equal to any in those years. I
would advise a young farmer not to
buy small farm. There is much
more profit per acre on farm of two
hundred acres, as the relative cost Of
stock and tools is less.
There Is no real danger OF the de-
cadence Of farming which has been
talked of. There is a considerable
tendency of cultivated families in cities
and large towns to make their home in
the country on farm where they fnd
themselves among those of good stand.
ing in social and civil life.
While the agriculture products of
New York and Delaware are different
In some respects, yet we think what
the correspondent of the CountyV Gen.
tLenldn says is certainly applicable to
Delaware,-ED.