The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-11-16
The Bright Side Of Farming.

Recently we printed something on
the dark aide of farming. Below we
give an extract from the Practical
Farmer on the bright side of the bust
ness. There are certainly two sides to
the shield aud it is well to know it and
not see but one.
Some time since The editor of one of
the great city dailies wrote to one OF
| the editors of the Practical FARMER
asking him TO give them an article on
the question, "Does Farming Pay?'
and added that they were collecting the
views of practical men in various parts
of the country on this topic, for publ
cation in their weekly edition. The
editor replied that this was q very fool
ish question which had been continual
ly asked from time immemorial, and
that neither the fools nor the farmers
were all dead yet. Why it is that some
men are perpetually asking such ques
ton is hard to understand. 1t would
be just as reasonable to ask, does mer-
chandizing pay, or does any business
on earth pay2 Men can be found in
every lime of human effort who make
their work pay them well, while there
are thousands who utterly fail to make
anything at the same business. The
cultivation of the soil is no exception
to this. We know of one business-lke
farmer who became millionaire at
pure farming, and he lived in a south
ern State, too. And we know of men
all over the land who have made happy
homes and Jared sumptuously every
day at the business of farming.
One of our correspondents recently
said in reply to statement of ours III
letter to him that 10000 acres was
too much land for one man, that this
was merely question OF capital and
executive capacity, and that as a bust
nessman he could not expect small
farm to afford manager, while on his
broad acres he could well afford to hire
the beet capacity. There is reason and
common sense in this, too. Few men
can make money out OF their own la
Dor. 1t is mainly the profit one makes
on the hired labor of Others that en-
riches him. Then & man with limit
ed capital would be imprudent to try to
farm large farm He is in measure
compelled to work such an area as his
means will enable him to cultivate.
But where the farm and the farmers
means aud executive ability cores
pond, the large farm well titled, is far
more profitable in business point or
view than small one. There is one
thing men who think farming does not
pay overlook. This is the home. If
the city man in business succeeds in
making home for himself aud family
and to have half the luxuries about him
| hne Co. hnxr hn tNly
self reasonably successful. But farm
ers want not only this but great deal
more, and think they are unfortunate
when they have what the city man
would surely esteem great success.
Ii farming did not pay, what would
become of all the men in the cities who
are dependent on the farmer for what
they eat and wear? Yet we can find
hosts of men engaged in what they call
farming who will tell you that there is
no money in farming, because they in
their slack methods have not found it,
while right alongside of them are men
who are successful because they farm
in business-like manner, and stick at
it just as men in other lines of business
are obliged to stick. You may depend
upon it that when properly conducted,
and an eye is kept to the expense &C.
count, there is no business that promi.
SEES better for the skilled man than
farming pure and simple. There are
plenty of men who are fond of country
life, and who imagine that farming will
stand all sorts of expenditures that
should be charged TO their luxurious
living, and they will tell you that all
the stuff they grow on their farms costs
them twice as much as they could buy
it for on the market. Charging the
farm with palatial buildings and things
that are constructed for show runs up
the expense account, but should not be
charged 10 the farm at all Many men
complain of their farm manager when
the manager has no freedom of choice
in the management. Then too, they
expect little 50-acre farm to support
a manager and the owners family and