Year: 1875

cost OF the farm, but as the result Of profita-
BILE Investments made on the farm ITSELF IL
Is possible for farmer TO live like an inde-
pendent prince, but only by stimulating the
farm to its utmost productiveness. High
living with any other programme tends only
TO debt and poverty. But no farmer who is
constantly making his land more productive
can fail Of securing a profitable result, pro-
vided be uses his money with any degree Of
discretion. There is not farm in Western
New York where one hundred 10 one thou.
sand dollars could not be used in ways that
would be perfectly certain to return twenty
to fifty per cent. On many farms, il would
be job Of undertaking; and in my expe.
rience, an underdrain viii always repay its
cost in four crops, and sometimes in two
There is an average return in draining all
land, that needs il, Of fully thirty-three per
cent. Manure can often be bought at rates
which will pay one hundred per cent or more
in the increased value Of the farm. Some-
times, by hiring an extra hand for two hun.
dred dollars, eight OF nine hundred dollars
more may be produced on the farm. 1t re-
quires more thought and ability to keep cap.
ital in a farm properly employed than is
given TO any other kind of business and
yet there is no occupation wherein surplus
capital can be used with greater profit, and
be entirely safe from loss That farming
pays, is tho testimony of hundreds of farm
ers who know how to use their capital prof.
tably. That it does not pay, is the testino-
ny Of millions more who demonstrate their
position most conclusively. Both are right
each according to the method he adopts.


In making farm improvements for profit,
a good deal Of judgment is needed to decide
which are most profitable and will bring the
speediest return. An Investment which is
repaid in the first crop really costs nothing,
excepting the use Of the money for a few
months. In many cases an investment thus
made will furnish capital for still further i'm
provements, whereas, If made in something
not bringing an immediate return, it will be
only so much addition to the dead capital ol
the farm 1t does not pay generally to
make improvements which give only mod
crate return for the investment, unless capi-
tai is to be had in unlimited quantity; a
moderately profitable improvement shuts the
door against others which would be far bet
ter. So long as farmer is cramped by
lack Of capital, he must not only ask what
will pay, but what will pay best and quick
est. If a good fence prevents manuring or
draining field, its cost may be a clear waste
Of money, so far as present profit is con-
cerned In fact, ono of the strongest argu-
ments for soiling is that it unlocks capital
invested in farming, and allows its more
profitable USE was much impressed by
an idea Of one Of your correspondents, that
one farmer Of his acquaintance enriched his
farm and filled his barns, while his neigh
bors became poor by clearing off the water
and stones from their fields. In the end,
the farmer who devoted his skill and labor
to enricbing the soil could easily surpass all
others in every style Of improvement. The
moral is to begin with those methods which
pay best until you get capital to dc every
thing which pays. After that it will be
safe and pleasant to make good many 9TH
er improvements, merely for appearances,
and without regard to compensation.-COr.
Country Gentleman.