Year: 1876

those older sections of country where
there are no open lands. And TO guard
against this stock in that neighborhood,
| an expenditure of eight thousand dollars
to ten thousand dollars has been made
for fences, requiring large annual out
lays for repairs. This in brief, is the
shape in which this question presents
itself These figures point very GER
tainly to the fact that our fence and
stock laws are by no means perfect. Ii
is all very well in new districts were
grazing was good for those who could
avail themselves of the luxuriant grass
that annually went to waste, or at least
they felt it was. But in all the older
sections of the country, the farmers be-
gan 10 feel that the enormous expense
Of keeping up the fences in order that
some one may have benefit Of the graz
ing afforded along the public roads and
lanes is an expensive luxury, and not
forever TO bs tolerated. Agitation will
go on upon this question till 1t shall
result in 4 great saving in farm expense.
The greatest barrier in reform at once is
the prejudice existing in favor of the old
method, but stubborn facts and more
llHut ID Nil tudt uttutu W ~ "a
proper solution Of this question.


REMuNERATING FARMING.-When
farming fails TO be profitable somebody
has been or is in fault The flock master,
the owner of herds, the graziers and the
dairyman always did well in days Of
yore and at the present day, in Europe,
we hear Of no complaining beyond the
common murmering of those who are al
ways grumbling; consequently, where
ever the farmers are losing their time in
improbable cultivation, and can not
make their live stock pay for the food
they consume, depend upon it there is,
or has been, gross Encouragement.


The most miserably poverty Of soil
exists in the oldest states, and, strange
TO say, those parts near to good markets
are the least renunerative, which can
not but show clearly to every unpre-
judiced mind how ignorant of that art
of successful husbandry those must be
who enjoy the advantage of protection
from excessive freight, and, in fact, from
expense of delivery of every kind; for
the western farmers and all AT dis
lance have so much to pay that it really
appears incredible that those who are in
the immediate vicinity of such com
paratively good prices for their product
should not be ashemed to complain that
farming is not remunerating.


Again, read any Of the agricultural or
ether papers, when mentioning aught
relative to farming, and note how every
scribbler lays stress on economy, on bodily
labor on the part Of the proprietor him
self without which it is impossible to
succeed, cutting chaff, stcaming food,
and, above all, the early rising and
labor, making longer days in the sum
mer then are made at any other employ
ment whatever, which, all combind'
scenes to imply that farming is the
hardest occupation any man can enter
on; that unless man works every one
in his employment longer each day and
work himself with the men, saying,
Come along, boys" and so forth, he
can not get along. Now, we all see that
in our business there is not this neces-
sity for the principal to moil and toll,
nor any occasion for working the EN-.
ployes NO many hours, and though what
is done it 80 much lighter, yet there is
neither coaxing nor driving, as is the
case ON the farm. Yet, with all thi.
exertion of muscle and the wakefulnes.
at break of day, hurrying the laborcrs out
before the townspeople are out Of theil
beds, and with the farmers untirinf
labor in leading the men along, farm
ing don't pay" How then, i,
remunerating farming" to be attained
| A iirst-class store has generally fin,
stock of frst-dass goods, and they meer
with a ready sale ut a good profit, thu
enabling the principal to keep up 4
gentlemanly standing in the com


munity and in such store the employe,
are superior men and receive good pay


and there is never any early or late at


tendance, for the principal is above re


sorting to the meanness of keeping
business about for the sake of the profit
gained at the expense of his clerks, etc.


thus preventing them from having any
evening for recreation. Now, why can't
first-class farm have fine stock o.


first-clas animals, so that they NAV
meet with a ready sale, at a good profit


thus enabling the proprietor to keep uI
a gcntlemanly standing? And why car
not his employees be Superior men and re.
sceive good pay? and why can not he
allow them to leave work, 80 as TO have
comfortable evening for recreation, the
same as other workmen have?


Because his stock is not of the rirh,
kind, because he does not unders. and
the necessity of keeping variety for
the sake of each other (ior good and
genuine farmer. who understands graz,
ing, knows the folly of such advice as i.
often given by prominent men-promi.
nent because they happen to possess
wealth or standing, not on account OF
their reliable knowledge to make a
speciality of one kind of animals, as il
farmers had not minds with any ca.
pacity to look after and study the wei.
fare Of horses, cows, sheep and swine. J
Agriculture is really not understood
in the United States, otherwise the soil
would not be run down in the dis
graceful manner it is, for even the
estates belonging to the gentleman
farmers, in the very midst of those who
claim superiority over others, have not
no much fertility in the soil as existed
on the tenant farms in England nor do
these men, owning their farms and pos
sessing independent incomes, crop with
a view to enrich the land and keep il
up TO .thc point of producing heavy
yields, the same rs tenant farmers in
England do. Crops are not taken in
rotation for the purpose of renovating
every alternate year, as the four-cou rse
system does in England. There the
root crop eaten on the land returns more
to the soil than the preceding crop of