Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1882 — Specialties in Farming. [ARTICLE]

Specialties in Farming.

Time was, and. in no past, not onljsall the articles off odd required by his family, with the exception offish, but all other materials for clothing. He produced <ll |he food eflops the nature of the soil and climate rendered possible. He raised, however small might be. a few bushels of wheat, rye, barley, buckwheat, potatoes, plums, apples nnd pears. He kept a sufficient number of sheep to supply the wool necessary to make cloth for winter clothing. This wool wan manufactured into cloth at Nome. He had a little field of flax, the fibre of which was worked upon the place. The skius of donfestic animals were dressed by local tanners on shares,«and the lumber was sawed at the mills id the same way. Many farmers raised tobacco and hops for domestic use, and all of tßenr nfode their own butter and cheese.— The object of every farmer was to raise enough of everything he coutd to supply the of liis family.— By adopting this course the demand for money was exceedingly small. Some was required for paying 'taxes, but taxes were often paid without money. The highway worked ou t or paid in material for construe ling bridges and culverts. Other taxes were sometiiues paid by hoarding school teachers, furnishing wood for warming school houses, or by taking care of paupers. Nearly all the farming in The northern States was domestic farming. Few airops were produced for the market. In fact, x the demand Tor farm products was small, since most persons were engaged in their production. Two circumstances favored the kind of farming that has been described. There were no means us cheap transportation in portions of the country remote from the sea or from the lakes and rivers. If an article had to be hauled by oxen over rough roads, the distance of fifty miles, its price would not pay the cost of transportation.— As a consequence, no articles were conveyed long distances, unless they were of considerable value. Fan* near navigable waters were valuable, because the owners could send their crops to distant markets, and could obtain in return articles- of food ’and clothing that were produced at a distance. Farmers living in the interior, however, were obliged to live and to clothe themselves by the use of such articles as they could produce on their estates. If they wanted a variety they must raise it. Want of means was another circumstance that favored domestic farming, The production of specialties requires* capital as well as facilities for transportation. To produce but a single article as wool, hops, hemp, tobacco, or fruit, a farmer must have sufficient capital to support his family aud to carry on his business for at least r year. As considerable risk attends the production of one crop, a farmer should have sufficient means to carry him over at least one partial or entire failure. Lack of the means for transportation and lack of capital are common in most new countries aud they were especially so in this country., Jpdeed, till railways were constructed there was great difficulty in transporting heavy farm products in any country that was remote from navigable water. The time has now arrived when all the conditions are most favorable to specialties in every department of agriculture. The facilities for transportation are abundant and excellent in almost every part of the country. Farm products can now be carried from Oregon to New York in less time aud for less money than, they could have been transported three hundred miles seventy years ago.