A COMPLETE Farmer is a most careful, Indus­trious and frugal, as well as reputable and useful man: and unless carefulness, industry and oeconomy are united in the character, it will be an imperfect one. Although a Farmer cannot live without labor, by labor alone he never can grow rich and reputable. Much depends upon his laying out and performing certain kinds of labor in the times and seasons when they ought to be performed. If he will not cart out his summer dung, nor plough those lands in the fall, which he means to seed in the following spring—if he will not put his seeds into the ground early, and as soon as the season will admit—if he will not attend to his Fences and see that they are sufficient—and if he will not cut his grass when it is ripe and do ev­ery thing necessary to secure it in good order; he will be perpetually hurried from one kind of labor to a­nother, and every one will be slighted: his flax will not be well coated, nor his grain properly filled out; his corn will be shortened for want of being well hoed, and his grass will become dead and dry away in the field. Let every kind of labor, therefore, be per­formed in due season. A complete Farmer is also a man of great carefulness and solicitude; without care, the severest labor on the best of Farms, will never produce riches nor plenty. If the Farmer will [Page 6]not milk his cows in season—see that they are pro­perly tended—go to the male in the right time for the next year's profit; and that his dairy is neatly and carefully managed, he may labour without ceas­ing, will have a small, poor breed of cattle, & never enjoy a fulness of good butter, and cheese. It is care which makes a flock increase and grow to a good size, which brings forth the profits of a dairy, and which fills the house of the Farmer with good things. If he will not carefully inspect his fields and meadows, and see that his fences are in good order, his grass and his corn will be cropt by his cattle: and if he will not gather and put them up carefully and in due season, he will have a short and a mouldy crop. If he mows, rakes, and fodders his cattle in a careless slovenly manner, his flock will be pinched through the winter, and become poor and lousy in the spring —poor oxen too poor to do the labor of the sea­son—poor cows, with little or no milk, and wretch­ed calves and poor horses, too feeble to draw, and too weak to ride with safety. If his swine, poultry and stock in general, and if his carts, rakes and tools of all kinds, are not carefully attended to, the Farm­er never can grow rich and respectable. It is atten­tion which gradually collects from various sources, and covers the soil with manure; it is attention which causes the hills, fields and valleys to yield their increase, and advances and completes the most bene­ficial improvements. There is a third virtue without the practice of which, the Farmer can never attain to wealth and independence: I mean oeconomy. Without this both labor in raising, and care in pre­serving the fruits of the earth, are absolutely thrown away. Oeconomy is an excellent virtue in any man: it is indispensible in the affairs and profession of a Farmer. And of this he should never be unmind­ful [Page 7]when he looks into his barn, his cellar, or his gar­ret, or even his pastures; to say nothing of his fields, mowing lands and meadows. But Farmers, as well as other men, are too apt to forget, that in their pursuits after riches, almost every thing depends up­on oeconomy joined with care and industry. A fru­gal, industrious man, blessed with but a common share of understanding, will undoubtedly succeed and advance his interest, beyond what ever he ex­pected, when he first set out in life: provided no singular providential evil should overtake him. More is gained by saving than by hard labor. A Farmer therefore whose utmost profits are small and slow, as he cannot grow rich suddenly from his profession, should be a rigid and steady oeconomist. He should consider the saving he may make in every thing: in his fuel, tools, clothes, meat, drink, and pocket ex­pences; above all in his Time, which is equal to so much money in hand. Every day that his neighbour runs down to market on his horse, with a pound or two of butter and a few eggs, if he stays at home and keeps steady to his labor, he gets two, if not three days the start of him. While his neighbour wastes his time and spends his money by this impru­dent and trifling pursuit he saves both time and mo­ney, in dressing and improving his lands, and which de­mand all his attention. There is no leisure hour to be found on a farm from early in the spring, till late in the fall. Through all that whole period, a good farmer knows how to spend every hour profitably on his lands. He can have no time to pass in idleness—in chatting with people as they pass by—in making needless visits—in attending courts, horse races, taverns, and the like. By these means the public is annually de­prived of many thousands of bushels of Potatoes, corn, tons of hay, &c. and individuals themselves be­come [Page 8]poor, and fall into the worst of habits—into idleness, gaming, drinking, &c. There is no kind of oeconomy in the Farmer, which will not be well re­warded. Early rising will contribute to his health, and preserve his fields from the inroads of unruly creatures, which commonly begin their trespasses just as the day begins to dawn. Close mowing and careful raking, will enable him to winter one cow ex­traordinary. Feeding his hogs by weeds and other vegetable substances, will enable him to pay his shoe­makers. Scraping his door and barn yards, after rains and showers, will clothe his boy. Saving his early apples, and which are commonly lost entirely, will pay his taylor, his poultry well attended, will pay his maid. His calves will pay all his taxes, and some part of his hired labor, if proper care be taken of them. In fine, let a Farmer who possesses only fifty acres of good land—who owes no man, and who has a common blessing on the labors of his hands, strictly attend to the management of his affairs; live a life of patient industry, and practice agreeable to the principles of oeconomy, and I think he may live well—may be excused the hardest of labor—leave his hoe and spade to the next generation, by the time he has seen Fifty years, when most men begin to think of comfort, ease and independence.

TOO much cannot be said upon the subject of manure. The vast importance of this article has not been sufficiently attended to by Farmers in gen­eral, although it is the principal source of their riches. Without it, after all their care and labor, they can have but miserable crops of grass, flax, corn, &c. A man must plough, hoe, mow, rake and hire, more on poor, than on rich land: and it will take a much greater number of acres to support his family comfortably. And it requires the same quantity of seed; is much harder to till, and is taxed the same as rich land; and after all produces not one half the profits. Every Farmer, therefore, who wishes to reap the fruits of his labor and care; to improve his lands and increase his substance; and to live easy some future day, should carefully attend to the in­crease of his manure. And here I would observe, that the hogstye, properly attended, will be found to be one of the greatest and richest sources of this important article. Almost any quantity may be ob­tained from it; provided the Farmer will be as care­ful to feed the stye, as the swine confined in it. All kinds of weeds, potatoe tops, straw, pomace, broken peat, dressings of flax, butt-stalks, roots and vegetables of every kind, will soon become the richest of ma­nure, when thrown into the hogstye. Three or four swine in this way, will make twelve or fifteen loads in a year; the value of which, where dung is scarce and dear, will be four pounds at least. Several ju­dicious [Page 10]Farmers of my acquaintance, are persuaded that the greatest profits in keeping swine, arise from their sties. A small proportion of this manure, mixed with soil and rubbish, would be seen in a field of potatoes, or of indian corn. And the quan­tity to be made in one stye, well supplied with weeds and other vegetable substances through the year, is almost incredible; some have said, that "forty loads" may be obtained in this way, from ten, or twelve swine, in one year only. And great quantities of excellent manure for dressing grass land, may be obtained by ploughing, or cutting up green sward two or three inches thick, by the sides of roads, walls, &c. and laying it in heaps, grass side down, for eight or ten months. A little lime mixed with it, would render it fit for use much sooner. One would think, that a Farmer who mows over three or four acres of land, naturally good, but worn down, and which yield not more than fifteen or twenty hundreds of hay—who cultivates as many acres of indian corn, on a soil equally as good, but starved and ex­hausted, and which return him sixty or seventy bush­els only; when he looks into the fields of his neigh­bor, which are not better, if quite so good, in point of soil, but which are richly manured, and yield three times the crops yearly, must be convinced of the vast importance of manure; and of the amazing ad­vantages to be derived from this great and capital ar­ticle in the cultivation of the earth. The Chinese, who may be stiled a vast nation of Farmers, as agri­culture is their most honorable and their principal employment, pay the greatest attention to it. The urine of families is all carefully saved; and the re­fuse of every kind of vegetable substance which the earth produces, through their labor and care, is made to contribute to reproductions. And, as very little [Page 11]can be done in the farming line, in the states of New-England, without manure, excepting new lands, which from the general deluge have increased in rich­ness, by the falling of leaves, and other substances scattered on their surfaces, it ought to be considered and attended to most carefully. And there can be no judicious Farmer among us, who does not endea­vor to obtain large quantities of this article, in pro­portion, if possible, to the proposed cultivation and improvements of the next year.

We read, that the lands of the rich man brought forth plentifully, but this was not merely because the possessor was rich; for, the lands of the wealthy, will be no more productive, than those of the poor, if they neglect to manure and cultivate them properly. The truth is, a plenty of manure and a judicious, seasona­ble cultivation, will soon put a new face upon almost any lands whatever. And if Farmers in general would pay more attention to the increase of their manure, they would experience a decrease in their labors, and receive a much greater profit from them. A few a­cres of good land richly manured and highly cultivat­ed would support their families confortably. And there is scarcely any soil, but which, by these means, would give a prudent man a decent living. And that Farmer in this state who will not give his attention to this sub­ject, cannot reasonably expect any great profits from cultivating the earth, nor to become respectable in his profession.

WHEN I have been riding in the country in a very hot day, and seen Farmers mowing and hoeing in the full blaze of the noon day sun, the custom of those Farmers with whom I was conversant when a Lad, has immediately occured to my mind. In the months of June, July and August, they retired so early to rest, that they seldom needed a candle to light them to their beds: and they rose as early in the morning as they could see to work. In the heat of the day, unless a shower, or some thing extra cal­led them to exert themselves, they laid aside their la­bors for an hour or two, and indulged themselves in a comfortable nap after dinner. This gave them fresh strength and vigor: and they went forth to the labor of the evening, with spirit and pleasure. And if Farmers would work as early and late as they could, in the summer season, they might rest from e­leven until two o'clock, and escape the intense heat and thirst of the day: and not be one half so much fati­gued as others, who begin their labor late in the morn­ing—at six or perhaps seven o'clock; & who, to perform the labors of the day, must bear the heat and burden of it, and go to their beds at night exceeding weary, and quite exhausted. From eleven 'till two, you may walk round your farm, stir hay, or do any light labor, without fatiguing yourself in the least. This walk will refresh your spirits; and may save your lands from the inroads of unruly cattle, sheep, swine, &c. Walls and other fences should often be inspec­ted, [Page 13]if you wish to preserve the fruits of your labors, and half an hour, or more, in the time and season of it, devoted to this purpose, would not fail of being well rewarded—These hints may be improved on: and I close this paper by observing, that mowing and hoeing, both for comfort and profit, should be per­formed early in the morning and late in the evening. The labor of a Farmer is hard in general; a great part of the year it is severe; and even when pru­dence has alone done all that she can do, and which is not a little, still, in the sweat of his face shall he eat bread.

FARMERS who handle but little money, should be cautious of entering into cash engagements; they will find it more convenient to exchange Labor, than to hire and pay money. Neighbors who have lands to break up, and teams to connect together, may do this business cheaper, by exchanging with each other, than by hiring help and cattle. It will of­ten be found mutually beneficial to make exchanges, even in mowing and hoeing. Through a difference in the situations and soils of farms, though adjoining each other; and through early cultivation in the one, and late in the other, it frequently happens, that the corn, grass, flax, &c. on one, is forwarder and ripe sooner by several days, than on the other. In this case it would be prudent to unite their labors and not to hire; this would be almost so much saved. But then, these exchanges should never make any alteration, either in meats or drinks, in the Farmer's family. For, if any extra provision is made an extraordinary ex­pence is incured. The chief use of land, and that which makes it principally beneficial and profitable to a man, is this, it gives him employment: It is of very little advantage or profit to him who does not labor upon it in person. A Farmer should there­fore be cautious of hiring much help; and at no time more than he can fully and profitably employ and readily pay. And to do this if he hires for a month, or for a year he should endeavour to raise a surplusage of some one, or of several articles to the amount of the labor­er's [Page 15]wages at least. And if he does this, even then, he finds that a year's wages are not easily paid: it will take off a considerable part of his corn, flax, dai­ry, or some other produce.

Those Farmers who hire much labor done, will soon be convinced, if men of sense, that scarce any farm will yield six per cent. and keep up the necessary repairs: and that although they posses flocks and herds, and are the proprietors or owners of the soil, they are but little more than stewards to their laborers. And this should excite them to labor industriously with their own hands, and to do all they can within them­selves. When diet and labor are scarce and dear, and a man has several farms, or more land to improve and cultivate, than he can take care of, unless he hires a number of laborers, he should let, or put them to the halves, as it is called, to honest and industri­ous men, if he can find them. For, the difference between hiring laborers and boarding them, and let­ting, or putting out a farm, as above, the produce of which may amount to eighty or an hundred pounds, would be twenty, or twenty-five per cent. in favor of the proprietor. And he will not have the trouble of providing for, and paying a number of people: some of whom, after all his attention and punctuality toward them, will not acknowledge themselves satisfied and contented. Good help, as it is called, is generally scarce and dear, and with difficulty obtained; and a Farmer who hires careless, ignorant and slothful labor­ers, notwithstanding all his own industry, will never grow rich.

TO this interesting subject so little attention has been paid for many years past, that the scarcity and price of fruit, are now so exceeding great, as almost to prohibit the use of it. How surprizing a neglect in the Farmer who lives in New-England, the climate and soil of which are more than favorable to the prop­agation of various kinds of delicious fruits. The citizens of New-York have resisted this careless, in­dolent disposition, and been well rewarded for their industry. Considerable sums of money are annually remited them from this State for the productions of their nurseries, purchased at a most extravagant price, although the risk of transporting them is ve­ry great. And I have no doubt, that the Farmers of Massachusetts would soon find it to their advan­tage would they engage in this business. Their la­bors are often bestowed upon productions, not of one half the importance and value. For, although it is commendable in the Farmer to raise a portion of ev­ery article consumed in his family, provided his lands can easily be made to produce it; yet, a little patch of tobacco, or of pumpkins, ought not, year after year, to prevent the cultivation of a nursery: the profits of which, within the term of seven years, would be vastly greater than could possibly arise from the cultivation of those vegetables, in the same pe­riod and proportion.

Twenty years ago the writer obtained half a pole of land, in the corner of a gentleman's garden, and filled it with young appletrees; taken up carefully [Page 17]with the point of a knife, when they had four, or six leaves on them, as they shot out of the pomace scat­tered round a neighboring [...]. When they were four years old he grafted them close to the ground; and three years after he sold them for more than FIVE POUNDS sterling. They were remo­ved to a suitable situation, and now form a most beautiful and productive orchard. Thus profitable was that little effort in the nursery way. There have been many others of the like kind, on a larger scale, and all very advantageous. One in particular shall be mentioned.

About ten years ago, a very worthy gentleman in my neighbourhood, possessed of a fine taste, and of an excellent judgment in the management of a nur­sery, began the propagation of fruit and other trees: partly for his amusement, and partly for the use of his farm. Since which he has furnished a most beau­tiful and extensive garden, with a rich and vast vari­ety, from his own nurseries: and now has an abun­dance of the finest apples, plumbs, peaches, apricots, cheries, &c. From so great a number of young and thrifty trees, bearing and coming on to bear, one can scarcely pretend to guess at the quantity of fruit which they will yield in the period of four, or five years more.

[The following account is taken from his Gardener.]

"In the spring of the year, 1790, when I engaged in the service of E. H. D. Esq his gardens were not so extensive as they now are; and his nursery was small, compared with what it is at present. But lit­tle was done in it that year. Some apple, pear, and fruit trees were planted; and a collection of seeds made for the following year: in which, apple, pear, plumb, apricot, peach, cherry, mulberry, elm, button [Page 18]wood seeds, &c. were sowed, all of which have fully answered the expectations of the proprietor, and of the best judges of propagating these kinds of trees. Yearly additions have been made to this nursery, and it now takes up nearly one acre and one quarter of land. The whole of the expence bestowed upon it, from 1790 to 1795, does not exceed, in my opinion, the sum of forty pounds. And this year, trees have been taken from it, and sold, to that amount: and had there been enough of a suitable age and growth, for transplanting, one hundred pounds worth might have been disposed of. Not to mention the great number of trees taken out of this nursery, to supply the proprietor's own gardens, and those presented to his friends, it now contains more than two thousand of button wood trees, five years from the seeds, and from seedlings brought from the town of Boylston, one thousand of which are more than seven feet high, and which are to be removed next spring, to a suita­ble situation, for the purpose of a woodlot for the use of his farm. Including these, there are now in this nursery about fourteen thousand trees; many of them are small, and have not been inoculated. I estimate them on an average, at six pence: and at this low price the value of them will be THREE HUNDRED and FIFTY POUNDS, the nett proceeds, on profits of one acre and one quarter of land improved in this way. For, the trees which have been taken up and distributed on the farm, with those which have been given away, would more than pay the rent of the land, and the expence of fencing it. And it ought to be observed, that a very consi­derable portion of the labor bestowed on this nursery, might have been performed at times when little else could have been done."

Here we see the exertions and rewards of industry [Page 19]in the cultivation of a nursery. And one would think that this example would be followed by many atten­tive and judicious Farmers among us. But if it should not, this is certain, viz. that it is an example of great industry, and well worthy the attention of the public.

But it may be observed, that if Farmers in general should attend to the cultivation of fruit trees they would soon become plenty, and be of little value. To determine this matter, let them consider, how great a number of their neighbours, and who might raise corn in plenty, do nevertheless neglect to cultivate so much of it as would supply their families, although bread is the staff of life. Good husbands only will be the rivals of those who may engage in the propagation of fruit trees. And this will give those who engage in the business, two chances at least, out of three, in favor of a ready market for their productions of this kind. And besides, old orchards are mouldering away; new farms are rapidly increasing; and a country without bounds is daily soliciting a supply from the nursery. When nurseries were numerous; when orchards, now decayed and past bearing, were in their full strength and vigor; and when money was very scarce—even then—forty years ago, appletrees from the nursery would fetch eight pence each; and there is no great probability that they will ever be much cheaper in this State.

WHEN we survey the country around us, of which our industrious Ancestors took possession about one century and an half ago, we see the ruins of ma­ny once beautiful and flourishing orchards: and we are surprized that their descendants have endeavored no more to counteract those ravages of time, by re­placing the labors of their hands. To excuse this negligence it has been observed, that young orchards will not succeed on those lands from which old ones have been removed; though peartrees will, and last for more than one generation. But if this observa­tion be just, and it is more than probable that it may be, for large trees must impoverish the ground on which they grow, there is scarcely any considerable farm on which some new situation may not be found on which to place an orchard. Any southeast pros­pect, or an hill dripping towards the south, which is a most excellent situation, or even the sides of roads and fences around pastures and mowing lands, will answer very well. Trees thus placed will yield a great plenty of fruit; increase the grass; afford a comfort­able shelter for cattle, and be highly ornamental. It would be judicious to propagate a large proportion of sweet apples: as they afford a rich repast for the table of the Farmer; are equal in value to any other apples for cyder; and will almost fatten sheep and swine. One would imagine, that the profits and pleasures arising from an orchard, would stimulate the Rarmer to propagate the appletree; but in noth­ing, [Page 21]perhaps, has the present generation been more deficient. Many farms on which scarcely an apple is now to be seen, abounded with those of the first quali­ty fifty years ago. Cyder was then so plenty that it would not fetch more than two or three shillings, at the press, per barrel; nor more than five or six in the market. In that part of the country in which the writer then lived, about a dozen miles from Boston, apples, pears, plumbs, cherries and peaches were exceeding plenty. Boys were seldom or never known to rob fruit trees of any kind: and the poor had only to ask and gather what they wanted. I know of no tree in this country which produces a greater variety of fruit; scarcely any two, unless grafted, or innoculated, being of the same taste and flavor, which can be used in a greater variety of ways, and preserved for a longer space of time, than that which I am recommending. In bloom the ap­pletree makes a most beautiful appearance, and the fruit of it, even in its crude state, affords an agreea­ble tart. Although it is said by naturalists, that the crab is the poorest of all apples, they differ in many essential respects from each other. Some are ripe in July, and highly agreeable to the palate: others are mature in August, and in September; and so on, in succession, 'till late in October, when all come to perfection, and there is the greatest variety and a­bundance. While some are most excellent for pyes, and others for sauce, a greater proportion are for eat­ing; and may be preserved through the winter, with no other expence than barreling, or boxing them up: and all of them may be converted into a very whole­some, vinous liquor, which will keep through the whole of the year. But some have observed, that appletrees are liable to frosts, worms, catterpillars, &c. and therefore they neglect the propagation of them. [Page 22]Apply this reasoning to flax, barley, and to corn: shall we neglect these things because they are subject to frosts, worms, mildews, and the like evils? It is true, that apples are not so necessary as bread; but they are very grateful and profitable. If only one tree out of twenty set out by the farmer, should flourish and bear fruit, within twenty years after the propagation of it, he will receive a tenfold reward for all his expence and trouble. Let your appletrees be carefully planted out; well secured from sheep and cattle; and judici­ously grafted; then you may comfort yourself with the reflection, that you have laid the foundation of that wealth which will grow and increase as you ad­vance in years, and eventually descend to your chil­dren. Could I name a certain tree, which would grow rapidly; and extend its branches far and wide; and which would last for a century or more; and that this tree within less than a dozen years after the seeds of it had been sowed, would start up and bear a multi­tude of little silver pieces, equal in value to the sixteenth or even the sixtieth part of a dollar, would you not endea­vor to propagate that tree? Why, then, can you not be persuaded that all the profits of this tree may be re­alized, if you will cultivate the appletree? Although the fruit of this tree is another kind of property, and differs in appearance from those little pieces of sil­ver, it will as certainly produce them, as if the tree itself had borne them. Whatever you cultivate, and which produces silver, is the same in point of profit, as silver itself.

There is one consideration more on this subject, and which may not be unworthy of your attention. Many Farmers who hire a number of laborers are o­bliged thereby to pay a very heavy tax, to which their forefathers were entire strangers. I mean the expence incurred by RUM, and which is more prejudicial to [Page 23]their interests than frosts and caterpillars are to their orchards. And I can see no way of withstanding this growing evil, but through the influence and increase of CYDER. When this liquor was plenty, and when good small beer held a respectable place in the Farmer's cellar, the best of laborers—men who would reap, or hoe an acre per day, in light land, and go home at night contented with their wages, were ready to be hired—there were enough of these characters wishing to work, and the Farmer had not to court them into his service. And I have no doubt, was cyder as plenty, and good small beer in as much reputation in these days, as they were fifty or sixty years ago, Farmers would soon experience an altera­tion in their favor. The man who will not labor chearfully and faithfully when he has victuals enough, and good cyder and beer, is not worth his keeping. If then, you would reap the above profits and plea­sures, and rid yourself of this needless and burthen­some tax, cultivate the appletree; and endeavor to excel in the quantity and quality of your cyder, which is annually increasing in value.

I shall close by observing, that every apple tree in­creases the value of the farm on which it grows. Those farms on which good orchards are placed will commonly be in demand, and greatly preferred to those which have none. Indeed a judicious man will not readily buy a farm which has no orchard on it; because it wants one essential advantage; more especially if it be near a market town. A young and flourishing orchard, has rendered many an old and worn-out farm saleable.

MANY Farmers who spare no expence nor labor in preparing their pork, veal and mutton in the best manner, with the view of obtaining the highest prices for those articles, pay very little attention to another equally as important a part of their produce; and which would well reward them for all their cares and pains bestowed upon it; I mean cyder. That which is sweet and good, will fetch one sixth part more at least, than that which is four and ordinary. This must be an object to the Farmer, even when he has but one or two tons to dispose of: and when he has three, or four times that quantity to sell, it becomes of great importance to him. If his lot is cast with­in eight or ten miles of a market town, this sixth part will almost defray the expences of carting the whole. And this kind of cyder will meet with a rea­dy sale: the man who offers it, will not be obliged to stand a great many hours in the heat of the day, per­haps, in fly time, or in a storm, and after all his anxiety, and the sufferings of his cattle, to court a chapman. And whatever the feelings of those may be, who regard neither the quality of the article they have for sale, nor the trouble and artifice they are o­bliged to submit to, in order to dispose of it, the Far­mer who knows that his meat, meal, cyder, &c. are really good, when he shall hear them commended and receive a generous price for them, will enjoy the approbation of his own heart and go home rejoicing. It must be of as much advantage to a Farmer, as it is to a merchant, or to a mechanic, to establish and [Page 25]support a reputable and good character. But, that good cyder may be more common, and that those Farmers who have orchards may be benefited by this publication, let them attend to the following directions, communicated by a respectable Gentleman: and who, for a number of past years has experienced the utility of them.

"Let the Farmer who wishes to have the clearest, sweetest and best of cyder, see that his apples are fully ripe, and perfectly sound before they are ground. And two or three days after the cyder has been well made in the common way, and before it begins to ferment, let him take out the head of a cask which will contain one hundred gallons, and set it upright, with a faucet or plug placed in it near the bottom. Then let him empty his barrels into it, and grate one quarter of a pound of chalk into the liquor: let it be stirred with a stick, the end of which has been broomed, until it begins to ferment. Then let it stand for two, or three days, according as the weather may be, when all the pomace will rise and float on the top of the li­quor. Then let it be drawed off into casks perfectly sweet and new, for bad casks will spoil the best cyder if put into them, and let it stand without giving it vent, 'till the beginning of February following, when it must be racked off. Cyder, naturally good and managed in this way, is equal, in the opinion of many Gentlemen, to small wines; and will always fetch a generous price in the market. If it should not be per­fectly clear in the spring, after it is racked off, take a pound of good coarse sugar, with two or three eggs, break them into the sugar, shells and all, & add to them half a pint of fine sand; beat them well together; put them into the barrel of cyder; stir the liquor with a broomed stick, until it shall be found to fer­ment [Page 26]powerfully; and within ten or twelve days after this operation, it will be fit to be bottled."

I shall close this paper by observing, that there may be a very great advantage derived from grafting fruit of the apple kind, even when the orchard is intended for cyder only; provided a number of trees be set with one kind of fruit, and a number with another kind, and so on: for all these different kinds will have their several periods of perfection; and may be made into cyder as they become ripe. This is not the case with ungrafted apples: in their natural state, and taken promiscuously as is common, some will be crude, or not ripe, some in perfection, and some rot­ten ripe; and from such a collection good cyder can­not reasonably be expected.

To give a fine amber, or curious color to cyder, not naturally so, let it lay in the promace fifteen or twenty hours, before it is put into the vat or cheese to be pressed, and take care that no water comes near it.

BOTH merchants and mechanics are greatly in­debted to their books of accounts, for information and success in the several branches of their business, by re­gular and correct entries. The transaction of every day should be correctly noted. The time when you plough, sow, plant, mow, pull flax, cut fuel, gather corn, potatoes, &c. and the quantity and quality of manure laid on each field, should be carefully notic­ed. You will then know the season when labor must be done the next year, in those fields, and the kinds and proportions of manure required to dress them. Farmers should weigh all their pork, beef, butter and cheefe; and measure all their grain, corn, potatoes, &c. and indeed, every article they lay up for winter; and also the time when they kill their creatures and the food on which they were fatted. This will shew the quantity they consume, what, and how much of each article, and how much they may have to dispose of. Days on which they hire labor­ers; the labor performed on those days, and the price paid for that labor, should be entered. This will shew what time and labor must be performed the next year, the price of it, and the money which may be wanted to carry on the business of the farm. Every farmer should mark the day on which his cows, mares, &c. associate with the males of their several kinds; he will then be able to provide proper room, &c. for the reception of their young and to attend to their keeping in due season, and which ought to be a little better then common, at those periods. [Page 28]For want of this attention, multitudes of calves, lambs, pigs, &c. are annually lost. The ages of lambs, calves, colts, &c. should be carefully noted, and the weight of them when killed; as this will point out those ewes, cows, &c. which are best for breeders; which is a very material branch of knowledge, in regard to the growth and value of a stock of cat­tle. In short, the Farmer should note the business of every day, how and where he past it, and what the weather was; and he should not forget, that so much of the goodness of his crops depends upon early and seasonable cultivation, that he had better give any price for labor than be belated; more depends on this than farmers in general seem to be sensible of. Flax, sowed early, will have a better coat, and more seed than when sowed late. Barley sowed early will not be liable to blast and mildue; and indian corn planted and hoed in good season, will not be so liable to suf­fer from drought, and from frosts, and will be fuller and heavier, than when planted late, poorly ploughed, and indifferently hoed. Grass land on which manure is spread early, will yield a much better crop, than if spread late, and one load of grass, cut when ripe, and before it withers and turns white in the field, will be of more value than two loads of the same kind, cut after it is ripe, dried away and weatherbeaten: it has lost its juices in this state, which is all that is valuable. Our summers are so short, that every pos­sible advantage should be taken for early cultivation: for negligence and inattention in the spring, will cer­tainly be followed by cold and hunger of the follow­ing winter.

But to return. A Farmer should keep a careful entry of all his fodder; the quantity and quality of each kind: for, he may wish to purchase and winter a cow or two extraordinary—and an account of the [Page 29]manure made by his swine, by scraping of the roads, his yards, by mud, barn dung, &c. for, this will show him at once, how much land to break up, and the strength he will have for the next year's cul­tivation: if he neglects this branch of good husband­ry, he cannot expect to form a just estimate, either of the labor or profits of the next year. To avail himself of many of the advantages which stand con­nected with his situtation and farm, he must attend to these things, many of which may appear of little or of no consequence in the eyes of the mass of farm­ers; but they certainly deserve their very serious at­tention. Laborers, unless upon some urgent occasions, should never be hired by the month, nor even for a single day, in the winter season; when the days are short, cold and stormy, and when an industrious man can hardly earn his living. The quantity of pork, beef, cyder and other provisions expended, in other words, almost thrown away, by this imprudent prac­tice, will certainly be missed, and severely felt in the following spring and summer; unless and additional stock of each be laid up to support it in the fall pro­ceeding. The farmer may hire labor in the spring, to get a good crop in the ground in due season; in the summer, to secure his grass; and in the fall of the year, to gather in his harvest; but not in the winter, when nothing can be raised, either for the use of man or beast.

And here I observe, that every Farmer should en­deavour to cultivate and take care of his own lands; and not let the profits of them depend on hirelings more than he cannot possibly avoid. And he should never work within door, while any thing can be done to advantage without; nor set himself, or his laborers, to that work in fair, which can be done in foul weather.

A FARMER, as his lands yield but one crop in a year, and as the proceeds of that cannot be received 'till late in the fall, or the winter, should take as lit­tle as possible on credit: for of all that he raises he will have but little to spare, unless he deprives his family of some of the comforts and conveniences of their lives. It will take a considerable proportion of a large stock of cattle, as they rise, to raise even an hundred dollars, in common times; and these are the only times on which he ought to form his calcu­lations. What by over dry, or by otherwise unpro­fitable seasons, he should bear in mind, that every seventh or eighth year, will be but indifferent in point of profit; and on which all his exertions will but just render his family comfortable. Instead, therefore, of spending all, in years of plenty, he should endeavor to lay up something, against those days of scarcity. Debts may, soon be contracted, and to a ruinous a­mount, if care be not taken to avoid them. When a Farmer owes his merchant, his schoolmaster, la­borers, &c. and when he has paid them all off, he will find that a very considerable part of his crops are disposed of and gone. And he ought to reflect, when he lays himself under pecuniary obligations to his neighbors, that some of them are entirely igno­rant of his resources, and of the only season in which he can conveniently discharge them. A man who never sows, thinks not of the time for reaping. Creditors may call for their monies, when it will not [Page 31]be in his power to satisfy them, without making a most injurious sacrifice of his stock, or some other things—they may call when his crops are on the grounds; or in the spring, before they are put into the earth; and when all his industry and labor can­not save him. It is greatly to the disadvantage of any man to be in debt, most commonly, and to no man more, perhaps, than to the Farmer. But here, I expect the Farmer will observe that there are so many temptations, and that such is the fashion of the times at present, that it is almost impossible for him to keep clear of debts. I acknowledge and la­ment the truth of his observation: but there are remedies at hand, with which to counteract these e­vils. A good share of prudence, and a manly spirit of self-denial, will secure him, at all times, against them. Let him, in the first place, guard against the cry of good bargains, for, it has often been the case, that men, for a little and convenient piece of land, have paid very dear. Either the day of pay­ment was not duly considered, and provided for; or the soil did not answer their expectations—was not rich, well senced and watered; or it was a purchase beyong their ability. Again, the Farmer sees his neighbour, not more wealthy in lands, stock, or ready money, than himself, mounted on an excellent horse, or riding in an elegant chaise quite at his ease and pleasure; while he has but an ordinary creature, both for his own, and for his wife's accommodation; and feels himself most sensibly affected. Pride, or a desire of appearing to an equal advantage, steps in at once to the relief of his mortified feelings, and he immediately resolves to excel, or at least to equal him in outward appearance. But before he takes a single step in this weighty affair, he ought to consider the age and circumstances of the man who he wishes [Page 32]to rival. He may be an older man than him, and have labored more years; he may have been more in­dustrious, careful and oeconomical; or his family may not have been so large and expensive—he may have more sons,—possess better faculties, and know how to save in one thing, what he expends extra in anoth­er. And if he has labored more years, and taken bet­ter care of his lands, crops, stock, manure, &c. he may well ride while others go on foot who have not paid an equal attention to their farms. But if he had not labored more years than you had—had no pecu­liar advantages above you, nor been a better husband, and you cannot afford to buy an elegant horse, or a fine chaise, the man deserves your pity, rather than your envy. Consider this matter, and how painful the reflections arising from it, after a few years of gay and flashy appearance, to be turned out of doors, and to leave your wife and children to the cold hand of charity! Surely, this must operate against the passion you wish to indulge; get the better of all these idle and foolish sensations; render you quite ea­sy, although you see your neighbours finer than you are, and lead you to avoid all needless and ruinous expences.

It is true, there is a peculiar pleasure in appearing, and living equal to those of our rank and station, and which we hardly know how to relinquish; but it is much wiser to sacrifice a little, yea a great deal to our feelings, than to be reduced to dependence. Nothing, indeed, can exceed the folly of those, who live beyond their stated incomes, and who are ambi­tious to maintain an appearance, without the means with which to do it.

Let it therefore be the desire of the Farmer, to cultivate and improve the soil on which he lives, with the greatest attention, and to confine his expences to [Page 33]the annual income of his lands. This will save him from the pains of many an anxious and distressing hour as he passes along through life, and soften his pillow, when in the hour of death.

THE earth is the parent of us all: her breasts are inexhaustible: the Farmer is her first born: and yet, how often does he forfeit her blessing! Every man who tills the ground, and who endeavours not to live, as much as possible, upon the productions of his own labor, is guilty of this extravagance. The Merchant may indulge in foreign luxuries, may eat, drink and wear, such articles as are not the growth and manufacture of his own country, as he imports them, and as they come cheaper to him, than to those who buy of him, and consume the greater part of them. And the Mechanic, from his profession, is obliged to live upon the productions of other men's labors; but the Farmer is the most independent man in the world, as he may raise every article for his own consumption—bread, milk, pork, beef, butter and cheese, potatoes, wool, flax, cyder, beer,—and what other good things can he then stand in need of? you will say, perhaps, a little coffee, a little tea, sugar, rum, &c. I acknowledge, that those little things, all but the last mentioned, may now and then be in­dulged in; provided the Farmer, and his family, will be contented to perform a considerable portion of ex­traordinary labor, and to use these things more oeconomically, or sparingly, through the year. For rum, freely used, will soon reduce, and render poor, the most wealthy Farmer. If he should expend but one gallon per week, from the spring to the last of autumn, seven months only—it will form a direct [Page 35]tax, of six or seven pounds; and which is more, perhaps, than all his state, county, town and parish taxes put together. I have said a direct tax; and it often proves as heavy an evil indirectly: that is to say, it takes time to run to the shops for it; it takes time to sit and chat over it; and it takes time to re­cover from the baneful effects of it. For, it gradu­ally impairs the strength, as it weakens the powers of the stomach, and eventually brings on premature old age, to say nothing of the manifold contentions and quarrels excited by the use of it. I am now speak­ing of this article, used to excess, as it is but too commonly. In hot and sultry weather, a moderate portion of it, well diluted, six parts, at least, out of seven, with water, when the laborer is greatly fatigued, exceeding thirsty, and compelled to drink immode­rately, may not be prejudicial: but even then, good cyder, and malt liquors, are much better, and more salutary, both for the body and purse of the Farmer. Our fathers tilled the ground without it, were strong and vigorous, left their farms unmortgaged, and died in a good old age. I wish I could say, that their de­scendants had not acquired very different habits, not a little unhappy for themselves and for their children. When men of sixty, or of seventy years of age, re­collect the days of their youth, they cannot but re­member, how easy and independent their fathers past their days. When the Collector or Tax-gatherer came, and which was seldom oftener than once in a year, to receive their several assessments, he commonly 05 found them laid up and ready for him.—It was al­most scandalous in those who obliged him to call a second time for his due; and as to those persons who were compelled by a course of law to pay their just debts, they fell into open and great disgrace thereby. [Page 36]And to what was this owing—to what causes, under GOD, were they indebted for their freedom, ease and independence, but their industry, and care against contracting debts for luxuries, and for things not ne­cessary; and to their making it an irrevocable rule, not to eat, drink nor wear scarcely any thing which was not raised on their farms, and which was not the fruit of their own labors. In those days, when the rites of hospitality were peculiarly attended to, rum, tea, &c. were hardly known: and the daughters of the most wealthy and independent farmers, the mothers of many of the more respectable persons now living in these States, seldom appeared in silks. And it would be highly advantageous to Farmers in these days, if they would endeavor to raise more on their lands for their own consumption, and to buy less of unnecessa­ry articles imported from abroad. That Farmer who has not money at interest, and who can only make both ends of the year meet by his own labors, before he purchases any superfluous article for his family, should look into his cellar, corn-barn, &c. and con­sider whether he has any, and how much grain, but­ter, cheese, &c. to spare, over and above that portion which must be disposed of, to pay his laborers, taxes, and a number of incidental demands. Let him re­flect upon the toil and labor those articles have cost him, which he will acknowledge to be very conside­rable, and more than enough to convince him of their value and importance. Let the extraordinary industry of the Farmer's daughters, with the profits of a good yard of poultry, bear some kind of pro­portion to the luxuries he purchases; and then he will not feel those expenses so heavily, and his affairs will continue to wear a good aspect.

THE Farmers of New-England in general, are too apt to contend with each other in the law; and to refer, even the most trisling controversies between them, to the decisions of Courts of Justice. But they ought to guard against this ruinous practice, as they would against the greatest disappointments and misfortunes. For if they will attend to the fruits of this unhappy passion, they will see that but few, if any, have been benefited, while multitudes have been utterly ruined by it. So great are the unavoidable expenses of time, counsel, witnesses, attendance, fees of officers, and so many the vexations of mind, that in general, a man had better compound with his neighbor in a quiet and peaceable manner, and give him his coat, although he had previously taken away his cloak, than submit to the manifold evils which may possibly arise from a process in law. But you will say, he may gain the cause, and then—to which it may be replied, he may loose it and then.— Farther you may observe, that there are certain cha­racters, with which you are obliged to be connected occasionally, who are so given to contention that it is next to impossible to keep up an amicable correspon­dence with them.—They will encroach, deceive, op­press and pay no conscientious regard to their conduct and engagements. Doubtless there may be such cha­racters: but if you know them, it must be your own fault, in some measure, if difficulties arise between you and them. It is imprudent to have any great [Page 38]intimacy, or much to do with a man of a dishonest contentious spirit. And yet, it must be acknowledged, that it may sometimes be a duty which you owe to the public, as well as to yourself, to oppose his base and dishonest attempts. As, where a man challen­ges the title you have to your lands, when he might as well claim the lands and tenements of any other neighbor—to oppose, and if possible, suitably punish such a character, so avaricious and wicked, every man ought always to be ready and willing. Such men in neighborhoods and in society, are like foxes and wolves in a flock of sheep: and we have to lament the lot of that man who is obliged to come forward, and to expose them at his own expense. But to a­void the vexations and expences which unavoidably follow from suits and processes in law, ‘study to be quiet, and to do your own business—keep your shop, and your shop will keep you.’ Avoid tav­erns, horse-races, shooting-matches and gaming-ta­bles. Pay all your little, as well as your greater debts punctually. Give your laborers their hard ear­ned wages daily, or at least, weekly; and close all your accounts with every man, at the close of every year. Use the creatures and goods of your neigh­bor, when hired, or borrowed, as carefully, or more carefully, than you would if they were your own—be truly charitable, and look upon all men as your bre­thren. Accustom yourselves to do little savors for your neighbors, and without any expectations, of re­ward from them. Overlook things said and done by them, when they were angry, mistaken, or heated with liquor. Never attempt to take the advantage of them, however they may expose themselves; but throw the mantle of charity over their weaknesses. Remember that you also are a man; and that benevolence is the law of your nature. Above all things, make it your [Page 39]study and endeavour, to regulate and controul your pas­sions and appetites. An example of this kind, may be followed by your neighbors; and if it should, it would put an end to contentions of all kinds; and save you from the expences and vexations of the law; which, though necessary and good in itself, may prove the most permanent source of distress, to those who rashly and wantonly engage in it.

☞ ‘FOR every thing you buy or sell, let or hire, make an exact bargain at first; and be not put off to an hereafter by one that says to you, we shall not disagree about trifles.’

IT will contribute not a little to the interest and the comfort of the Farmer, to keep up a good corres­pondence with his neighbors: and to do this, he must keep good fences, orderly cattle, and borrow as little as possible. A great part of the contentions which have taken place among neighbors in the country, some of which have been carried to the most serious and distressing length, will be found, upon ex­amination, to have originated in poor fences, unruly cattle, and borrowing. A principal object with eve­ry good Farmer, is the security of his crops; and when he has been at great pains and expence in enclo­sing his lands on his own part; and his neighbor's cattle, sheep or swine, break in and destroy the fruits of his labors, through the inattention he has paid to his part of the same, it will give him not a little un­easiness: and repeated inroads, from the same cause, will bring on a coldness, and lead him, at length, to seek a redress, through the disagreeable and expen­sive medium of law. One unruly ox, horse or sheep, has proved the ruin of all social and friendly inter­course, between those who had long lived in the most neighborly habits and familiarities; the advantages and pleasure of which, ought not to have been haz­arded for five times the value of those creatures. And many Farmers, though rich in lands, spend more time in running to their neighbors after saws, ham­mers, awls, hatchets, a few nails, and a little wire to ring an hog with, &c. than would purchase all those [Page 41]articles out right. It must be acknowledged, that we are all dependen tupon each other, in a degree; and that every Farmer must borrow, occasionally, or suf­fer; but obligations of this kind do not arise one half so often from necessity, as from mere carelessness, and a want of a manlike attention to things. But if you must borrow, take care lest you abuse the thing borrowed, and return it immediately after you have done with it; and never depend upon borrowing it, again and again, as many do, but consider with your­self, whether you cannot make, or afford to buy it. A farmer should endeavor, never to be destitute of meat, meal, butter, cheese, &c. on any day in the year; and it is scarcely honest to live by wearing out his neighbours tools. But although he should avoid borrowing as much as possible, he ought to be wil­ling to lend to every neighbor who would return the article lent, in good order, and as soon as he should have done with it; and it is a breach of trust, or, to say the least, great neglect in him not to do it. It often proves a great disadvantage to a Farmer, when he has one or two men in his service, and is engaged in a piece of labor, to have one of his tools in this, and a­nother in that neighbors hands, he scarcely knows where to look for them—borrowed of him, perhaps six, or seven months before, and carried a mile or two out of his way; and which is not an uncommon case. On this branch of the subject I shall only observe far­ther, that a man ought to lend to every neighbor, worthy of his confidence, whenever he requests the favor, if he can spare the article desired, and to bor­row of no man, but when pressed by urgent ne­cessity.

I have observed, that bad fences, and unruly cat­tle, are often the causes of contention between neigh­bors, [Page 42]and to these fences we may add one or two more, viz. a difference in religious, and in political senti­ments. In regard to the former, it is the privilege and duty of every man to determine for himself. And no man who lives "soberly, righteously and godly," can be a bad neighbor, under whatever donomina­tion of christians, he chuses to be considered. To despise such a man, and not to feel interested in his welfare, and not to treat him with all the love and kindness due to a neighbour, although he calls himself a baptist, or a socinian, or an episcopalian, indicates a narrow & contracted mind. And the same observation may be applied in regard to the political sentiments of your neighbor; and who, so long as he continues a quiet and peaceable subject of the government under which you both live, deserves your respect and love and candor; although he does not engage in the in­terests of the party, which you think proper to pa­tronize and espouse. I only add, that these subjects deserve a degree of attention, however trifling they may be considered by some? not only, as they may respect the happiness of the present neighborhood in which you live; but as they may affect those who may come after us: for, prejudices and opinion often descendt the third, and even to the fourth generation.

IT is in the power of almost every Farmer who lives in New-England, to bestow such a degree of e­ducation on his children and apprentices, as will a­mount to common reading, writing and arithmetic. And greatly to the dishonor of the father of a family it must be, when his offspring and others under his care, are found to be ignorant of these necessary and important acquisitions. And this is but one part of the charge against such a character: for, neglected through his inattention and want of care on this head, they themselves are most irreparably injured. It is like taking away a right eye, and cutting off the right arm from those whom natural affection, every hour, admonishes him in the most persuasive language, to guard, instruct and foster in his bosom.

Consider this matter in great seriousness—After you are gone off the stage of life, your sons are to come forward and to transact the concerns of the public: They are to compose in part, the legislature of the land in which you now live; and to go through the same or a more important routine of the public services than you have done. But this will be im­possible unless they have received such a degree of scholastic education, at least, as is commonly bestow­ed; and which the public, in great wisdom and gen­erosity offers to every one in this land of light and knowledge. Circumstanced as they are, I can con­ceive of no apology for those Farmers in New-Eng­land who do not endeavour to have their children and apprentices instructed in all the more common [Page 44]and necessary branches of knowledge; as the means afforded for these ends are as common as the manna was formerly, which fell round about the tent doors of the Israelites: and of which heavenly food every man might freely gather as much as he wanted, or as much as was necessary.

And yet, through ignorance, covetousness, or some other inimical mean, the children of Farmers are of­ten brought up like the wild asses colt.

Let me request you, who are parents and heads of families, and who are careless and unconcerned in re­gard to the instruction and information of those whom GOD has placed under you, to reflect upon your con­duct; and to consider how you will be able to answer for this criminal neglect to yourselves, to your coun­try, and to GOD. Consider the days of youthful in­nocence; in which the mind is ready to receive the most useful impressions; and in which, curiosity, em­ulation, and a desire of pleasing and excelling, are peculiarly influential: And if you wish to see your sons useful, and your daughters respectable, give them so much education at least, as shall qualify them for the common occupations and offices of the country in which you live.

Do we not say, "we see?" must it not then be un­pardonable in us if we walk not agreeable to the light of which we boast, and do not endeavor to render, posterity as wise and as happy as we ourselves are? Then let it never be said, that a man, or a woman born and brought up in New-England, can neither read nor write, nor knows any thing of the use and powers of figures. Allow your children time and opportunity for improving in all the common and more useful branches of knowledge. A learned ed­ucation is out of the question: the writer is plead­ing only for that measure of information which is re­ally [Page 45]necessary, and which you may, and are in duty bound to bestow upon them. One would think it unnecessary to add any thing more on this subject: but it may not be amiss to observe still farther, that every Farmer ought to be qualified to keep and adjust his own accounts; and which, although tri­fling in comparison with those of the Merchant, ought, nevertheless, to be attended to with the great­est exactness, if he would do justice to himself and to his neighbors, and avoid one very fruitful source of contention. I add further, that, as young people in general, when the business of the day is over, will be ready to engage in some pursuits of interest or pleasure, the sous of those Farmers who have been taught to read, write and cypher well, instead of spending their evenings in idleness, or at taverns, may find a most grateful and useful amusement, in the perusal of some good author; in endeavoring to improve their hands in writing; or in revising their past labors in arithmetic. The fact is this, when there comes on a stormy disagreeable change of wea­ther, and when little or nothing can be done to ad­vantage on the farm, and many such days occur eve­ry year, a young man will not be at a loss how to employ those leisure hours to advantage, and to find a most agreeable amusement at home. These neces­sary accomplishments of a common school education, have proved a source of innocent amusement to many, and been the means of preserving them from various temptations and misfortunes. Therefore, if you regard your own happiness, the innocent amuse­ments of your children, and their future usefulness, and would guard them against the snares of vice, give them a good common education, at least.