Cheraw Gazette And Pee Dee Farmer

From the Farmers' Cabinet.

Cows vs. Horses.

Having read a communication in the last number of the Cabinet signed H., on the cost of keeping an idle horse, I found the sum of sixty dollars as there set down, quite within the mark; and I should not know how to accomplish it for that sum by a long slice; and if H. was to take shoeing and liability to contingencies into the account, it would considerably swell the aggregate account. On examining the subject and looking a little further into it, I find that the cost of keeping "one idle horse," will keep two milch cows comfortably, and that each cow during the year will produce, (including a calf) a clear gain of thirty dollars without any straining of the point whatever. This makes sixty dollars per annum profit from the two cows, which added to the sixty dollars loss sustained by keeping "an idle horse," instead of the cows, at the same cost makes a difference of one hundred and twenty dollars a year, or the interest of two thousand dollars for one year, and so on from year to year as long as the error is persisted in: I knew a very worthy, industrious, careful farmer, about fifty years ago, who had a snug farm and every thing apparently in good order about him, but he didn't thrive; when he died, it was found he was not out of debt: and his estate was altogether much less than was expected. I tried in vain to account for it, but was unable to do so till, after this long lapse of time: but now I can see through it, and understand it thoroughly, I remember, he kept about a dozen horses, on a farm of about 100 acres, and he kept them well, too; sleek, clean, nice and well fed; for he was fond of horses, and fine ones too, though he was no sportsman. His horse stable was twice as large as his cow stable. The cows were about six in number, if my memory serves right, at this long distance of time. Now four or five horses would have been all-sufficient for his necessary purposes, and all over this number was surplusage, as the lawyers say; say seven above the right number, which would represent, in the expense of keeping, fourteen cows. As butter in those days only sold for about half as much as it does in these latter times, I put the profit of each cow (including the calf, at one half, say fifteen dollars a year and fifteen times fourteen is two hundred and ten dollars a year, loss sustained by keeping seven horses instead of fourteen cows.

Now our schoolmaster, who is good at calculation, says, that an annual sum of 210 dollars put to interest at 6 per cent., and a like sum added to it each year, and the interest accruing annually being put out to interest, that in ten years it will amount to $2,767 93--and that in 20 years it will be $7,724 97--in 25 years, $12,070 19--in 30 years, $16,602 21--in 40 years, $32,500 01.

Now this shows very plainly why the old man died in debt, instead of leaving a good farm for each of his children. It is just as plain to me now, as that grass grows; though for a long series of years it was quite inexplicable, notwithstanding I had often thought of it, and tried to solve the mystery; but I now see I always went in the wrong scent, and when you do that you will never catch the game. I now am confirmed in the conclusion that whatever we understand is easy, and that whatever we don't understand is difficult and mysterious. The old man was all his life travelling on the wrong track, to arrive at independence and wealth, and I now see many going the same road on horseback, and there can't be a doubt but they will come out at the same place with the old farmer alluded to: for like causes always produce the same effect under similar circumstances. Some of the old folks who are your readers, will very likely be desirous of knowing who the old farmer was that kept so many horses and so few cows. If that question should be asked, just inform them that, he has been dead a great many years, but that he was my father, and a good father he was too, but he didn't seem to think, that idle horses made no butter.

Abraham