The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1859-08-16
ADVICE TO FARMERS.

Jacob Strawn is said to be the most extensive
and successful farmer in Illinois, though not doing
SO much now as formerly. He gives the following
advice to farmers through the Chicago Press:
When you wake up, do not roll over, but roll
out. 1t will give you time to ditch all your
sloughs, and break them up, and harrow them,
and sow them with timothy, and small portion
of red clover with it. One bushel of clover to ten
Of the timothy is sufficient. Make your fence
high, tight and strong, so that it will keep your
cattle and pigs out. If you have brush, make
your fence secure and be sure to keep pigs and
hogs from the cattle; for if the is clean they
will eat it much better than if it is not. Study
your interest closely, and do spend one-twenteth
part of your time in electing Presidents, Senator's
small officers, and talking of hard-times while
spending your time in town, sitting on the store
boxes, and whiting all the soft wood up, instead
of leaving it to kindle fires with, that they
get to business.
Be sure to get your hands to bed by seven
O'Clock and they will have to rise early by the
force of circumstances Pay hand-if he is
poor hand-ail you promise him; if he is good
hand, pay little more; it will encourage him to
do little better When | was younger and
employed great many hands q have employed
over two hundred day,) | made universal rule,
all the time, to pay good hands more than
promised them. | thought it brought me more
interest than any money / ever handled. Extra
pay Is appreciated by good young man much.
Always feed them well you feed yourselves,
FOR the laboring men the hope and sinew of the
world, and ought to be well treated. All our
wealth and fine clothes come 10y hard labor. Our
best girls, if they would 20 to bed three hours
earlier than their usual time, and get up two hours
sooner, which would give them one hour more
sleep than they now get, and when they did get
up, help get the breakfast wash the dishes, and
sling the pots around, not as to over-strain
themselves, they would be much healthier, more
handsome and get better husbands.
l am satisfied that getting up early, industry
and regular habits, are the best medicines ever
prescribed for health. Look at our general land
surveyors, when first running off the land in the
West, wading in water from the shoe-mouth to
the waste, at night making calculations, keeping
their minds employed, were all we'll and hearty
while the hands employed in carrying the chain,
when they had nothing to do, laid down and died
like rotten sheep. When did you ever know of a
General in the army who man, but who was
Mt his post when duty called for it, in bad health
Look at our neighbors in the spring, about the
time that their corn should be planted. They
get in hurry, getting harness, plows, and almost
everything belonging to their misunderstanding
around, going to mill, getting part of load of
wood at time, and not enough to haul full load
at time, they so extremely hurried to get
their corn planted.
Ifthey would keep at work all the season, we
would starye the lawyers, and whip the doctors
When it comes rainy bad weather, so you cannot
pillow, cut and split your wood Make your rakes
when it rains hard, cleaning your stables or fixing
something indoors that you might have to stop the
pillow to fix in good weather.