Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-08-10
AGRICULTURAL.
From tie Mary land Farmer.
TEE sucCEssFUL FARI[ER.


The truly successful farmer always
places himself In the position Of a learner.
His mind is always open to the reception
of new tr uths, whenever and wherever
they present themselves. The power of
observation di hers widely In different
persons, but It can be cultivated to an al
most unlimited extent. Correct Observa-
tiOn Is nearly allied to what is sometimes
termed a mocha nical eye. One farmer
will look at a ploW Of peculiar pattern,
but he goes away with only a confused
notion of its shape; while his neighbor
will retain in his memory all its peculiar
tiles, so that ii need be he could pattern
one himself Such is the difference be-
tween men in this respect. Some men
can retain in memory all the oxen, COWS
and horses Of their neigh borhood, while
others would only notice some marked
PECULIARLY of form, size or color
Go into a farmers kitchen The quick
eye of a successful farmer at once defects
any Improvement that might easily be
copied into his own home for the comfort
Of his family. Such a man cannot 90 into
any kind of mechanics shop without
learning something new. 1t was this
faculty that prevailed Ia an eminent de-
gree In ID OctOr Fran kiln He observed
everything and turned everything to
practical account There Is scarcely aDv
thing in the shape Of human learning
that may not IN some way or other be
turned to practical use. We never vet
saw a man who, we thought, knew too
much about his calling.
Much Of the farmers knowledge must
be acquired by obs ervation. He cannot
be expected to sit down to the study of
books like a professional man. The
great book Of nature is open before him,
and he is the most successful and happies'
man that can best read it. Some me- 3
minds are so constructed that they can
think more deeply than others. They
can see the connection between o,4use and
effect aud draw correct conc. .usiops on
any subject within the scope of their rea-
soniGg powers. Such men can success
fully carry on farming on an extensive
scale. Others have q shorter range of
reasoning power. They are obliged to
limit their operations to a small scale. A
man with such mind will often astonish
those of a stronger cast. The little farm
has a completeness about it, a symmetry
and harmony in all its operations, that
small as his operations may be, he always
seems to be provided with everything
necessary for his comfort.
To be a successful farmer one must
learn the trade of the farmer. It is no
small part ofa farmers life to do whatever
he does In a way that shall be permanent.
If he builds a fence. it will be where it
will not be required to be removed. If
he builds house, he will not begin TO
change its structure as soon as it is hn-
ished. In short, he commences making
q farm and home that shall be his as
long as he lives. He plants a tree this
year with the reasonable expectation that
it will In due time produce fruit. In nc
kind of employment are the chances OF
reaching a given result through long
series OF years SO great as with the farmer
The plans he lays are laid for life. This
simple fact gives stability Of character te
the farmer 10 a greater degree than in any
other calling. A man who would be
uneasy on his farm would be likely to be
uneasy anywhere.
The successful farmer soon learns that
a year quickly rolls round bringing with
it an income from his land as sure as the
seasons themselvec; and if his mind be ia
any way far reaching, he will not only
have his annual crop as the result of his
immediate labor, but he will have his
biennial and triennial crops in view He
manures and plants this year, but looks
to the next year for what he sows on the
same ground, and still forward the third
year to his crop Of hay. Thus time and
season regulate all his movements, which
combined with the never-tailing promise
that seed time and harvest summer and
winter shall not fail, he passes through
life less exposed to the doubtful results
that beset most occupations.