Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-03-11
farm, 6araeu 4 SlIoasfhola.
From the New York Tribune.
WHAT I KNOW OF FARMING.
BF HORACE GREELEY.
PREPARING TO FARM.

persons. and some not 50 young, who are
locking 10 farming as the vocation to which
their future years are TO be giTen, BY which
their living is to be gained. In this chap
ter / would counsel young men, who, not
having been reared in personal contact with
the daily aud yearly round Of farmers cares
and duties, purpose henceforth to live by
farming.
To these I would earnestly say, No
haste Our boys are 10 too greats hurry to
Be men. Tney want to be bosses before they
have qualified themselves to be efficient
iourneymen. I have personally known sew
eral instances of young men, fresh from
school or from some city vocation, buying or
hiring farm and undertaking to work Is
and l cannot now recall a single instance in
which the attempt has succeeded; while
speedy failure has been the usual result.
The assumption that farming is rude, sim
pie matter, requiring little intellect and less
experience. has buried many a well-mean
ing youth under debts which the best efforts
Of several subsequent years will barely ena
bic him to pay off In my opinion, half our
farmers now living would say. If questioned,
that they might have waited longer before
buying or hiring farm.
When l was ten years old, my father took
job Of clearing of the mainly fallen aud
partially rotten timber-largely White Pine
and Black Ash-fom fifty acres OF level and
then swampy land and he and his two boys
gave most OF the two ensuing years ( (IS2l-2I
10 the rugged task. When il was finished,
Ia boy Of twelve years-could have taken
just such tract Of hslf-burned primitive
forest as that was when We took hold Of 1t,
by an expenditure Of seventy to eighty per
cent Of the labor we actually bestowed upon
that. l had learned, 10 clearing this, how
to economic labor in any future uudeuak
inz of the kind; and so every one learns by
experiences who steadily observes and re
fleets. He must have been a very good far
mer at the start, or a very poor one after
ward, who cannot grow a thousand bushel,
Of grain much cheaper at thirty years of age
than be could at twenty
To every young man who has had no farm
ing experience, or very little, yet who means
to make farming his vocation, l say, Hire
out, for the coming year, to the best farmer
who will give you anything ike the value OF
your labor Buy very few choice books,
[if you have them not already which treat
of Geology Chemistry, Botany, and the ap-
plication Of their truths in Practical Agr-
culture; give to these the close and thought
full attention of your few leisure hours; keep
your eyes wide open, and set down in a note
book or pocket-diary each night minute Of
whatever has been done on the farm that
day, making a note of each storm, shower.
frost, hail, &c, and also of the date at which
each planted crop requires tilage or is ripe
enough to harvest, aud ascertaining, so far
as possible, what each crop produced on the
farm has cost, aud which of them all are pro
duced at profit, and which at a loss Al
the year S end, hire again to the same or an-
other good farmer and pursue the same
course; and 50 do till you shall be twenty
four or twenty-five years of age. which is
young enough te marry, and quite Young
enough TO undertake the management of a
farm. By this time if you have carefully
saved aud wisely invested your earnings, YOU
will have several hundred dollars; and. II
you do not choose to migrate to some region
where land is very cheap, you will have
found some one wiling to sell you small
farm on credit, taking long mortgage as
security. Your money 5uming that you
have only what you will have earned-will
all be wanted 10 FIX up your buildings, buy
team and COW, with the few implements
needed, and supply you with provisions till
you can grow some. IF you can begin thus
experienced and fll-handed, you may, by
diligence combined with good fortune. begin
10 make payments ou your mortgage at the
close Of your second year.
/ hate debt as profoundly as aDv one can
but do not consider this really running in
to debt. One has more land than he needs
and does not need his pay for it forthwith
another wants laud, but lacks the means Of
present payment They two enter into an
agreement mutually advantageousIy. whore
by the poorer has the present use and ul,i
mate fee simple of the farm question. in
consideration OF the payment of certain sum.
as duly stipulated. Technically. the buve,
becomes a debtor practically, do not re-
grad him as such, until payments fall dus
which he is unable promptly to meet. Let
him vigorously avoid all other Gebt, aud he
need not shrink from or be ashamed of this
have high regard of scientific attain
nentsi wish every young man were thor
oughly instructed in the science which M.
derlies the art Of farming. But all the learn
ms on earth, though i, may powerfully helm
to make a good farmer, would not Of itself
make one When young man has learned
all that seminaries and lectures, books and
eaoinets' can teach him, be still needs prae
tee and experience to make him good far
mer 70'' IA
But wouldn't you have a young man
study IN order that he may become a GOOD
farmer p
Il he has money, Yes. 1 believe a youth
worth four or Eve thousand dollars NAV
wisely spend tenth of his means in attend
ing lectures, and even course of study. At
any good seminary where Natural Science
Is taught and applied to Agriculture. But
ME is short at best; and he who has M
means OF very little, cannot really afford to
attend even an Agriculture College. He can
acquire 50 much Of science as is indispensa-
be N the cheaper way have indicated
de cannot wisely consent to spend the bes,
years Of his life in getting ready to live.
de who has already mastered the art Of
farming, and has adequate means. NAV Of
course buy farm to morrow, though be be
barely or not quite of age. He has little 20
learn from me Ypt ,b;rL ,,.., -