The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-06-18
Farming as a Business.
Edgefeld, ). {

a writer in the Joosra al Of the Farm
says:
1T has been a matter of surprise
sometimes, to farmers and to others, t,
see business men from the cities, with
no practical acquain lance with agricul.
cure, 20 into the country, PURCHASE
farms, aud manage them pruftablv. Will,
experienced farmers about them failed
Iamentably, and yet 1t is not unfr. q,ient-
lv the case The reason is attributable
20 the adoption in farm management oil
the same business principles which
achieved success in the city"
There are thousands who 90 from town
md CRY life to the fern who Go not
make it pay, tn where tn re - one who
does. Their failure, however, is largely
cue to the lack Of that practical personal
experience in larmir operations, with-
out which success, If attainable at all. is
the result Of accident When they live
on the farm long enough to ACQUIRE this
sort of experience, many of them be-
come tue most successful and thrifty of
farmers Undoubtedly a thorough bust
ness training is OF great advantage. and
given the necessary experience and per
son j observation, IL enables these new
farmers to turn to account many things
that would entirely escape the observa-
ton, perhaps, of older hands at the BUSH
less They are accustomed t. look at
everything from purely business stand
point, and To estimate matters in view of
the profits which they promise or secure.
They not only ask themselves the quas-
ZION as to whether a profit is probable
from given operation, but also how
much profit, and where Is is made.
They are not content to know that if a
given crop Is raised on the farm, and fed
To cattle, hogs or sheep, that a sum will
be realized sufficient to nav uroft, but
they will endeaYOr to End whether the
profit Is made from raising the crop or
feeding it, and whether a larger profit
could not have been secured By feeding
IL TO some other kind nf stO k
these are the inquiries which the
general farmers, who have had no BUSH
ness training outside Of the farm, are too
app to neglect, but which they can solve
just as we'll as anyone else, if they will
on 7 take the trouble to do so.
From the nature Of his business the
farmer is prevented from trying those
experiments, or engaging in those yen~
lures, which are SD conspicuous a fea~
ture of the management Of almost all
other sV0cations, and he Is reluctant to
leave the well trOdden road which the
aggregate experience and observation of
the gieat farming community has mark
ed out. This conservatism is correct
without it, continued success on the farm
would be impossible. But It shOuld not
be carried too iaT-because the farmer
ieels he cannot leave the plain road, he |
should not be content to run in "rut
Our fathers and grand-fathers were wise |
ia their day, but they knew nothing Of |
the reaping machine and many other |
wh Oh the most Conservative !
farmers of this generation understand |
rery well are to their advantage. And /
30 it may be with other things, and no one
should refuse to look at a thing simply /
because it is new, OF adhere to a practice
simply because it is old. Keep close to
he line of safety, hould be the maxim
IF all, but at the same time seek cares
'ully for new methods of farm manages
nent which promise an improvement
Ipon the old. This can be done in
sort of way, which will not
Interrupt, to any degree, the previous
arm management, or involve any con-
iderable expense in case Of failure
Ma hoRaL Live Stock Journal