Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-10-28
Sleight.Of.Hand Farming.

The prevailing traits or characteristics
OF a people are not changed in day or
during the lifetime of generation. This
proposition could be amply proven by
facts from the history OF man but that Is
not necessary, for its truth is verified in
the life and experience of each individual
The great desire of men now is to ret sud.
denly rich, and the farmer, away from the
excitements Of commercial pursuits has
caught the spirit Of ambition and specula.
ton which rules the hour, and would fam
by wave of the hand turn the brown
earth into gold. In their unwise haste to
get riches they neglect the elements which
alone can make them good agriculturists
as well as rich men. Farming, as well as
law or medicine, cannot be mastered in
an hour How many students in the pro.
fession hurry over their studies, looking
only to results which are merely imagina.
ry and never to be realized. It is an or.
ganic fault of the American farmer that
he does everything in hurry. He hur-
ries his Improvements from the opening
up of new farm TO the building of a
dwelling where he hopes to spend his
days and close his life out-all is done
with haste to get to results which is
seen nowhere else on the globe but in
America. OF course this straightforward
course OF business leads to many failures,
disappointments and sometimes to a
breaking up of business wholly.
Now farmer can rarely succeed ex
cept by a most thorough course from be.
ginning to end. His Improvements must
be substantially made. His clearings
must be complete his fences solid and
permanent, and all his buildings must
evince careful planning and thorough fin
ish and execution None Of these things
should be done in so much of haste that
they haveto be renewed in few years
We try to do too much in single year.
And perhaps the reason for this is that
our wants come thick and fast-faster
than the limited means we find ourselves
in possession of will crafty. We go into
debt, and thus mortgage our labor before
hand. We then hurry to do n great deal
to relieve ourselves of the burden, and
consequently do little thoroughly. Our
crops arc light because the culture was
not thorough. Here is an emergency.
Perhaps now we have to borrow little
money for momentary relief; and resolve
to do more to clear ourselves of embarrass-
ment. But the result is in no wise differ
ent. Haste and surface operations arenot
the elements OF success. They never
made lawyer, doctor literary man;
nor will they ever make good farmer or
good mechanic.
A remark that Freeman Hunt once
made in reference to the merchant will
apply with equal force to the farmer: cit
is only by perfect knowledge Of bust
ness, by an exercise Of tact, judgment and
cautious discrimination, coupled with
habits OF industry, close application 10
business, and diligent observation of the
laws of trade and manners of men, that a
man can ever hope to become a merchant
of honorable eminence" The desire to
be suddenly rich--to possess large means
by mere shuttle of the cards-instead of
acquiring wealth by a steady, sure, though
slow, process, is the fruitful cause of so
much embarrassment and poverty IN rural
life. Many young men think it humiliat-
ing to begin life in small way; but they
must remember that the requirement OF
wealth is not a miracle to be performed at
will that great fortunes have been the re-
suit of very small beginnings and slow
Accommodations, and above all, that while
they are doing work in small way they
are in the best possible position for gain
ing useful knowledge Of their pursuit and
of the men with whom they are doing
business.
Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton in lecture
said he had often been asked how he man
aged to accomplished so much work. He
answered that he did it by never doing
too much at any one time. A man to get
through work well must not overwork
himself. When he worked, he said, he
gave his attention to what he was about,
That is, he did not try to do too much,
but what he did do he did thoroughly.
Well, that is precisely the rule to be
adopted in farming. Don't try to skim
over and spread over great surface, but
rather farm less and do that in the most
thorough manner. Don't be in hurry,
but complete whatever is undertaken. II
is an odd declaration, but it is a true one
that a slow farmer will get quickly rich.
1t is because he is careful and systematic,
whereas hurry drives away system, ban
ishes order, and does everything by "a
sleight-ofhand process-Daroit Tribune
AN Oregon exchange lately came out
with the assertion that all the ladies IN