Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-11-17
Discouraged Farmers.

Our remark OF few weeks since
that farming is safe and profitable
occupation, or else so many would
not follow it, has called out several
letters from correspondents. AS us
ual in such cases those who are in
comfortable circumstances and are
successful agIee with us, while 9th
ers think differently. One cores
pendent declares that farmers as
class follow the business through ne
cessity, and not from choice, which
is doubtless true to considerable
extent, as it is also of those follow
ing other occupations. The case may
be thus briefly stated: ale who is
in love with his occupation seldom
fails of being successful" No man
ever became eminent in any profess
sion or business unless he put his
whole soul and energies INTO it, and
at the same time had faith in his own
abilities.
Now, if the farmer starts out with
distaste for his calling, or ever
reaches that position through disap-
pointment, that moment he begins a
a retreat, and the battle is lost. The
very opposite OF this brings strength
to mans arms and intellect, and
helps him to see the best course to
pursue in order to reach the greatest
success. The complaint which has
pervaded the agricultural press dur
ing the past few years of the unprot-
itableness Of agricultural pursuits
has brought its legitimate results in
a widespread feeling of discomfort
among our farmers, and belief that
they are really being crushed by
those following other occupations.
1t has, however, long been claimed
that the farmer is and should be the
most independent of all men, and
he believes this claim to be truth
full one in the main, although there
are doubtless some exceptions to the
rule.
1t will not be denied there are thou
sands of farmers who have become
rich, or at least reached independent
circumstances, through tilling the
earth, and the proportion of such
success is equal to those found in
any other profession or calling. The
few who accumulate fortunes in Wall
street, or as merchants, lawyers, doc
tors, or IN manufacturing or other
enterprises, generally have their
names brought prominently before
the public, but the thousands who
fail and pass into oblivion are I'M
counted and unknown; hence the far
too prevalent idea that almost any
thing pays better and is more GER
tain than farming. This is one of
the delusions which make farmers
discouraged, if not actually to hate
their occupation, and those who en-
courage discontentment by. holding
up the fortunate in other callings as
examples Of the inequality caused by
unjust legislation, are doing more
harm than good. If a man has, to
use common phrase, a hard row to
hoe" he needs encouragement to
help him through, instead of being
told that he is abused, A mans
land is not liable to be burned up or
blown away, and plants grow while
he sleeps. The merchants goods
may be destroyed, insurance compa-
MES fail, and, although rich to-day, to-
morrow he may be homeless and
penniless. The lawyer, doctor and
mechanic depend upon that slender
thread, personal health, for success.
and when this gives way they are
far worse off than u man owning
enough of this earth upon which to
raise bread for himself and family.
Next to Government bonds, farm
mortgages are considered the best
security our capitalists can get for
their surplus capital, and this is an
other evidence of the stability and
and general financial soundness of
agricultural pursuits. Perhaps the
credit of our farmers has been too
good for their own welfare, and they
have INDUCED too frequently and ex-
tensively in raising money upon
mortgages; it so, it should be placed
to the side of indiscretion, and not
to the disadvantages or losses natur-
ally occurring in the business.
Upon the whole, taking farming
as it is, and considering what it
might become, we think the ma or
ity of those who can speak from ex-
perience will agree with us in say
ing that If the same amount of en-
ergy, skill and general business man
agement are employed in agriculture
as in other industries, they will bring
equally good results with far less
risk of total OF partial failure to the
the numbers engaged therein. When
the farmers of town or county in
dulge in speculative enterprises, such
as building railroads or giving bonds
to aid in any other public enterprise,
they must expect to run risks In pro
portion; or if they purchase more
land than they can work with profit,
running in debt for the same, fail
ure to meet their obligations should
not be charged to appropriateness OF
farming, but to their own indiscre-
lion in business affairs. In conclu-
sion, we would say, take 4 common
sense view Of the situation, and see
if you cannot discover mistakes i'll
the past to which present difficulties
can be traced, and then endeavor in
the future to avoid them, remember
ing, besides, that as seed time and
harvcsts have been, so will they con-
tinue if the husbandman fails not in
his duties.-N. Y. Sun.
Fall or Spring Planting.
Novices are sometimes puzzled as
to the comparative merits of fall or
spring planting of trees and vines.
Il II