The anti-monopolist., 1878-05-16
THE FARMER AND THE FOX.
A Fable.

There was once a farmer who
greatly desired to keep sufficient
number of hens to supply him with
fresh eggs for his breakfast every
morning, and also that he might have
pullet for dinner occasionally, when
the minister called, or whena brother
farmer dropped in to chat Of the
weather and the prospect of rise in
the price of wheat, or kindred sub
jects. But though he procured the
best breed that were advertised in his
agricultural papers, and gave them all
the corn that they could eat with an
occasional feed of other grain, and full
liberty to roam about the farm at will
and catch bugs and grass-hoppers to
the extent of their ability, yet he
found that their numbers did not in
crease. though he refrained from max
ing any inroadS upon them himself,
even to the extent of a single pot-pie.
BY some mysterious means their num-
berS decreased instead of increasing.
until at last he conceived the idea of
putting a fence about the barn-yard so
high that no chicken could fly over it,
and tight that no vermin could get
through or under it; but scarcely had
he, with the assistance of a neighbor,
got the first board nailed tu its place,
when a fox approached from his resi-
dence in stone wall near by, and
begged to know the meaning of 80 un.
usual a proceeding, and what the in
tention was in being to the trouble
and expense of building tight fence
around the barn-yard.
Being informed that it was for the
protection of his poultry interests, the
fox smiled in bland and patronizing
kind of manner, and proceeded to
tell the farmer that all that labor
was useless.
$50 back to your plow," said he,
land leave your poultry interests to
me and my friends. We have made
this matter a study, and know all
about it. You are about to ruin your
self by your action in this matter. 1t
is a very delicate and complicated
entirely beyond your comprehension
see: you should not attempt to act in
such matters for yourself, but should
leave it to us who have made the
question of poultry the study of our
lives, as our fathers and grand-fathers
did before us. We are as directly in
terested in the matter as you are, and
understanding it better, it should be
left entirely to u.s.
Deceived by the reasoning and re-
lying on the promises of the fox, the
farmer ceased his labor on the fence
and returned to his plow, leaving the
fox to carry out the plans which he
had formed, for conducting the busi-
ness in which he declared himself AS
much interested as any one. But
while still providing the grain upon
which they feed, the farmer is still
short of a full supply of eggs for his
breakfast. and the expectation of dim
ing with his friends off of pullets
grows less and less as the years go by.
The fox, however, both dimes and sups
on chicken daily, holds high carnival
with his friends, and nightly sleeps on
bed of down.
Fat and sleek and being understood
to have "a sure income, obtained in the
poultry business, he is looked up to as
one competent to teach others, and
daily writes long articles for the most
widely circulated newspapers upon
the science of raising poultry, which
articles the farmer reads. and remem-
bers that he has himself failed to sue
ceed in that line, while the fox has
succeeded, is more than ever convinced
that he does not and cannot under
stand it; and when the fox is nominal
ted for congress, throws up his hat
and cheers, puts in his ballot to help
elect him, and returns to his work of
turning the ground and raising the
corn to feed the chickens which he is
never to eat.
Moral.-When the bondholders tell
you that they have made finance
study and undertand it. while you do
not; that they are rs much interested
rs you are, and that any other course
than that being pursued will bring
ruin to the producer. remember that
their interests, while equal, may not
be the same. and that they may fail
utterly to consider your interest in
the matter; while if they have sue
ceeded by studying the question and
understanding it, YOU can. perhaps, do
rs well.-Co-operdtire journal.
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