The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1878-03-16
FARM TOPICS.
Small Things.

on which the great majority OF the hu-
man race have come to grief" Nearly
every thing in this world is made up of
lesser particles, and there are numerous
sayings in every language to prove the
truth that 'mony mickIe makes q
muckle." A minute is a small thing by
itself; but many of them together are
the things our lives are made of, as
surely as drops of water make the sea.
To the man of business in large cities,
where fortunes are sometimes made and
lost, and, as it were, whole lives lived,
in day, each minute of time is of the
greatest importance. A little too late
to keep an appointment ruins negotia-
ton on which large amount of profit
has depended; and not infrequently a
single minute too late to take advantage
of turn in the market has wiped out
the accumulated profits of many years
and brought with it bankruptcy and
poverty. Nowhere is the Importance of
small things emphasized with greater
force than in the lives of our sue
cessful merchants and business
men. The small gains of the begin
ming of business career have led the
larger ones later on, and finally to the
accumulation of vast possessions. The
moments that have proved themselves
to be "just in the nick of time" have
turned the tide in favorable direction,
and at the last fairly flooded the recip-
lent with wealth and riches. The PEN
MES at the first have made the thousands
at the last, while the minutes here and
there have licked themselves into golden
hours at the end. But it is not alone to
the business man, whether of city or
town, that the minutes are important.
In proportion to the interests involved,
every odd moment we'll employed in
looking after small things-thc details
of Il farm life-is as much clear gain to
the farmer as to any one in any occupa-
ton. There is undoubtedly large
amount of valuable time lost to the farm.
ers of this country every year by allow
ing odd moments to go to waste. Al
this season of the year, of course, the
chief duties of the farmer are looking
after cattle, swine and poultry, seeing
them comfortable and well provided for,
and getting up good supply of wood
Then there are also tools to be put in
order for summer use, harness to be oil.
ed and mended, and gates to be repaired
But this is not all farmer can do these
winter days. A great deal of time may
be saved by planning and thinking
now over the work to be done hereafter
Almost the entire details of summers
work may be laid out before the season
begins, and then all hesitation, con.
fusion, and hurry may be avoided. A
farmer, more than any one else, should
driUe his work, and never allow the
work to drive him. If farmers MIND
is made up in advance as to what crop:
shall be grown on each piece of land; il
his calculations are made as to the
manure on hand and to be bought, sc
that it may be distributed where it will
do the utmost good; and if ample al
lowance is made for rainy, bad weather
memorandum may be taken of abou,
the time to start the work, as well a;
the time required to do each part of it
Then the work may be done with sc
much of system that the farmer may be
able to gain something on his calcula
lions, and be more or less ahead of hi:
work at all times. BY this method too
much will never be undertaken, and the
undertaking of too much is serious
drawback to many farmers prosperi
ty. 60 where we will, all over the
country, we shall see too frequent evil
dence of the lack of systematic calcula-
ton in farm-life. Here frame for q
building that has never been GOV.
cred; there the material for fence
rotting on the ground, for want OF
energy or time to build it; and almost
everywhere unmistakable evidence Of
work laid out haphazard and left un-
finished. In the season after work has
been begun and needs doing, then is the
time to look well after odd minutes, the
little things in farmers life, as if each
one were dollars. Now, when work is
not pressing, is good time to think the
matter over and make definite plan to
follow. If you would be thrifty and
forehanded, take care of the minutes,
which if wasted are of small account to
any one, but if used judiciously may be
gathered together into golden hours OF
profit. 1t is wisely ordered that we can
neither sow nor reap without trouble
but the greatest of all trouble must be
nothing to do. 1t is only the lazy meier
do-well who carelessly glides along,
taking his comfort, as he calls it, at
every possible opportunity, with no
plan to guide him and no future to beck
on him on. He spends all odd mo-
ments in shiftless idleness, unmindful of
little duties, until driven by necessity to
give them immediate attention. Then
the minutes that would have
been sufficient here and there
have grown to hours, that have to be
used at the expense of some important
work. A stitch in time saves nine as
well for the farmer as for the farmers
wife; and so the little things, though
they seem petty and trivial in them
selves, if left to congregate, will surely
prove loss. There arevery many things
in doing which odd moments may be
employed, greatly to the increase of the
farmers profit. Here is gate broker,
and the first odd moment will make it
whole again; there a stray board has
fallen from some BARI or outbuilding,
and nailed back to its place again at the
first odd moment will keep the building
in repair; and even the nails may be
kept from rusting and their time of
holding fast doubled if an odd moment
is taken to heat them and drop them in
oil while hot. Too many farmer has
no other fastening to his barn-door than
a rock rolled against it, when a few odd
moments would make a durable and
convenient bolt or latch. 1t is well
known by every farmer that pastures
yield more feed and of a better quality
if they are kept clear and free from
brush, and odd moments, of which
there are a plenty between the harvest.