Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-03-25
From the Cermanfotrn Telegraph
THE RTSINESS OF FARMING.

'Will farming pay i still to be most
everywhere seen in flaming head lines,
seriously discussed by fluent writers with
little practical knowledge Of the subject,
who generally decide against thc paving
Of this great industry, followed by three
fNhs Of the entire population Of our Re
public Even farmers clubs make this a
standing topic for debate, with plenty Of
advocates in the negative.
That farming often does not pay GER
tain men who follow it, is an undoubted
truth Il Is also fact that It ought not
20 pay many who are claSsed as farmers.
The earth is considered generous. Poets
tell Ms So. and must have found II in the
logic Of facts. But We must say that
were We in the place Of Nature and were
asked 20 beStow a bountcous return on
the efforts Of some Of the lazy, shifty fcl-
lows often found "Skinning the land, We
should object considerably more than she
ever does But even with good men
farming viii not ALWAYS pay; nor viii
any other business do the generous thing
90 all alike Thousands of mcn-thor-
ou-h business men-go into various occu-
pati1uS every wear only 20 fail; and that
farmers, as good as any the world can
produce. should also sometimes fail. Is in
the nature Of things. But careful calcu-
latioas have been made Of the number Of
men who 20 on the land and of those
who 20 into commercial pursuits, and It
is found that the number who succeed are
almost infinitely greater In the case Of
the agricultural than in other business
pursuits. True, the few-,hc very few
who become famous as millionaireS IN
business are never parallclcd in farm life.
We can recall no one who made as much
from agriculture Is Girard made from
merchandise; but for comfortable incomes
IN an average Of wears the agricultural
exceeds any other pursuit.
Bu, after all there Is no reason why
farming may not be made TO pay much
ofteucr than j, does. Very few have
learned 60 regard it as a business. II is
O. SOFT Of framework al round Most
men look on II as sort Of real estate
transaction. They hope one day to sell
ou, at big figure, hence are afraid to
improve their farms with a view 70 agri-
cultural operations. for fear that whoever
buys the land viii not care for these little
things. We hate often heard some i'm
proving farmer ridiculed for MS cxpendi-
lures BY some knowing ones, who were
very sure So-and-so would get no more
for his place than if he had thrown the
money in the dirt.
Another great foe TO profit on the farm
Is the utter ignorance of business rules
among so many. In other pursuits the
party engaged in it can tell you in all the
details where he made money and where
he lost This particular matter he viii
do no more Of, and that one he viii push
extensively. He knows the incomings
and outgoings of everything he touches;
but the best most farmers can do is to
feel sure they made no money this year.
Now We venture TO assert that if the
same business rules were applied to farm
ing as are applied to any other, there is
not a business on earth would pay better;
and we have no better warrant for what
We say than by the comfortable way in
which so many find themselves in spite of
the ''helter-skelter' way in which their
operations are carried on.