Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1879-02-21
THE BUSINESS OF FARMING.
From the Germantown Telegraph

From the Germantown Telegraph.
"Will farming pay3" is still to
be most everywhere seen in fla
ming head lines, seriously dis
cussed by fluent writer's with lit
tie practical knowledge of the
who generally decide
against the paying of this great
industry, followed by three-hfths
of the entire population of the
Republic. Even farmers clubs
make this a standing topic for
debate, with plenty of advocates
in the negative.
That farming often does not
pay certain men who follow it,
is an undoubted truth. 1t is al
SO fact that it ought not to
pay many who are classed as
farmers. The earth is consider
ed generous. Poets tell us so,
and many have found it among
the logic of facts But we must
say that were we in the place Of
nature and were asked to bestow
a bounteous return. on the efforts
of some of theilazy, shiftless fell
lows often found "skinning" the
land, we should object consid-
eiably more than she ever does.
But even with good men. farm
ing will not always pay; nor will
any other business do the gen
.erous thing to all alike Thou
sands of men-thorough bust
ness nlen--go into various oc-
equations every year only to
fail; and that farmers, as good
as any the world can produce,
should also sometimes fail. is in
the nature of things. But care
full calculations have been made
of the number of men who go
on the land and of those who 60
into commercial pursuits, audit
is found that the number who
succeed are almost infinitely
greater in the case of the. agri-
cultural than in, other business
pursuits. True, the few-the
very few-who become famous
as millionaires in business are,
never parallel In farm life.1 We
can recall no one who made as
much fromagHculture asst ifaFd
made fromInerchandise; but for
comfortable incomes in an aver
agesof years the agricdlturalex-
ceeds any other pursuit. ls1s.'is,-
But after all there Dis no real
son swhy farming may not bel
madeIto pay much oftenef than
it does. Very few have learned
to regard it asa business. It is
a sort Of chance work all around
Most men look on 1t as a sort
of real estate transaction. They
hope one day to self out at a big
figure, hence are afraid to i'm
prove their farms with a view to.
agricultural operations, for fear.
that whoever buys the land Will
not care for these little things.
We have, often heard some i'm.
proving farmer ridiculed for his
expenditures by some knowing
ones, who we're very sure se-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
ofobusiness rules among SO
many. In otheE. pursuits the
party engaged in it can tell you
il, all the details where he made
money and where he lost. This .
particular matter4he will do no
more lof, and that one he will
push extensively. ~ He knows
thetihcomings and ieutgoings of
everything he touches:ibutl the
best most farmers can doris to
'4'feel sure, they made no money
this year" .Sellsa o,
Now, we-venture to assert that
# the same Business rules were
10 farming as are apph-
cd to any other, there Isl not a
business on earth would pay'l
better and we have no. better
warrant for what we say than BY
he comfortable way in which SO
many find themselves in spite of
he heller skelterp way in
which their operations are car
led on. = = :s'F .'''
s .slS------ - --- = q 9tsS