The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-02-27
Concerning Farming.

against farming. Young men raised
on the farm look forward with bright
anticipations to the time when they
shall leave the farm and 60 10 the city
to live. They look upon farming as a
work of the hands and not Of the
brains. 1t is manual labor and asso-
ciated with ignorance. They believe
it requires little education and no study
to be farmer. So they say to them
selves that they will leave this drudgery
to ignorant persons, 60 to the city and
study q profession. Even old farmers
often wish for some occupation for
their sons which they think more de-
sirable. They would have the brightest
of their sons become lawyers, doctors
or preachers. Now, this is a great
mistake. There is as much field for
the exercise of intelligence and for
study in the cultivation of the soil as in
any of the professions. The man who
thinks he can successfully operate q
farm on the traditional methods and
theories of his ancestors alone, will
find he is as much mistaken as if he
were to attempt to practice law on the
Justinian code. A young man will
find use for. the highest education our
colleges can give him in the operation
of farm. Even the classics, which
are looked upon as the frills of educa-
ton, may do him good service. Tho
reau got his recipe for making bread
from Marcus Porcius Cato. We would
encourage young men choosing
profession to not look lightly upon
farming. We know of no profession
that promises as large returns in
wealth, health and fame. An exam
pie of the value of education and
study ON the farm is John Allen,
of Michigan, the author of "The
Blessed Bees" He was studying at
the Agricultural College at Lam
sing when his father died, leaving
to his family well-stocked farm
of sixty acres. He went home to take
care Of it. He found there several
hives of bees, which his father had kept
as pleasant companions and to produce
honey enough for the family. He
studied the nature and habits of bees
and the most approved methods Of bee-
culture. He studied hard and worked
diligently, and by his intelligent and>
careful industry cleared $3,776.72 on
his bees alone. He found well-kept
orchard of ten acres, which had been
his fathers pride. He read all he
could find on the cultivation of fruits,
and mastered the art so completely
that this was source of great profit to
him also. He has set an example of
what brains and hard study can do on
q farm. The Drainage and Farm Jour-
nal furnishes another example of the
advantages of what it calls "gilt-edge
farming" "Mr. Aaron Jones owns a
farm near South Bend, Ind. He cult
Yates part of it and the rest is Guilt
waited by renters. This season he and
two renters planted from the same
seed-corn, and there is little difference
in the soil of the three fields. At
gathering time Mr.. Jones had q pur-
chaser for 1000 bushels Of corn. He
showed him the three fields of corn.
The field of his own cultivation he
priced the corn at thirty-three and one
third cents bushel, the next best at
thirty cents, the next at twenty-five
cents, remarking that it was inmate
rial to him which field he chose at the
prices named. The choice of the
tnirty-three and one-third sent corn was
readily made. This is rot all. The
field of his own cultivation yielded
seventy-five bushels h the acre, the
next best forty-five btshels, and the |
poorest thirty-fve bunels. Mr.. Jones
says that his success was largely, if
not wholly, owing te the condition Of
his land, it being thoroughly pull
verified before planning, and the corn
carefully cultivates, continuing the |
cultivation through the harvesting of |
wheat" One of he blessings of the |
present hard time will be that it will
send men back firm the cities to the |
farms to earn thr living. Men will
soon see that they,sn make living by |
farming, if they rake nothing more.
Some time ago, to writer met . young
man who had ben clerking in q hard
ware store in tbs city, and asked him
what he was dong now. He replied
that he was flaming theland of we'll
known citizen, which lies some miles
from the city. He had been getting
forty dollars pr month at the store,
which was q sail living in the city.
He now had sgood living, and worked
no harder thai he had worked in the
store. Besid, he expected to have
something Id by at the end of the
year. : 1t doeen0t require much capi-
tai to 70 farming, and laad Is cheap in
this country. We wish to call the at
tention Of wong men to this subject.
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