The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-11-06

they meet with poor success, borrow
money on bond and mortgage and
finally become so much embarrassed
that they are obliged to dispose of their
places. Long before this occurs their
farms, buildings, fences, stock and tools
have been gradually running down. In
dications of decline were seen on every
hand. The pastures carried less stock,
than formerly. The fields produced
small crops of potatoes, corn and grain
and very large crops of all kinds of
weeds. The trees in the orchard grew
out of shape and the nests of worms
were about as plenty on the branches
as were specimens of fruit. .s.~,
Many persons point to these failures.
as evidences that farming is not a prof.
liable branch of business. They do not
stop to consider the real causes of the
failure. They attribute to business what
should be ascribed to men. Investiga-
ton would show that most of the per-
sons who fail in farming are not adapted
to business. either by nature or train
ing. Many of them would not be very
successful in any kind of business. A
large class of persons are farmers be-
cause heir fathers were. Quite likely
they inherited some land, stock and
tools, while the little training they had
received was in the direction of agricul-
ture. They continued to spend their
time on the farm where they were
brought up, chiefly because they did
not know where else to go or what else
to do. ua r d "a
E.~v,oors nc N r,,Io uavcr oopc,,lt with
their sons in regard to choice of occu-
patton. They are anxious that they
should pursue the same business in
which they have been engaged. 1t they
show. an inclination for some other purL
suit they are discouraged. They are
seldom allowed advantages for becorn-
ing acquainted with other kinds of en-
ployment. If they have genius for
some pursuit it is never discovered. As
a consequence they are virtually COM
PEELED to commence life as farmers. At
the time they become of age they con-
slider themselves too old to commence
to learn trade, to prepare themselves
for profession, to acquire knowledge,
of commerce or transportation. or to
obtain the rudiments of the business of
mining or any branch of manufacturing.
The business of farming is never
suited to their tastes and dispositions,
and quite likely it is not suited to their
physical constitutions. Work in the
field, garden and orchard is never la
Dor of love. They are not interested in
the introduction of new crops or the inn
provement of old ones. They read no
works on agriculture, take no agri-
cultural papers, belong to no agri-
cultural societies. They attend no fairs,
and enter into no discussions about
farming with their neighbors. They
take no delight in the care of any kind
of stock, and, as might well be sup
posed, are not interested in the intro
duction of new breeds or the improves,
ment of old ones. They make no ex-
periments in new methods of feeding,
and are very careless in following old
ones. - e9% t14 Eli fllj
Many of the persons who become
farmers from force of circumstances do
not intend to remain engaged in it long.
When an opportunity presents itself
they prepare to speculate In patent
rights, sch Advantageous, or engagein
mining. Some of them are always on
the lookout for person who wishes to
exchange undergrad, q grocery, or
a goods store for farm. They de-
sire to be engaged in any other kind of
business than the one they are now en-
ployed in. Persons who do not expect
to work at farming any longer than they
can find an opportunity to make
change never succeed. Their thoughts,
desires and studies are all in something
else. They look to see the farm sup
port them till they can put themselves
in condition to make fortune and ac-
quire distinction in some congenial en-
ployment. ~ ~ 7e .iaaas 90
Another class of persons do not sue
coed in farming for quite different
reason. They propose to remain farm
ers all their lives, but they are con-
'stantly changing from one department
of it to another. They start out as
general farmers, but soon devote all
their energies to some speciality. They
read of how some person succeeds with
bees and fowls, and they hasten to ex-
change their cows for colonies of bees
and their sheep for fancy chickens. Be-
lulu sAioy Af6sC 1otAAy AChIuSu ~ "a kC-
care of either of them they become in
terested in the culture of small fruit,
and they neglect their bees and poultry
that they may have time to set out
grape vines. raspberry bushes. and
strawberry plants. Small fruit in time
give way to hops and castor-beans, and
these are afterward abandonedfo for some
new crop that Interested parties are
advertising.
The number of farmers who have
brought ruin on themselves by con-
stantly changing from one specially to
another is very large. They seem to
forget that farmers can not establish
and maintain monopoly in any branch
of their business as manufacturers do.
Patents are not issued to protect the
originator or introducer of new crops,
though some persons desire Govern
ment to pterest itself Id he natter.
The production Of some new crnn NAV