Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-12-10
The Successful Farmer Of the Future.

The following Is part of a paper re-
| Gently read, by Mr.. G.. M. Humphrey,
| before the Farmers Institute of Table
| Rock, Nebraska 81 honestly believe
that the farmer who will work his brains
until noon, and his hands the balance of
the day, will outstrip him who rises at
five and tolls until nine at night. Our
most successful farmers are not those
that work the hardest at manual
labor; they work, nevertheless,
with all the energies Of their
natures. None are exempt from
labor, only urge, let il bo well
directed. The royal field of the hu.
man mind should be as carefully cult.
waited as your choicest crop, and he who
negleots it must necessarily expect fail.
ure. The day is approaching when the
highest intelligence will be demanded as
necessary qualification of the agricul.
turist.
=" It is here boys make a mistake by
rushing into the already starving and
over-orowded professions. And / would
say that unless you have a decided gen.
ius for a professional life, young man,
stick TO the farm. Specialties seem to
be the rule of our civilization, and he
succeeds best who bends all his energies
and means to master one business thor
oughly. If young man has a certain
prediction for the raising Of cattle, he
should lose no time in making the start.
Every opportunity given for gaining in
formation in that direction should be
instantly embraced. Both practically
and theoretically should he know every
breed, their adaptation to our climate
and soil, the principles of breeding, a
thorough knowledge of grass and feed
ing, and the daily markets. Their dis
eases in every form should be the subject
of profound study, and his shelves should
be filled with standard works on the
subject. He must keep abreast of the
times and know all the new and valua.
BILE things in the cattle world;
and. more than all, he must
bring to bear close observa-
tion-unceasing and ever watchful. His
experience should be recorded not only
for his own good but for that of his
neighbOrs. Nor is this all. His affairs
ness which the wisdom of ages has pro.
nounced to be indispensable to the sue.
cess of any work. Without this, he is
WOISb Iuhu u sup WlbuOuI CudTJt COM
pass or rudder-drifting he knows NOT
where. Nor must he simply be inter.
ested in his own stock. He not only can
enrich his neighbors, but at the same
time he can and ought to make the
country around him contribute to his
own means.
"And so with every industry connect
ed with farming, be it raising horses,
sheep or swine, the cultivation of cereals
or fruit. There is not one of them that
can not command the undivided atten-
ton and all the ability of the ordinary
farmer. My idea, then, is to have a
community of mixed industries, with
each man doing his level best in a GER
tain line. In the end we shall be surer
of o competence, and may add, a sur
plus. Failure may attend our efforts,
but be certain the fault is with us. And
while l speak of the concentration of
mind upon a single pursuit, do not
mean that everything else shall be ig-
nored. But experience has demonstrat-
ed that there must be one main business,
to which all others must be subservient
each Of us should at least be master
of q single industry"