American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-04-30
Economy on the Farm,

Economy does not mean niggardIy
saving, it does not mean parsimony; in
fact it does not mean scrimping at all.
1t means putting money "where it will
do the most good" OF two men hav-
ing the same wealth and equal incomes
one may spend twice as much
money as the other, and yet be
the more economical. will introduce
one or two illustrations.
A farmer has a certain piece of fence
requiring repairs. An outlay OF
twenty dollars in material and labor
would make it secure. But the farmer
has resolved to be economical (?) and
therefore concludes to let the fence re-
main as it is for another year. There
would be very little saving in this ar
rangement it is true, but then this Geo.
nomical farmer realizes that he must
begin with the small things and accord
ingly neglects to mend the fence. 1t
would probably all work right and very
beautifully if the farmers old cow-the
one that always walks at the head of the
drove-believed in economy, too. But
she doesn't. However this defect in
her character is made up by striking
virtue and wisdom in one of her adop. ed
rules of action, for she ''never puts off
till tomorrow what she can do o-day."
Accordingly, on the very night of that
day when the economical farmer re-
solved not to repair the fence, she
breaks it down in a weak place and leads
the whole herd into the cornfield. They
save the farmer husking several bush
els of corn, but when he comes out in the
morning he does not seem to appreciate
their kindness, especially when he sees
how much they have wasted. This
however, would not be SO bad if it had
mended the fence, but it has not
particle, and well the farmer knows
unless he forthwith repairs it and makes
it doubly strong the old COW will again
break in at her first opportunity. In
this case economy has not paid, simply
because it was not economy at all.
Another farmer has no shed for his
wagon. He, too, has resolved to be
economical, and therefore will not lay
out money for those articles that he
must not of the greatest necessity have.
His wagon takes the weather as it comes,
hot or cold, rain or shine. for about five
years, when he sells it to the black
smith for old iron, or worse yet. gets
him to repair it. for putting in a spoke
here, or bolt there, AMI a new hub on
the other side, does not amount to
much, only in the bill which the blac'l-
smith presents to our economical farm
er. Nine cases out of ten he pays more
to get his wagon mended than the sh, d
would have cost. But such is many
peoples idea of economy. 1 refrain
from saying anything about the man
who leaves his reaper in one corner of
the lot and the gra:n-dri!l in the other,
but while doing SO bespeak the thanks
of the intelligent. and muchly-perse-
cuted reader.
Another economical farmer has
field that has been titled for many years
until it stands in great need of rest and
clover. But clover seed is six dollars a
bushel. and he must save every dollar
that he possibly can, and try IN every
way to reduce expenses. Now l am
quite willing to admit that this desire
to reduce outlay is most laudable one,
and if man wants to get rich he had
better consider how he can reduce cx-
penses rather than strive to increase
his income. But the best things in the
world may be forced into terra frn,a,
and extremes are always baleful. Mon
ey spent for clover for a field that needs
it IS economically spent.--Cor. Hestern
Rural.