The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-07-09
The Mistakes Farmers Make.

sIGGh Sun.
 An exchange published in the interior ef the state speaks of the departure of an old settler for Dakota. where he will take up | quarter section of land and start in life again a, the age of seventy. The case of the man ls so near that of thousands of others. that a few comments may not be out of place. The man had 4 nioe farm near splendid town. where he had lIyed and broIgh, up a family. He got tired of farming, sold the farm for SIX thousand dollars. moved to inwn and went into the livery business. and IF three years went through everything except a team and a lumber wagon. and now he has packed up and gone 10 Dakota. with a heart heavier than his pocket-bpok, and he will die out there. The number of farmefs that decide 10 go to town to live. every year. and % into business. ls appalling. Every town has them. and nnc out of ten become poor. They get an idca that town business men are the happleSt peo pie on earth. and have an easy umc and they get ,o hrooding over their hard life. and they think anybody can run Il store. 4 grocery, or livery stable. and they sell out the farm and gu into business m town. The mes, ei them gn mo the grocery bu- siness because II seems easy to weigh out sugar and tea. They can always ind grocery man who will sell out the rc- mains ofa sick stock ot groecrfes for ready cash, and mher the farmer first sees his name over the door of Il grocery. he fccts as though he MAS made. and puts hls thumbs Tn the ..rnholcs of his vest He uses hls money to stock up. p.ys cash. and his credit is good. and hc buys everything that Is shown hm. The commercial traveller who first strikes the tarmer-.rocc has II all his swn way and pretty soon the grocery Is full. IL generally lakes Il far ner two years to go through a two hun drcd acre farm. m the grocery business. Instead of the business being an easy run-itself sort of lay out. i, requires the best management of any branch of trade The profits arc small. and the waste i> terrible. A grocer has got to be sharp as tacks. The farmers girls and boys soon realize that they are merchants sons and daughters. instead of farmers. and they have to keep up with the procession. The farm house furniture IS not good enough. the democrat wagon gives place to car rage. the old mares give place to high steppers and the slris dress better, and dc not work. Inc family lives ou, ef the grocery. the boys play base ball. and the girls go to big parties. The farmer is d good fellow and trusts many other good fellows who can't pay. and Tn some cases he gets to drinking. Bills begin 10 come Tn. and he can't collect enough to pav rent. Friends that would help him out with money when he had farm. will now tell him money k mighty scarce, and he will have to give d ehattcl mortgage on the stock. The stock runs down until there's nothing but red tin can ot mus tard. with a bulls head on Il. some canned peaches and cove oysters on the shelves. few boxes of wooden clothes-p pins, siN wagon loads of barrels with little sugar m the bottom. a couple of dozen wash boards. a box of codiish oi the vintage of IS6o. which smells like a glue factory. d show case iuli oi three cent wooden poekc combs and bluclng. hair pins and shasin,, soap. some empty cigar boxes that the boys have smoked the cigars out oi. and few such things that do not bring enough at m auction to pay for printing the auction bills Then the farmer
 
 breaks mp and goes west. leaving lot of bills in the hands of lawyer for collcc- ton. ~ho- manages -te collect enough to pay his commission, and the family that was so happy on the farm. and SD inde- pendent. becomes dcmoralixed. the girls marry chambermaids m livery s.ables rather than go west, the boys go io driving hack or working on threshing machine or tending bar. and refuse to 70 west. and the old folks goto Dakota alone. and wish they were dead. and will be quick enough This IS the history of thousands of farmers who get tired of the old farm. Ii they would but realize that they are better fixed than ninc-tenrhs of the merchants in towns, and that they cannot become sue cessful merchants any more than mcr- chants can become successful farmers. they would be learning something that would be valuable to them.