Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-02-02
Farming as an Occupation.
Natural bias or inclination is frs


born and raised on a farm-one of them
took no interest in any of the work go
ing on, unless some machinery was con-
nected with it. He was made for me-
chanic, and after he had finished a school
course, and had made trip to Europe,
he informed his friends that his desire
to build steam engines was overpower-
ing, and that he would consider it to be
doing him no favor to give him the
farm. So he went into machine shop
and, in the old way, learned trade.
The other brother, from early youth,
took the greatest interest in all the OPP
erations of the farm, and during vaca-
tons from school was with the men in
the fields. He knew the places for all
the tools, and the names of all the ami
mails. In his case the inclination to be
a farmer was as decided as was that OF
his brother to be a worker in iron. Each
was allowed to adopt the desired bust
ness, though it is not often that views
Of boys in their teens are thus decided
it is generally easy to find out something
of the bases and adaptations-and gen.
orally when a boy thinks he knows what
he wants to do it is well to let him try
to do it. If he has had no experience Of
actual farm work, except such as has
been derived from summer vacations
from city life-and thinks he would like
to be a farmer-I would advise follow
ing the example of well-known New
York merchant, who had one among his
somewhat numerous flock who felt that
he must be farmer. This did not
meet the views of the father, and much
was said to induce the boy 70 follow his
brothers into the store, but it avalled
nothing. 1t so happened that there was
in the family an ancestral farm of many
acres-and fine buildings that made the
summer homeland on which lived
'sfarmer," who conducted matters so as
not to have the balance of disburse-
ments and receipts too heavy on the
wrong side.
The father proposed to the son that
he should 60 to the house of the ''farm-
err and spend the winter, in all respects
living with and sharing the food and
work of the hired men, eating his five
O'Clock breakfast, and doing his part of
pig-feeding, stable cleaning, and all
other unpleasant chores-and report
how he liked it the next spring. This
plan was strictly carried GU and in due
time the youngster was clea in his mind,
Gilttt 1lS w DIS AoI CiAC 1e ihiCi liz wv
came, and in few years his name was
known throughout the whole land. If
should give any more of his history, l
would tell everybody who he is, if, in
deed, have not already.
BOYS raised in cities and surfeited with
schools often imagine that they would
like to be farmers. Let them follow the
example 1 have given, only extending it
through a whole year, taking the same
relative positions that they would be
forced to take in learning any other
business. Begin at the bottom, stepping
on the lowest rounds of the ladder, and
touching every one, until the top is
reached. This is the way to qualify
man for managing farm. Young men
who have taken this way of learning
farming, though their early years have
been passed along paved streets, and in
schools, have made some of our most
successful farmers.
There is another road that is often
taken, but not often WITH fastS<g satis-
faction. Buy or otherwise acquire
farm, subscribe for several agricultural
papers, purchase books on farming, hire
farmer, purchase fulN. of tools and
machinery. Learn by experiment, and
if your money and zeal last long enough
and you work hard you will finally make
a good farmer, but your education will
be costly one. I knew a case quite
like this:
A farmers son was educated" as
people say. He had his tour years OF
classical study allowed him by a rule of
the Court, and spent nearly his three
years in lawyers office, when circum-
or 10 If naaacSarv fn,. hi m fo rro
to his fathers house, and assume the
management of nearly one thousand
acres of land-perhaps one-third of it
called improved"-tha is, it had been
partly cultivated. Log heaps, piles of
stones, clumps of bushes, and swampy
places adorned the fields. The owner
was Just twenty-one years old-without
other knowledge of practical farming
than such as he had acquired in observ
ing the rude processes of that long ago
time during vacations, and one summer
with the hired men when lad of six
teen years. He found his lands in the
occupancy of tenants, who must remain
for one season. He went into the fields
with these tenants and worked without
other compensation than instruction in
the use of tools, and devoted the season
to trying to learn enough to justify his
attempting the management of the farm.
The next year he assumed direction.
Foremen were not yet invented to help
incompetent farmers. He had team,
pillow, etc., for his own use, and for
while worked with his men, but soon
learned that seventy-fve cents day
would pay better man than he was for
holding a pillow, and that his eyes to
overlook the whole work were worth
more than his hands driving a team.
But the perplexities he suffered, that
came of the ignorance of this s'edu-
Gated" man, can not be recounted. No
one so well as himself realized how little
he knew of farming, and he looked
among his neighbors for advisers. II so
happened that there were three very
successful farmers, living in different
directions, but all within few minutes
ride of his home. They were very I'M
like in their ways and tastes, but all
able men. Each of these men was
frooJv ooucuItod. MT oil Of ~,oa h1t