Fair play., 1882-11-25
Live Stock and Prosperity.


who would see farming advanced, par
ticuiarly in the direction of pleasure aud
profit. Not many pursuits are thor
oughly profitable unless they are loved
and enjoyed. and the breeding of im-
proved stock generally calls out man g
admiration and makes him something of
an enthusiast. He likes to handle, 10
look at and to talk about his stock, and
when that is the case he doesn't see
quite as much Of the dark side of farm
ing. An animal. or even chicken. can
be petted more naturally than field, a
fruit tree, or any other inanimate object.
A farmer may put up house or a barn
that may be his pride, or lay ont and
plant lawn that always pleases. and
yet he cannot pet it as he would an ami
NAL beautiful in form and color and with
eyes of speaking intelligence. And the
more things one has to admire or love
about ones home the harder it is to
break from its associations.
On the contrary, poor stock rather
disgusts. We feel no pride in it. 1t re-
| fleets no credit upon US, and so il tempts
to more neglect than admiration. II
brings neither profit nor pleasure. The
mind wanders off to other things, and
these may steal away ones interest in
his home and farm. This is the danger
| with boys. If everything is humlrum,
| il there is little to relieve the daily mo-
notony. lots Of hard work, few holidays,
few or no pets, and no chance for boy
ish energy or ingenuity to be excrtcd. no
little ''nest-egggs" Of money in view,
what more natural than for the boys 10
get discontcnted with farm life. TO COM
pare it with other pursuits, and TO VOW.
perhaps. 10 20 to the city rs soon as pos
sible, ''whcrc something is going on
to learn a trade. be 4 clerk, keep books.
be an editor, 4 professor, preacher. or
a politician? The farmer who thinks
these longings can be put down by any
word of command makes Il mistake. lie
had better study into the causes and
try to exercise them BY judicious treat
mcnt And he will find improved stock
great aid. and especially if he will
allow the boys TO share in the profits
when they come.
Mere live stock on all farms is the need
of the hour. There is constantly in
creasing demand for meat. and also for
all the products that come from stock.
Horses are wanted for work and pleasure.
and their numbers will swell just rs rap
idly AS other stocks increase. No work
people i'm the world consume rs much Of
good living as those in theUnited States.
| The working foreigners who come here.
though unused to much meat at home,
soon catch the infection, and improved
wages or incomes from farms of thcir
own enable them to enjoy the privilege.
The constant and rapid increase of manu-
| facturcs. in addition 10 other causes, i'll
creaScS the number of consumers in a
greater ratio than the stock increases.
| The opening of new markets in foreign
countries for meat and other live stock
products is also increasing on the whole,
| in spite of occasional sct-backs. And.
| lastly, the farms all need more stock for
their r-developmcnt through the Use of
manureS. Commercial manureS are of
great value. hut nothing can permanently
tike the place of st able manure.
I He is u wise farmer, then. who aims
ftO supply himself with live stock to the
tf,llcst extent that his capital and his
iacre+will admit. He needs manure. and
3As the mass of farmers cannot find ii Ia
Duy.. they must make ii or g" without.
10 90 without. or make it only in the o!.l
4Fwav q few animals TO several hundred
l1cres.) mcaps little or NO incrcaseso vi ler-
tility. no increase ofshme comforts. no
thiter education for the children. no en-
fkanced attractions 10 sfrm7lifs.s I'm.
|. .iRirden that dairymen formerly brought
| y the farmers wife and daughters is
R,w relieved by the creamery; the farm
aer's : own burdens. ii increased in amount.
| Are relieved in part by a greater diffusion
ii work throu gh the seasons. greater
! variety and greater profits. For his
crops machinery is rendering vast aid,
and. If properly and Systematically
handled, his stock soiling points the
way. The wasteful and barbarous svs-
tenn f pa>turing must give way to the
necessity for more stock. and with that
| farming becomes far more 4 strictly
business pursuit than before. Every
thing about farm work will be studied
with more care. and the large haphazard
or hg,py -"o-lucky element eliminated.
Wi,sn we can get farmers to think more.
t4 study and plan in advance, to rigidly
ldnl eost and production, how 10 in
crease the latter and reduce the former.
though his hand work NAV be less his
| head work will be more effective. The
| man who owns and runs Il farm should
be manager rather than the head worl
nan H. !g#isassstA.Cs D. s ! xS,srrr
must of rfsjk>S> 4Ad@ ths pldw or
drive or do both. is mistake natural
enough to be made. perhaps. in view of
fNhaf farming has been, or even what it
is and must be in many quarters; but
there is something better for the edu-
Gated farmer. or the man who. with Il
good education. applies business princi-
: pres md capital TO farming. 1t is not
: eytsf business. for instance. to keep a