Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-12-22
Does Farming Pays

It Is Just as reasonable 10 ask II sny
other occupation pays, as to ask, Does
farming payP Some persons make
farming pay, and others do not. Some
persons make fortunes in trade, while
others lose all they have. Some men
succeed in the practice of law OF medi-
cine, while others fail. Not more than
one-third of the lawyers and doctors OBJ
tain more than livelihood from the
practice OF their profession. Not more
than one in ten of the merchants become
wealthy in trade. Yet nine-tenths of
the farmers make their business paw
them something more than enough to
pay their expenses, and save little to
add to their capital. The profits in
farming are not large, but they are sure,
and attended with very little risk.
Looking at farming as whole, and
Judging from the condition of the whole
class of farmers, we should say that
farming pays the best of any occupation.
1t pays the best because it secures
competence to larger proportion of
those engaged in it than any other occu-
patton. Compared with the mechanic,
the farmers lot seems decidedly to be
preferred. a large part of the men en-
ployed in manufacturing shops, mills
and factories, obtain only about $1.25
to $1.50 per day, and have family to
support out of that. After paying rent,
buying groceries, clothes, food and 9TH
er necessary supplies for the year, the
mechanic who earns only $1.25 or $1.50
per day, has little left, and if he has
had the misfortune to have sickness in
his family, very likely then he is unable
to meet his current expenses The me-
chanic works more days in the year,
and more hours in the day, on an aver
age, than the farmer and works in a
less wholesome atmosphere, and saves
less from his years work.
Farming does not pay with some
farmers. Some men who have been
given good farms, are unable to obtain
living from them. and are finally forced
to abandon them. There are farmers who
could squander the largest fortunes il
they were LETT to them. Such persons
have no faculty for holding on to prop
erty. 1t is very easy matter, however,
to manage farm in such a way that
there will be no profits derived from it
The farm tools may be left just where
they were used last, until they are
wanted again. exposed all the time To
the weather. Exposure to the weather
Injuries tools as much as use does, sc
that the owner who does not care fol-
his farm tools will have to be to three
times the expense in purchasing them
that another will who does take good.
care of them. Farm implements, in
these days are numerous and very ex.
pensive, end he who leaves them out
doors will not be able to make farming
pay. Farming does not pay with some
persons because they are so ''shiftless''
and ''slack," letting everything go un.
til it falls to pieces before any repairs
are attempted. Numerous losses befaI
them on account of such management !
Lack of judgment prevents others from
making farming profitable. Such
ones fail to bring together the
right conditions to secure good crops.
Their corn comes up uneven, fails to
grow thriftily; their potatoes are de.
stroyed by the beetles because of few
days of neglect; their wheat was sown
when the ground was too wet, and failed
TO come up well; their grass land fails
10 be productive; their farm stock is in
iudiciously fed, and occasionally an an
NAL dies. and the rest of them are un.
thrifty. These are samples of the way
everything goes on some farms.-Neu
Farmer.