The Copiah signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1882-1883, 1883-10-18
The succ.ssss, Farmer.

An ancient philosopher remarked that
~he who expected to succeed ~ . lar
mer should unite activity ~ reflection. q
sxpsriencs and 10 all necessary know
ledss," and there IA much OF truth in this
statement. The experience of the past
and the present 60 10 prove That in mono
Il the occupations Of life. IL more varied
and eItensivs knowledge required than
In that Of AGRICULTURE. To DO thorough
farmer and to be able 10 manage ths
business Of farming in the best nAnnsr
IN acquaintance with most at tho natural
and chemical sciences il not only desira-
6le, hut indispensable. We are aware
that thsre are many successful farmers
who do not possess this scientific know
ledge, farmers who have learned the an
Of tilling the soil from experience and
frum wha. has been taught them by their
fathers, but this knowledge il NOT scien-
tic and exact. and in thar daily and
yearly routine III business. questions arc
continually presenting themselves which
they cannot solve. Some farmers szs 20
vain as 10 think they have learned al
there IL 70 be known OF their business.
and sheer at scientific or - they call Il IN
derision, 'book farming" but IL Ii afast,
nevertheless, that no man can achivs
complete success in agriculture unless hs
possesses . knowledge Of the science -
veil - the art
The farmer lives in sgyand laboratory.
and shonld DO able 30 influence or con-
troll many OF the operations that arc con-
stantly going Oh around him: and to 40
,ocmplisI this No must have knowledge
oiths processes required Insects. plants
aud animals nre continually around and
before him, and the habits Of one, the
structure and qualities Of another, and
tho pL, siology Of the third. should b
understood by him, in order ON the one
hand 10 avoid damage, and on the other
10 secure proft He must have not only
an inclination to the profession. but he
must be strongly attached 70 IL, and Il
hs has been brought up 10 the OBSERVE
zion and practice Of farming. he will BE-
quito sure to succeed. provided tho basis
q necessary knowledge has been laid
broad and deep; without the latter he
may get living and lay by something.
but the hishes. results cannot b
reached.
Farming, for . long period. was 10
earded a. an occupation ut only fos
ihosc Who could do nothing else. and the
odium which. during tho fsudsl ssss,
rested upon tn, English ssrf. and which
still attaches to the ignorant boor of Rus
sia, il not entirely gone ont Of the minds
Of raauy whom they think Of the culhvA-
ton Of the sod. But TINES have greatly
changed and farming - well e farmers
have changed with them. The most
honorable, tho most useful and the most
independent OF men, u the well-informsd
farmer Who culhvates his own soil, and
enjoys tho blessings that health, COM
pstsncs and intelligence arc sure 10 DO
stow. II 10 TO this higher plane OF farm
life that No would invite intelligent
young farmers: do not be content 70 fol-
low IN the ruts Of your ancestos who
were noble men and true. but whose op-
portunities for obtaining knowledge d
their profession wero confined TO The
traditions Of their fathers, largely con
fused mass Of superstition and error. and
their OWL limited experience. The a.
manic was their wade r,ecuus, and ths
place Of tho moon in the zodiac must b
sscerta;nsd to be favorable before any
farm labor Of Importance could Be undsr,
taken. But We have advanced beyond
that and tho ''signs" arc for the mos
part disrrgarded by the farmer in the
performance Of his work; other import
ant advances have been made. but ~,
are still far from that degree Of perfec
tion in our business which IL should b
The ambition Of every intelligent fss'
ner 20 obtain.