The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-05-30
Foresight vs.. Hindsight.

The thrifty, successful fnrnIcr Is he who Ia nj
ways exercising a prompt and healthy fore
sight. On the other hand the shiftIess and
bankrupt farmer Is generally the nan who
always thinks too late and prepares 10 net
when action has lost Its power through delay.
rs. 4. r. in the NcW Fork Tribune, gives u
good picture of the hlndsight farmer. He
writes thus:
Every farmer should have q memuran-
dum.boOk In his pocket, IN which should he
Iotted down certain Items OF labor, whenever
he may think about them. Then. when he
may be hcsitating as to what he or his en-
plOyes can do advnDthgrOusly during some
pleasant day, the record of Items will not fail
To render him valuable aid. The farmer who
does not take such thought for the future and
plan operations for weeks AMI mouths, and
sometimes for years ahead. will always be
grunnbling that his work L. behind its apprr-
pirate selson. Let me illustrate by experiences
from real life, of persons, by the way, who do
not take the Tribune.
"a near neishbor was always at the tail
end OF The revolving seas OnS. During winter
he would go several times with two horses
and sleigh more it;an five miles to the grocery
store to makes few Purchases: and perhaps
he would take two or three bngfulS of grain to
mill. But In Spring, when the wheclin. he
came about as heavy us possible, he would he
seen dragging u hCuvy load Of grain to mill To
be- ground for feed. Well, when the slciglIing
was excellent his grain WIS not thresled. BY
being behind, sustained losses In several
ways. Bats and mice destroyed bushels of his
grain. His domestic nina suffered and
grew poor for lack of the food and comfort
which they should have received from the
straw. IF his grain had been thiashcd Of the
proper time Il team would have lccn able to
draw flf!y bushels when the Slcigling was tine,
with less fatigue than they could haul ten
bushels over muddy roads.
"AnOther Ecighbnr had commenced plough
ing. but soon learned that the CID stub OF II
liOw-p"inL could not be made to enter the
hard places in his field. so he hurried of to get
a new oI1c. During the winter he had been to
purchased the share. and thus saved half II
day. and - cents for his fare on the cars. Two
weeks after his grass was fit to cut he took
out his machine, but before he could stalt 1t
h" was obliged to 20 TO Tie city, TO procure y
new knife for the cutIrr-bar, which required
another hall day and % cents besides other
losses. Iy being II day behind he failed To
gel his hay ready for the barn In time tOnvoid
damage incident to the urcuching rain. Rain
continued, aud the weather continued lower
ing and unfnvorahle until his crop Of hay was
rendered almost worthless Tor fodder. II he
had not been behind hand that one day
which was spent In fitting up his mower,
every pound Of hay could have been In prime
condition. That loss In the value of his hay
by being damaged by Il long rain amounted t.
more than 40.
"Whcn the vcrnal seed time had almost
passed, nci.hbor Tnrdy yoke up 10 the sense
of the %prOprsety Of sowing millet on a few
acres. So he started for the city to purchase
seed. But Just before II WIS received at his
station, a long period Of wet weather set IN,
which rendered IL necessary to defer sowing
until the latter part of May. Sowing late. i'm.
lnediateiy after II long period Of wet weather.
which was succeeded by a drOuth, was the
cause Of II light crop. The reader can perceive,
at n glance, how much one day In the winter
! would have facilitated the larmin. operations
OF that lagSaid farmer. and how man. dollars
would have been gained by way OF a larger
cop. If the seed had b. en- purchased and been
ready for the soil us soon rs the ground was
prepared. Take time by the hair says Kos
south. Forecast with care say we all re.
WHO keep Il little In advance Of the most mp.
proDrlate period to plough, SOW, cultivate and
now"