The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-02-10
Farmers With a Hobby.

b specially. A man may make a
Speciality of a certain branch of trade or
business, and yet not pursue it as a
hobby. In fact, a man with hobby is
usually looked upon as a man who pur-
sues enc idea TO the exclusion of all
other. useful or otherwise. Much, how
over. as he has been sneered at, he is the
one of all others likely to make a great
discovery, or invent something which
the world in time will think almost in
dispensable. Allior nearly all of, our
great inventions have been the work of
men with hobbies. some of whom were
during their lifetime looked upon by
their acquaintances as insufferable bores,
IL not as nuisances or lunatics. If agri-
culture, as is sometimes claimed, is be-
hind other industries, it is because fewer
men have pursued some branch of it as
% hobby. There are few farmers, it is
true. who have specialties and engage
in them with vigor, and, as a rule, these
men succeed better than those who
drift along easily without making an
effort TO excel in any special branch of
agriculture. ''' ~'."' 81" i'
The specialist makes more rapid pro-
gTess than his neighbors, not because he
works any harder. but because he is
usually better Informed in regard to his
business for he cannot expect to excel
unless he seeks knowledge from other
sources than his own labors and expert
ments. knowledge is but the accumu-
lation of the IDEAS and experience of
those who have preceded us, and the
man who reads is pretty certain to learn
something which he did not know, and
more than all, he will get the ideas out
Iof which he can involve others, thus
adding to the sum total of human knowl-
edge. .i, ..........
| We confess that in our experience a
man without hobby is, as rule, a
rather duh fellow, and the more useful the
hobby is likely to be, the better we like
the possessor of it. We hail with pleas
Eure tue appearance of such men among
farmers. for there is abundant room for
them, and great discoveries must natur-
ally come from close application and
persistent pursuit of the end or object
Sought for. There is scarcely grain,
fruit, or vegetable cultivated that could
not be improved by judicious and intelli-
gent management, and the same may
'be said of every breed of domestic ami
mails. In addition, new varieties and
breeds may be brought into existence
whenever desired.
I OF course we would, not have man
neglect his business or impoverish him
self, as some have done, in order to pur-
sue an impracticable idea, but when
ever it is plain that a better thing is
needed than we possess, and there is a
chance of producing it, it is a commend
able act to make the attempt, even if a
complete failure be the result. There
are usually hundred failures to every
really great success, but this should not
discourage any one from trying to see
what he can do in the field where the
failures are the most numerous. Thou
sands upon thousands of vessels have
Ibeen lost on the ocean, but this has not
prevented the building of great and sue
ceSsf1l ocean steamers. The inventors
of reapers and mowers did not escape
failures, some of which were disastrous;
but these men had a hobby, and they
pursued it until they triumphed over
every obstacle. A farmer may raise a
hundred new varieties of corn or other
grain, not one of which will be in any
way superior to the parent sort, and
then he may try again, and the very first
one will be far superior to anything of
the kind he has seen, at least for his own
farm aud adjacent regions; for it should
be borne in mind that farm product or
breed Of animals may be adapted to one
locality and not to another.
Our farmers are gradually coming to
look at this subject of adaptation of
plants and animals to certain locations,
soils and climates in its proper light;
hence the increase of late years of special
lists among the more intelligent agricul-
turists throughout the country, EXSeri-
ence has shown that what is called gen
eral or mixed farming is not the most
profitable anywhere. The reason is to
be found in the extreme variation in our
soils aud climate. One farm or limited
region of country may be well adapted
to the growth of wheat and oats another
70 corn and potatoes, while others pro-
duce excellent hay and pasture grasses,
and are therefore especially adapted to
the raising of stock and the production
of butter and cheese. Then there are
regions especially adapted to the raising
of certain kinds of fruits and vegetables,
ali Of which. when discovered. becomes
of value to those who may choose to take
advantage of circumstances.
IL any farmer would select some par
ticular breed of domestic animals to ex-
pertinent with, or kind of grain, fruit,
or vegetables, and make it hobby,
much good could scarcely fail to result
from his efforts; and if he is fortunate
enough to produce something better
than hasheretofore been known, fnan-
cial reward awaits him. We want to see
a variety OF corn that will bear twice the
quantity of grain and no more stalks
and leaves than any now in cultivation.
We are quite confident that such va
riety is within the range of possibilities,
and the man who has the time and in
clinationato pursue such .ayhobby long
enough can scarcely fail of success, pro-
Vided he resides in good growing
country. We are Inclined to think that
it can be done by selections alone, with
some of our most prolific sorts. 1t may.
however, require the crossing of two or
more varieties; but this can only be de-
terminod by experiment
Considerable improvement has been
made in wheat during the past few
years, but there is room for greater