Iron County register., 1883-07-12
Farmers BOyS-Their Practical Instruc.
tiOn.

In looking. over a farm there is no
more interesting portion of it than that
ass gned to the boys for garden; es
pecially is this so if the farmer himself
takes an interest in his boys, and rea-
lies the Importance of encourag aging and
assisting them in their efforts to become
practical gardeners.
Farmers. too often have so many
chores for their boys to do that they do
not give them half time enough for rec
7reation, and therefore no time to plant
a garden of their own. This is all
wrong. The farmers boy should not
'be required to work any more hours
than the mechanic s boy; he should have
.time for recreation and for doing some
work for himself. There is no better
way to drive a boy from the farm than
to overwork him; and there is no better
way to keep him on the farm than to
manifest an interest in his welfare, give
him time for recreation, and make that
recreation as far as possible elevating
and instructive. The boy who, when
out of school, is required to spend every
hour at work for his father dropping
{. corn in large field. wedding long rows
of onions, digging potatoes in field so
large that it seems to have no end, and
fhusking corn from a heap that is en-
larged from the field before it is ex-
hausted, has no desire or courageto add
to his labors by having garden of his
own, or in fact to stay on the farm a
. single moment after he has become his
own master But boy who is not re-
uuired to become one of the farm hands
as soon as school is out, who works
. onlyas volunteer, can very readily
become interested in small garden of
his own, and work in it for recreation
.and instruction. We have seen boys as
interested in their. gardens as their
fathers were in their farms, and as
proud to show them to visitors. Such
bows not only learn habits of industry,
without compulsion, but they also learn
: by practice the wants of growing plants,
and at the same time learn to become
, interested. in farm life. A boy will tend
his own garden with altogether dlfferent
feelings from those called up by tend
;no his fathers garden. Ownership has
a Wonderful power over the feelings of
bows as well as men.
The bov that commences early in life
to nractica agriculture for himself on a
email scale, becomes interested in OBJ
tanning the best results with the least
exnendittre of money, and not only
learns many practical lessons which are
of GREAT value in after life, but he be-
comes so strongly attached to the farm
that he has no desire 20 leave it. In fact
.'fIie how who begins to gather up practl-
cal knowledge relating to the best meth
ods of producing farm crops, and con-
fin11i6s II up to manhood, learns one OF
the most reliable trades that man has
over vet followed. Give the boy few
rods of land to cultivate and then en-
conraoe. and if necessary, assist him to
make IL the most productive portion OF
the farra; in few years he will begin to
sraaIize that farming is an occupation
which REQUIRES quite as high lnteill-
gence as any other occupation, ana also,
That the profits of the farm depend IN
GREAT measure on the intelligence OF the
Farmer. As soon as he realizes tnls' ne
win entertain higher respect for the
su,c,ipation, and will feel desire 10 pc
dome, not simply a practical farmer pu'
TO be able to direct the practlce win the
highest scientific intelligence.
If we are to keep our boys on the larin
,,,a ,ist try to make the farm more at
trocfive and make them feel more indie
nendent by giving them ownership; II
thew can have garden and raise small
srn;t vegetables, and have the privilege
nf SaIlino what they raise, they VIII pe-
come donbly interested in farm life. A
tow dollars that a boy earns by hls own
ishor will do him more good than a
iarge - number that may be given to him'
For If earned bv the sweat of his own
m hrow - he is able to realize their true
palne. % and will be very likely to sr,e,n!di
them more iudieiously than he would II
earned by another's labor.--hdssac""'
sets Ploaghnafs