Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-11-12
PROGRESSIVE AGRICULTURE
Young Farmers Should begin Their c.
reer at tho Alphabet OF Hnsssndry.

Young Farmers Should begin Their c.
reer 1t the Alphabet of Hosssndry.
The following interesting article.
from the An,ssr II Cultiuator, is from
the pen of E.r. Ben: Perley Poore. and
well worth the earnest consideration Of
farmers in all parts of the country:
"Progress.-e agriculture. as some
appear to t.Herstand it. means going
ahead, witEuO regard to safety or ex-
pense. The young progressive farmer
who never hoed an acre of corn or
moved an acre of grass, fancies that,
by applying what he calls business
principles to agriculture, he can roll
up fortune in q few wears. He must
have farm as large as his father had
in his old age; must live in better
house than his parents ever thought
they needed; he must drive better
horse; ride in 4 better carriage; sport
a finer watch; live in more fashion,
able style; play the gentleman at more
expense; cut larger swells; speak
louder and be known further han his
old fogy ancestors ever dared to
dream of.
"The young progressive farmer has
no idea of getting rich by the little; he
is bound to have pile all st once.
He is not going to bring up lambs by
hand. sell turnips at twenty-five cents
a bushel. carry chickens to market.
wear patched clothes and cart potatoes
round like peddler. Not he. Talk
to him aboat cr'dvating farm OF
fifty acres! Why, he wants four or
Onstrate by figures that the more land
he cultivates the larger his percentage
of profits will be.
Talk to one of these progressive
farmers about experience. and he will
laugh at you. Why, he is sure that he
knows thousand things that would
astonish his father. Experiences! To
be sure he has not had it himself, but
he knows who has and what it is. OF
course he is safe-has 6 through ticket
to fortune on the express, dOuble-Guick
time. He wants to start, not at the
bottom of the hill. but at the top of it.
He don't believe in climbing up slowly.
working and waiting, and though he
may be willing to work, he is not anX-
ious to wait. He would be happy could
he reverse the order of the seasons and
reap in the spring. He would like TO
reap just before he sows, so as to sow
money instead of seed. The old way
of beginning with small farm and q
few tools. and working up by slow de-
grees. is not consistent with his notions
OF the dignity of agriculture.
'Now this IS just the poins. Ibelievc
young men need to be set right on. In
stead of beginning with much they
ought to begin with little. Instead of
large farm they ought to nave only B
small one. Their experience is small,
their judrme is weak ami their wants
ought to be few. And beginning with
few acres they will soon learn how to
proceed to insure the best results.
Large streams from little fountains flow.
Tail oaks from little acorns grow.
''Some educators try to make us be-
lieve there is some royal road to learn
ing by which ounces can take short
cut to the old college honors. But this
is all false. 1t is sham, got up to
cheat fools. There is but one road TO
learning, and that is the hard old uphill
way of severe study and long, close app
plicat;on.
True, there has been real progress
made in agriculture. and there are
many machine helps in the field. in the
barn and in the house that our fathers
and mothers did not enjoy. But the
young farmer who has inhei tied bank
account should not undertake to be too
progressive. He should begin with q
small farm, the acres of which bear
some proper relation to his experience
and lis actual knowledge. Let him
buy few acres, build small house.
secure little stock and such imple-
ments as he must have and begin in \
small way. Let him raise his own seed.
plant his own nursery. increase his
herds and cattle by natural generation
and not by purchase, except an oc-
casional male animal of good bloc.
Let his own skill and industry supply
his own wants rs far as possible. As
he adds acres to his farm and rooms to
his house and length and breadth to his
barn and numbers to his cattle. horses
and herds. and comforts to his home
and weight to his character and purse.
he will feel a just pride in the thought
that all this is tie result of his own
skill and industry. He will learn how
to keep and improve what he gets. and
to add more and still more to his pos.
sessions. He will feel that he is him.
self living power, capable o. produce
in the means of comfort az H',a::n..
''Such young man may ,Os euro
in mutual admiration clioues as pro-
gres>ive. but he will be counted as q
growing man. And growing man is q
mau always in the favor OF his fellows.
When man is going up everybody g
glad to lend him a helping hand. All
vino know him volunteer to DO him
service. But when he is going down
all step forward to kick him along.
Every one acce.erates his downward
course. 1t is always best. therefore. to
start at the bottom of the hill and work
steadily up. Better be small and rising
little than great and falling little.
The true con.se Tor every young man
in every business is to = Yin at tn.
alphabet Of his bsSiness d "a BE, rs fist
as lie can safely and hOno.aN,.
Fashions whiroS.