Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-02
;ive Agriculture.

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Progressive Agriculture.
.-osefve agriculture, says Ben: Per-
II97 a. some appear to understand
ans going ahead without regard to
j. NJ, or expense. The young progressive
salS9 o- witb9ut experience fancies that
aln annlying what he calls "business prin-
y ~, ~ m agriculture he can roll up
ap Pc in q. few years. He must have
VIZ 1oroe as his father had in his old
az INST live in a better style and in a
'g.sr house than did his parents. He
',e. drive a better horse, sport a finer
'b c1t larger swells, play the gentle
"a more expense; speak louder and
..rnown farther than his old fogy par
Fever dared to dream Of.
'- ~ has no idea of getting rich by the
..Io. he is bound to have pile at once.
y. is not going to bring up lambs by
Ia sell turnips at 25c. bushel, carry
-1.clons TO market, wear patched clothes
..5 cart potatoes round like q peddler.
~,t he Talk to him about a small farm
few acres! He wants four
:. Eva hundred acres, and can demon
s-ate with figures that the more land he
.atiyates the larger his percentage of
roits viii be.
Talk to one of these progressive farm
arc obont experience, and he will laugh
st Won. Why, he is sure that he knows
,,onsaud things that would astonish his
@,ber. Experience! To be sure he has
mai had it himself, but ne knows who has
end what it is. OF course he is safe-has
q through ticket to fortune on the express,
dorblo-ouick time. He wants TO start,
nat at the bottom of the hill, but at the
toD of it. lie don't believe in climbing
m slowly, working and waiting, and
though he may be willing to work, he is
NOT anxious TO wait. He would be happy
could be reverse the order Of the seasons
and reap in the spring. He would like
toreap lust before he sOws, 80 as to sow
money instead of seed. The old way Of
beginning with a small farm and few
tools, and working up by slow degrees, Is
not consistent with his notions Of the dig
nity Of agriculture.
Now this is just the point. L believe
Young men need to set right on. Instead
Of beginning with much they ought to be-
gin with little. Instead Of large farm
hey ought to have only a small one.
Their experience is small, their judgment
Il weak and 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,
Tall oaks from little acOrns grow"
Some educators try to make us Believe
there Is some royal road to learning by
which ounces can take a short cut to the
Nd college honors. But this is all false.
tits a 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 application.
True, there has been real progress made
In agriculture, and there are many ma
chine helps in the field, in the barn and in
the house that our fathers and mothers
lid not enjoy. But the young farmer who
has inherited a bank account should not
undertake to be too progressive. he
should begin with a small farm, the acres
of which bear some proper relation to his
experience and his actual knowledge.
Let him buy few acres, build a small
house, secure a little stock and such i'm
Elements as he must have and begin in a
small way. Let him raise his own seed,
plant his own nursery, increase his
herds and cattle by natural generation
aud not by purchase, except an occasion
al male animal Of good blood. Let his
own skill and industry supply his own
wants as far as possible. AS he adds
acres to his farm and rooms to his house
md length and breadth TO his barn and
numbers to his cattle, horses and herds,
and comforts to his home and weight TO
bis character and purse, he VIII feel a
Just pride in the thought that all this is
the result OF his own skill aud industry.
he will learn how to keep and improve
what be gets, and to add more and still
more to his possessions. He will feel
that he is himself living power, capa-
bic Of producing the means Of comfort
and wealth.
Such young man may not figure In
mutual admiration cliques as progress
rive, but he will be counted as a growing
man. And a growing man is man al
ways in the favor of his fellows. When a
man is going up every body is glad to lend
hlm helping hand. All who know him
volunteer 10 do him service. But when he
Is going down all step forward to kick
him along. Every one accelerates his
downward course. 1t is always best,
therefore, 70 start at the bottom Of the
NIL and work steadily up. Better be
small and rising a little than sreat and
falling little. The true course for every
Young man in every business is % begin
az the alphabet of his business ard rise as
last as ne can safely and honoraby.
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