The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1885-08-13
HINTS TO BEGINNERS
suggsstions to Those Who Arc Learning
to Become Farmsrs,


books on the subject, subscribe to the
papers, quickly grasp tho
idea of high farming and decide that
that is the style to suit them. So they
buy the latest style Of improved imple-
menta and begin the work with en-
thusiasm, looking with secret pity and
compassion on the old-fashioned ways,
simple life and close economical meth
DDS Of their neighbors, who are &C
customed to rely wholly on their farms
for their living.
Meanwhile. these plain neighbors, sd
methodical, 80 unenterprising, no
welded to old ways, look in their turn
at their new neighbor, and among
themselves begin to estimate how long
he will last as farmer; two, three,
four. and, il he has considerable 70.
sources, possibly five years is generally
the length of time accorded him.
Occasionally one with . real taste for
the life, with energy and resolution
also, begins, as he gets to the end of his
purse. to grasp the realities Of farm.
er's life and chances of success. Such
an one, casting aside his own ideas, be.
gins to suspect that these plain neigh.
bors know more OF farming than he
does-begins to adopt their methods,
and possibly makes successful farmer.
But Of all false ideas, the one that ANY
fool can be . farmer" Is one of tho
worst. On the contrary, 1t takes q
clever man, an earnest man, and = man
who loves the life, to succeed.a
1t seems to me that agricultural books
and papers are, in measure, responsible
for so many Of the failures, so many be-
ginners, apparently, are among their
contributors 1t is all 20 new to them.
and they are 80 eager to communicate
their ideas! And in turn other beginners
imagine it al so easy; all you have to
do is to pillow, harrow and manure, or
fertilize heavily. and the thing is done!
Having money in their purse, they fol.
low these ideas, spend their money,
sell, or are sold out, and 60 back to
where they came from.
A safe advice to beginners, and one
that any agricultural paper could afford
to keep always printed in special type,
would be, In substance:
go slow. Do not buy any new i'm
plements, Il you can get good second
hand ones.
"Do not buy anything more than
your neighbor, aself-supporting farmer.
uses.
'.Do not do anything differently from
what he does And after copying him
and his ways, say for three years. begin
to spend any money you may have in
carrying out your ideas Of improvement
il you have any left"
write feelingly on this subject, for !
have been farming now for five years.
and looking back regret that I could
not have followed such course.
It takes several years for person to
know his own farm. 1t takes begin.
ner several years to know how to avoid
wasting money. He may think lie
knows, but he will find he does not
About the only thing he can safely do
at first IL to haul manure to the spots
that need it most And after one or
two seasons trial he will begin to un.
derstand these apparently simple things:
How much time it takes; how much
ground it covers; what increase yield in
crops-and consequently what he can
afford to spend in making his manure
Beside, what answers in one locality
may be disastrous or improbable in
another Following books and agri.
cultural papers for several years, Ihave
been making my soil very fine and light
for wheat. This year l shall simply
drill it in on half my field, not even run.
ming the harrow in front of the drill.
In this section wheat follows corn.
Corn is generally plowed three times at
most. Then, after being cut, the field
IL narrowed once, sometimes twice, and
wheat drilled in.
The result Of my observation, expert
ence and thought is, that shall work
my corn three times with the double
shovel, twice with the cultivator, and
then shall drill the wheat on half the
field. immediately after cutting the
corn; the other half / shall harrow. I
think this needless, but . trial will test
it.
It may seem odd, but my observation
b this: We have very little snow In
this section. Snow seldom covers the
fields more than few days ct . time.
Consequently, wheat b constantly sub
jected to alternate freezing and thaw-
ing II the ground ID very line. the soil
compacts about the young plant. The
first freeze gives the young plant q
wrench, then follow successive lifts,
till finally . large portion Of ones
seeding u found upon the advent oil
spring lying, roots and al, prone upon
the ground.
Now, II upon well worked corn land
the drill Is run without preparation, .
rough furrow d left alongside the seed
bed. Each successive freezing tugs ct
lifts the plant-and at the same time
the outside Of this rough furrow ridge
melts and RECEIVERS the roots. This
keeps on all winter, and spring finda
the ground level and The wheat plant
we'll covered with soil.
/ But . treatment such - this would
not answer in New York, where the
snow lies deep and long; hence the i'd
vice that would answer for . beginner
in New YORK would prove utterly unfl
In Virginia TrgiSso Coc. Cosnrts
0eDtlsnsasa
There are some good arguments In
favor OF rolling corn ground immedi'
ately after planting. It compacts the
earth around the seed, thus insuriuQ
more speedy termination. The surfaces