The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-07-09
CLUTCHING AT STARS.
An Analysis of the Wholesale Advice Give n
to Farmers and Dairymen.

An Analysis of the Wholesale Advice Give n
to Farmers and Dairymen.
1t is altogether too common for dairy
writers, when invcighing against tie
productions of the great mass of pool
butter that is put on the market. wholly
unfit for market, or to be used by those
who have normal taste. to assume that
it might all be made nearly as good as
the best; and a large share of the indig-
nation that is expended is launched ut
the farmers and farmers wives. who are
the authors and finishers of the unpa'-
ataDlc mixture. They are commended
to learn how to do better, and in some
cases studied homilics are written, gi:-
ing all the minutia in regard to butter
making, from the birth of the incipient
COW, to the end of the sale through tic
commission man, it may be a thousand
miles away.
We have a large amount of doubt in
regard to the wisdom of the bulk of
such advice; because, to attempt to fC i
low one-fourth of it, is as much above
and beyond the mental and business
push of the majority of farmers. as it
would be for them TO master the details
Of any other business that it takcsy 'a:s
CT close application and study TO su--
cessfully manage. Some can do the
whole business; but even large part Of
those who can, will do better to cOntine
their work to ceHain parts; while the
overwhelming mass will do no better
10 thax Il off fn
get along without the aid of others who
are vcrscd in the intricate details tn; t
it takes time and money to be familiar
with. There are thousands who will do
better, and make larger men of them
selves, TO make it n study to produce
more of the most profitable milk for the
production of butter and cheese, from
the same acres, than they will to scatter
and weaken their energies in learning
to do more. and then learn and practice
all the rest from the milk pail on. Part
of those thousands have sufficiently
taxed their capacity when achieving so
much, ard would be ''bulls in a crock
cry store" if they undertook more; and
part are so mentally constituted that
they had better double up on what they
know, and repeat their efforts over and
over, than to learn another trade. 1t
would be waste of effort on the part
of law schools to teach that all their
pupils NAV attain all that tho soundest
and brightest may achieve; and SO it
would be equally a waste of effort to
say to all tho uneducated farmers th:t
they may equal the more favored ones
in intellect and education, and that it
is the duty of each to rival and equal
the varied accomplishments Of the
completest farmer he knows, ins: G I'd OF
confirming himself to master lesser
number of things that are within tho
COMPASS of his mental push and tastes
and capital.
The tendency of the times In oil de-
partments of mechanical labor and p, o.
fcssioIal effort, is to run to spccialties.
and thus better equip man to excel in
his line. The same principle applies to
the farmer to q great extent; and hence
it will be true. that the more tho doc
trine is inculated. and the more the adj
vice is acted upon, that the farmer
must be mixed to tho extent of being
and knowing and practicing every
thing on each farm, that ought to per-
tain to the many. shall We have tho
diversified" crowd of imcompetents
and halfway successful ones we now
have.
The average farmer who gives his
thought and purpose to make each acre
Of his farm produce five thousand pounds
of good milk per annum. can learn
to do that quicker, do it with more GER
tainty and with less hard work and
anxiety, than he can learn to make two
thousand five hundred pounds per aero
net him the same income through
skillful manufacture of tho milk. and
the most successful sale of his product.
To teach men, taking the mass as it is,
that they can take front seat, ard
ought to do as well in the early future
as the men of ripe experience and great
knowledge are now doing. is no kind
ness to them. for development comes
step BY step. Men should reach for that
which is just above them. and within
their enlarged capacity to compass; but
not waste energy at clutohinS at stars.
rHoards Dairy'na".