Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-02-04
CHE farm aud fireside.
For the YOrkvillr Enquirer.
FARMERS, TO YOUR INTEREST.

tests in that occupation. Natural talent
must be considered, and when entirely lack
ing, the prosecution of any business must
soon prove failure. The phosphate rock
of Charleston has locked up in its cells one
of the necessary elements to nourlsh and
invigorate the dropping plant, yet it must
be treated with sulphuric acid before this
precious mineral can be, to any degree,
available to the plant as food. So talent
may be present, both as to quality and guam
tity, so that success would be but the price
of an effort; but will slumber and sleep
until aroused by that stirring stimulator
called interest. Talents are but tools. The
better the tools the greater help will be de,
rived from their use; but the benefit will
be in consequence Of their use and not OF
their presence, quantity or quality.
may state here that l do not consider
that success in making money necessarily
means to succeed in holding it. 1t has been
said success means to succeed. This is true;
but it is possible, and in fact often occurs,
that men succeed in making money, but
make a complete failure in saving it.. 1t
has also been said that money saved is
money made. This is also true; but this
does not imply that no money is made ex-
cept what is saved.
I make distinction between making and
saving, and for fear that may be misun-
pose A to be a farmer At the end of the
year, A finds, by estimation, that the pro-
ceeds of his farm are worth or will sell for
81 600, and the expense incurred by run
ming this farm amounts to $500. A has GER
tainly succeeded in making by his farm
$500. Although A may spend or squander
by extravaganza, misfortune, or by some
other means, all that was made, A was sue
cessful in his farming because he manifested
an interest in his work. His failure maybe
due to various causes, but certainly not to
his occupation as farmer.
make this explanation, or rather dis
tinction in making and saving, because to
claim that the amount of money that
farmer saves, depends upon the interest he
manifests in farming, would be untrue, and
observation would contradict me. Incl
dents are not rare nor hard to collect where
men have manifested q deep interest in
farming, and strictly speaking made money
by that occupation, but from other causes
failed to save or become rich. Reader, if
you have failed, first ascertain the cause;
then the remedy may be found and applied
to the right place; This can only be done
farmers) of keeping a detailed account OF all
business or work done.
I have diverged and must return to my
subject. Interest is the greatpower of mans
actions. 1t aWakens energy and gives re-
neWed strength to the physical frame. 1t
is to the man what steam is to the engine,
and as it expands sets in motion both mind
and muscle. 1t leads the mind that makes
the will that drives the muscle. Interest
creates love for the work you are follow
ing. Itassists the memory and adds knoWl-
edge by making deep impressions of what
is done and how it is done, and the results
thereof Without interest, the past is
dream. Links are missing. The chain Of
information that should have been made
strong by experience, is broken, and the
work of each year is, in great measure
experimental, without the benefit of the
experiment.
Interest may be cultivated. This is
point wish to impress upon farmers, that
an interest in their occupation may be cult
waited or aroused by using means. 10 Guilt
vate a taste for certain luXuries OF the pres
ent day, it is necessary to eat, for season,
regardless of taste or relish. And to form a
habit that is almost as binding as nature, it
takes but the simple repetition of the same
act for a time. Not so with interest
Forced practice, or the simple performance
of a certain work, will neither create nor
sometimes almost persuaded that this dis
position to become deeply interested, or
talent, called interest, is a natural gift in a
developed form. Biography would seem
to teach that if the gift of taking an interest
is not demonstrated in the boy, it is seldom
developed in manhood. There is good reas-
on for this, when.we take into consideration
that the reward, or the hope of reward, is
the only sound that reaches this part of
mans nature, and when nature has en-
dowed man with strong interest in what
ever he undertakes, reward is the result.
In turn, this begets a stronger and deeper
interest in the work that gives this reward,
and as one is magnited, the other grows.
This reward is not always money, but is
often wisdom and information, or populari-
ty. We believe that the seed ofinterest has
been planted by nature in the mind of eve
ry rational Individual, but requires a GER
tain temperature to give the seed life and
growth. Reward, or the hope of reward, is
the only climate or atmosphere in which in
terest will thrive, and as the plant that is in
digenous to warm climate will not
flourish or mature in the North, so inter-
est, if deprived of its genial cline, will soon
wither and perish away.
TO cultivate interest, it is necessary to
have an object in view. This object should
be valuable one. If you aim at wren,
YOU will hardly kill crow. The object
Should not be beyond possible reach; but
it is also dangerous to have it toe near. II
the object YOU seek is not worthy the effort
it takes to obtain it, it will be whitening to
your future interest if obtained. It is the
duty of every man to he up and doing in
time of plenty, but when the time of fam
inc appears a command is given that none
may dare to disobey. The people of our
country are not perishing, neither can it be
said that the indications are that such will
be the case; but we must admit that clouds
are forming. The western horizon is dark.
The bow has disappeared in the east and
the hot breeze of hard times can already be
felt. And a serious question for our people
to answer is, What is the cause. There can
be no effect without a cause. There must
be a cause for the cry we hear echoed and
reverberated from house to house and from
hill to hill, of "hard times"
leave this question to be answered at an
other time. 1t is enough for us to know
that hard times are here. The load is upon
our shoulders, and must be carried, or ny
desperate effort thrown off. Low priced
cotton, the money crop of the South, and
high priced poorlabor have brought farming
to such point that the cost of production is
equal with, if not greater than the value OF
the proceeds. Cotton, under the present
system of farming, costs about eight cents
present season will hardly average that
price. Farmers cannot leave their occupa-
ton, so their duty is plain. They must
work out a system of farming that will less
en- the cost of production.
This work can only be accomplished by
series of experiments. Some suggest that
the experiments should be carried on by the
government, through experimental stations:
This is wise SUGGESTION, and much good