The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-08-07
The Dark Side of Farming,

There are "ne'er-do- wells" in farm
ing as well as in other vocations, and
many a farmer who feels that he is
on 1.-THE dark side" might take aid
and comfort, if in no other way. by
studying well that delightfully."- nat
ural and evidently faithful autObiog-
raphy of Mrs. Mary Wager Fisher,
given on the first page of the Rural
of June 5th, in which she tells how
she learned "if she wanted anything
accomplished the only way to get it
done was to do it, and she has never
yet learned any better way" One
class of men who live on "the dark
side of farming" is made up of those
who are gwen the vice of procrastina-
tion-that "thief of time" which robs
as of our best Gift and which is even
tempting men to try how not to do
it, just at the very time when some
important work should be done.
Farm work is especially one of times
and seasons and opportunities, which,
If permitted to pass, do not return
until year has passed, A young
man may not think what year is.
He is full of hope-too full at times,
living upon it too often. He may
think: Never mind. it is too late
now for this year, but it will be all
ready next season." Alas ! he fergets
the truth of that common adage:
"The road to ruin is paved with good
Intentions"
Another man, forehaEded, thought
ful, full of plans, but carrying all in
to execution in good season, lives in
sunshine. Fills crops are good, being
put in in good time they get ahead of
bad seasons his blowing is all done
in the fall his spring seeding is all
Anished while the land is in its best
condition his wet land has been
drained in the winter, and while the
procrastinating neighbor has been al
ways going to fix his fences, mend
his tools, hang his gates, get his sum-
mer fuel into the shed, and do the
thousand and one things which should
have kept him busy all through the
cold weather, and has been gossiping
or idling his time away, the before
handed man has been doing all these
things, This one has every thing
needed and ready for use. His hay
and fodder got in in dry weather are
the best of food for cows and horses
the stables and barns have every con-
venience and safeguard all his fields
are well fenced and furnished with
good gates there is place for every
thing and everything is in its place.
Nothing goes amiss with him, be-
cause everything goes by rule and
plan. all laid down ahead, and every
work or arrangement is done or made
before the necessity for it arises. The
old story of the man whose barn roof
leaked so badly applies here: When
the weather was fine the roof did
we'll enough and didn't need fixing
and when IL rained it couldn't be fix
ed-and so it was never done, until
by and by the old shingles blew off
in a storm and great damage was
done and the cost was increased sey-
eral times.
There is another old story, too.
which has so useful a moral that /
am tempted to repeat it. A man GO
ing on a journey noticed a nail in his
horses shoe was missing. He thought
1t would not matter and he could get
that little thing fixed when he re-
turned. He started the roads were
bad and the weakened shoe was soon
torn from the horses foot. Then the
horse went lame. and in passing
steep, rocky bank 1t tripped, stumbled
and fell and rolled down into the
river, the horse and. rider were
drowned.-Henry &eaoort.