Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-03-18
GOOD FARMING.
Business Which Requires Much Stud1
and Continual Labor.

q Business Which Requires Much STUDY
and Continual Labor.
II there is an occupation on earth in
which order and thoroughness is of i'm
portance, it is that of farming. Order
should be made the first and chief law
OF the farm. Order everywhere and in
all things-in the house, in the stable.
In the fields; in times of labor and in
times OF relaxation. If this is insisted
upon as the memorable rule, the farmer
will save himself and his much fruitless
toll and more vexation of spirit.
To be orderly, it is necessary that he
be thorough in all that he under
takes. What is done once thor
oughly will last longer, and prove
more serviceable and satisfactory,
than what is done dozen times bung-
lingly. The farmer should be provided
with the best of every thing. If he is
unable to obtain all that he needs, let
the quality of what he does purchase be-
of the best. 1t pays in the long run.
His house. no matter how small,
should be constructed of the best ma
terial in the most thorough manner;
much more the extra cost over shah
bily-built house will certainly be saved
in fuel. and the saving of time other
wise lost. through colds and other all
ments contracted in an improperly
built house: to say nothing of the salts
faction aud comfort of living in good
one. His stable should be built on
H. h.>-% al II,
mentS should be built with view to
the comfort of beast and man, to saw
ing of time and labor in feeding and
handling of stock, and ease of access
to all parts. The barn should be care
fully and thoroughly constructed,
water-tight. and rat-proof, so far as
may be.
His fields should be in the very best
sttainable order: soil, loose and rich;
.ences, good; and weeds. non est. His
cattle should be Of the most suitable
breeds for his purposes; his implements,
Such as he may be able to provide, OF
the very best of their kind; his help,
Industrious and orderly; himself. pru-
dent, Intelligent, observing and enter
prising.
Yet with all these desirable adjuncts
to a good farm, the farmer will not be
a thrifty, successful one, unless his
wife be fully in accord and sympathy
with this spirit of intelligent farming,
and discharge the duties of her depart
ment with care. order and fidelity.
The too frequent excuse of the farmer
the slow farmer-is that the best Of
every thing costs too much. The truth
is, it costs no more than to have the
poorest; only YOU must have less of ii.
Farmers are apt to look too much at
quantity and not enough to quality.
One good cow will cost as much us
three poor ones, they may reason; but
she will give as much milk as three poor
ones; and requires just One-third the at
tendance. The writer knows of Il farm
er who keeps eight COWS and is depend
ent upon his neighbor for milk. who
keeps three cows. The explanation is,
that the former has Thought it too en-
pensive to own high priced cows, while
the latter keeps the best he can own.
Which is the better policy?
SO with the farmer who has poor,
rickety. superannuatedi implements and
takes no care of what he does own;
he works harder. tasks his horses more
severely, and accomplishes about half
as much as his wiser neighbor.
Riding through Michigan, Wiscon-
sin. Minnesota and part of Dakota
not long since. the writer was struck by
the contrast offered in different locali-
ties between the order, tidiness, thrift
and apparent superb management OF
some farms, large and small, and the
neglect, saiftlessness, ignorance and
utterly diSgraceful state of things WISH
bic in others. 1t seemed to me quite
easy 30 point out where farmers tired,
and where those who made Il pretensc
of farming were barely pulling through
the year and keeping soul and body to-
gether. 1t was about the same in each
State; l could see no great distinction
and am led to believe that the two grades
exist everywhere. The want of care in
properly shcltering farm utensils, was
Reapers and mowers were in many
cases hauled up beside fence in the
field where last used. without protec-
ton of any kind. Flows, harrows and
scrapers were scattered about the farm,
regardless of place. and in perfect in
difference as to the results. / thought
that there were. at least, two classes of
people who actually enjoyed seeing
this; who rubbed their hands in delight
at the wastefulneSs; these are the manu-
facturers and dealers in these imple-
ments; it just suits them; they don't
advise care and order in looking after
agricultural tools-not they. The
faster they wear, rust and rot out, the
quicker will new ones be needed. If "a
farmer should be advised that it would
be unwise to bore a few auger holes in
his wheat-bin. or breed few families
of rats in his corn-crib, he might re-
gard it as Il reflection upon his COM
mon sense; but where is the difference
Finally, the farm should be well
manned. AS ship-captain provides
himself with a sailor for every certain
number of tons his vessel carries, SO
should the farmer make it point to
graduate the number of his emoIOyes
exactly to the number of acres requir-
30 h. IL