The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-07

Practical Lesson In Farming.
| Atlanta Constitution
| Mr.. Robert Rood is young farmer. Thin
Drowned, all fiber, slow but easy of motion.
sef-reliant and independent-he is a fine type of
| the young Southern farmer
THE earth is gold mine" says he, ITO any
man that works it diligently
1t has certainly proved to be one to Mr.. Rood.
In seven years be has made over SAC, 900 in
farming-not by speculating--for he has lost
500 by that method; but by the patient
tiliing of the earth, and the slow transmitting of
sunshine rain and sweat into corn and cotton.
The story of his work is significant, and it
may be improving, so here 1t is in paragraphs,
| coaxed from his own lips. my father
said to me, about seven years ago. My
son, I'm going to die and leave $4,000 in hon
est debts that you must pay In six weeks he
was dead and took the plantation in Stewart
county, on the Chattahooche river. / mort
gagged the place for $4,000 and went to work.
The first lesson / learned was economy.
darned my own socks and patched my clothes as
they wore out. When went to Eufaula put
a biscuit in my pocket, and when got to town
tied my horse to o rack. and saved hotel bill.
ran a pillow myself. leading the way for my
hands. At night lit up the forge and did my
own blacksmithing, learning as / went / never
left my farm day, and slept only six hours
night
"Of course it did, rs it would have brought it
in any other business. In two wears had paid
| my debt and had money in bank. / have made
| in actual money over $40, 900. This is my poor
| est year. and yet l will clear over S., 500. /
would not give any man five dollars to guaran-
| tee me So, 900 year on my ten-mule farm for
the next ten years. Farming is the safest bust
| ness man can engage in, if he gets at it right"
What are the rules by which you work.?
First. raise my own provisions. l now
have 1000 bushels of corn, l. 100 bushels of oats.
| 800 bushels of peas and 400 gallons Of syrup
for SALE I raise much of my own meat and
would raise it all except that my climate is too
warm to cure it in. never saw a man who did
not raise his own corn that made money on cot
ton. i never saw a corn raiser that wasn't q
prosperous farmer. You often figure out
that you can buy corn cheaper than you can
raise it-but that is only on paper. Corn raisers
prosper-the others fail. My cotton crop is
other crops carry the farm Next to
raising my own corn, / count personal
attention to my business. I sow every bushel of
osts myself, because never found hand that
could do it right. This fall I worked eleven
hours day, with a three-peck basket on my
arm. and sowed oats ahead of twelve plows till
| the ends of my fingers were bleeding. In max
ing syrup got along with four hours of sleep in
| twentyfo four. and the result is perfect syrup. 1
| superintend every detail of my farming as THIS.
| Every back-strap of my harness has bag of
| moss sewed under the leather to protect the
mules back. Thread wouldn't DO for that sort
| of sewing, as it would rot. Iron wire wouldn't,
| for it would rust So every pad is sewed with
| piece of broken skin on mule since I've
| been farming Next to personal supervision is
economy. Nothing is wasted on my farm. /
| have 100 tons of home made manure composted
! three tons of guano. Not blade of grass is
| burned on my place. That. with the refuse of
| my sugar cane, even, is turned under and en-
riches the ground. 1t is small things that make
or ruin the farmer My neighbors use two or
| three sets of plow-lines year-mne last me
| two three years. Every night oil every
wagon on my place, using cotton OIL Once
/ month have every axle cleaned and the old oil
rubbed off This saves my wagons My stock
| and crops are all protected the same way. The
poorest house on my place is the house live in"
How about your laborW
Better than slaves. pay them SO month,
| half in cash, every Saturday night one ration,
| and allow each hand half acre for potatoes
and an acre for corn, and give them every Sat-
urday afternoon They work because they
know know it when they shirk. They began
stealing from me. / slept on the ground every
night for three weeks, bagged three of the
| thieves, and now / am safe. When they
well make them work. and when they are sick
| give them medicine from my own hand. In
| short they know watch them. and thew work !"
you find the life happy one?'
1.-THE freest, happiest, most independent life
| in the world | have not been sick a day in
| eleven years. When lay down / sleep. / ask
no man any odds. My broad acres are there and
| they are exhaustless. The best bank farmer
1 Cd1 nave ID ulS lduu Livery UOlidf 10 putS tDSre
| is safe and will pay bin interest and principal.
Many farmers sell their cotton seed That is
| robbins their land. I buy cotton seed. for with
| acid phosphate and stable manure it makes the
best fertilizer. The farmer is the one independ
| emit man."
| II cannot understand" Mr.. Rood went on to
| say, why young fellow will stay in the city
and clerk at small salary. with no future, when
farmers life is open to him. No man could
| have had much worse start than / did, Now,
| in spite of markets. weather anything else
! can live "a free mans lfe with health, open air,
exercise, and at the end of every year put up
from So 500 to So 600 in bank. This is not chance
| 1t is certainty And there is nothing in mo ex-
| cept hard work, attention and little common
sense. If fifty young clerks were to go to Stew
art county to-day and farm just as do, each
one would reach the same result. 1t is no ex-
pertinent 1t is the most certain of certain
things" sses