The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-08-14
WHAT l KNOW ABOUT FARM
ING.
NUMBER 4.

of management. Management on
the farm, as observed, is good, bad
and Indifferent. These varieties affect
chiefly and directly only the manager.
By good management we understand
doing things at the right time, and in
proper order; being ready for work in
it's season; and using both labor and
capital to advantage. Bad manage
ment is being compelled to 60 to town
on the best days for work, having
nothing to do on "of" days, being
too late planting, behind cultivating,
and generally doing things at the
wrong time, or leaving undone i'm
portant work. Perversity persists in
calling the good manager lucky, and
the bad manager unlucky. Indifferent
management is what we generally
speak Of IS "taking things as they
come" a sort of go-as-you-please hap
hazard, a "down-at-the-heel," don't
careative style, which may be termed a
chit or miss way, and as often one
as the other. Perhaps the majority of
farms are managed after this sort.
There are few bad managers, fewer
real good managers; but the indifer-
ent ones are legion. Most of the
grumblers are in this class. They
fear the seasons, the rain, the dry
weather. They fear the crops; they
fear the markets, distrust the mer-
chants and envy every other industry.
In short, they regard farming as a
"poor business" and the farmer as
the most forsaken of God and most
oppressed by men of all the human
race. They furnish such a variety
from tolerable to intolerable, that the
condition, work, hopes and fears of
the farming interests r judged and
pretty fairly prognosticated from an
acquaintance with this class of farm
ers. "Poor prospect" do I hear you
say? Yes, that is just what the world
says of farming, Judging by the vast
majority of our present average farm
ers.
But [ didn't start out to be homo
letic, and beg pardon for that digres-
sion. 1t may be amiss. Hope it is,
OF rather wish it were. We use the
word shrewd among farmers as applied
to management. It is a compromise
term and neds a little ventilation. It
is better term than cunning or tricky,
both of which it includes. Shrewd
management may be honest, dishonest
or questionable; oftenest, perhaps, the
latter. One has an indefnable desire
that his shrewd neighbor may be n
his side" in any common interest. We
have shrewd traders, shrewd buyers,
and, though it is not common to speak
SO, we have shrewd sellers. Each of
these must be to a degree shrewd
managers. The shrewd buyer man
ages to expose and magnify defects.
The shrewd trader can see all the de
fects and blemishes in others prop
erty, while pointing out the merits
of his own. But it is Of the shrewd
management in selling I'd speak of in
particular. Old Mrs. Oaks sold Shan
non a setting of turkey eggs; they
hatched in one week. When the old
lady found they'd Matched, she said:
50 If I'd known they'd hatch that soon,
you'd never got them" Her shrewd-
ness was in selling rotten eggs, as she
supposed. N~eighbor G. and I had
fine cows. But his wife could beat
mine selling butter. Sold more, and
such a rich yellow She just whis-
oered to Mrs. A. that a little yellow
egg would make a difference of five
cents on the pound. Mrs. A., poor
simple soul, thought it would be cheat
ng. "Cheating /" cries Mrs c., "I've
10 conscience about cheating a mer-
chant. I'm only getting back some
IT my own" [ was talking to one of
country merchants when the con-
7ersation fell upon the price of butter.
was indignant that country butter
'hould be uniformly quoted lower
nan creamery. He gave me this
tenn: MRS. G. has been selling me
Ter butter for several months. Had
call for butter by one of q neigh
,ors who had a good deal of company.
lie wanted something nice. [ told
i'm I had the very thing he wanted,
made by one Of the incest butter max
rs In the county. To get the amount
le wanted, [ had to cut a roll. The
inside was pure lard. 1t was fully
laf lard" Was it Mrs. C.'s but
or p "Haint going to tell"
Yours affectionately,
:. Z BROTHER ALL.