Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-03
FARMING TO PAY.
SOME OF THE REASONS FOR UN-
PROFITABLE RESULTS.
An Eastern Writer Makes Some Re-
marks Which Apply With
Force to All Localities.

deny that some farmers can be found il
nearly, II not quite, every town in barren
New England" who have accumulated
property, are considered quite fore
handed, or "well OFF, by their neigh
bors, and have done this by square, legiti
mate farming. 1t has been noticed, too
that these men have by no means had the
best farms iii the town-at least not at first
and If at last, not until they had made the
money to buy them with. And. further
still, the history Of these men shows that
more often than not they began life with
little or no money, but "chock full OF
days works" And, still further, they
have early gained the reputation of being
long-headed, that is, of being sound, care.
full thinkers. These, 1t must be conceded
are picked men, but, the world over. it is
only picked men who accumulate property
to any considerable extent. In the same
towns where these men have accumulated
comfortable fortunes much large number
of farmers, without growing rich, have
made comfortable living and brought up
their families respectfully
This is paralleled, and no more. in other
vocations Of life. Here and there through
New England may be found men brought
up farmers, and always following that bust
ness more or less, who, by shrewd specula-
ton either at home or abroad, have rolled
up large fortunes This, too, is paralleled
IN other lines of life Along with these
various examples and exceeding them all
In number, is a body of more or less I'M
successful men who have lived their lives
on land which they never could fully call
their own, and have gone cheerfuily or
grumblingly through life according to their
individual temperaments. In irving to
uraw parallels between town and farm life
1t is often said that though farmers have a
safer business they do not have so much.
see so much, or enjoy life so well as those
who live IN towns. While this is true. it
is constantly becoming less true, and so far
as 1t Is true 1t is well offset by a life of less
anxiety and more security, so that the ac-
tual balance Of comfort and even eniov-
ment is not necessarily against the farmer
and his family.
Success in life is generally dependent
upon the possession of the capacity to profit
by experience, or in other words to learn.
a man or woman without that capacity is
pretty apt to remain through life among
the Gibbs and shadows of fortune. The
world is full of instruction for those who
can take it in. 1t is a mistake common
with town people TO class farmers rs a
narrow, ignorant and parsimonious peopIe.
No portion of our people are less capable
of being classed under one head than our
farmers as regards personal characteristics
individuality of character is exceedingly
well marked among them, and notwith-
standing the great draft made upon them
to populate and build up the towns, the
better sort of minds are well represented
among them.
Much is said of the deprecated quality
of New England farm lands, but statistics
prove that the value of our farm crops has
constantly increased, though the farm pop
ulation has steadily decreased during the
past thirty years. The truth is that the
productive power of the soil cannot be per-
manently destroyed or seriously IMPAIRED
though its condition may be temporarily
injured. The farm lands of the oldest in
habited countries are quite as productive
as they ever were. There is hardly farm
in New England so badly "run OUT that
it cannot be made to produce better crops
than it has ever done, and to better profit
by the hand of skilled industry.
Now, then, what is the art of MAKING
farming pay? Mankind must be clothed
and fed, and the land and sea between
them must clothe and feed them. As the
mass of farmers live by their business. and
certain proportion OF them do certainly
acquire property and increase it, the bust
ness of farming, as whole, manifestlv does
pay. 1t pays some farmers better than
1t does others. That is a matter of course
but are there principles which. if observed
secure success in farming? DR.. Franklin,
who, IN many respects, was Americas great
est philosopher, aimed to teach the rules
of success in all lines of business bv pitbv
maxims and proverbs, and many of these
were addressed to farmers. "A man must
ask his wife for leave to thrive" Gle
that by the pillow would thrive. himself
must either hold or drive" are SAMPLES of
these, and without going over the whole
list, it is enough to say that the principles
of economy, hard study and close personal
to business, which Franklin pro-
inculcated, are the principles of
success in farming.
There is one fundamental fact in Ameri-
can husbandry which is greatly encourage
ing, and which, in truth, guarantees sue
cess to every farmer who will give heed to
1t. 1t Is this: Any man who, on an aver
age farm, farms better than the average,
can make money.
Call this an almost self-evident PROPOSE
ton since men do make living bv farm
ing much below the average. Every farmer
has before him every day sure test of his
own ability which he cannot escape from
even by refusing to heed it. If he can
keep out of debt and improve his farm.
taken altogether, year by year, he is GER
tainly making money. If the farm i'm
proves and the income increases. money
can be saved if expenditure does not over
run income. There is no place where
plain business methods are more essential
than on the farm, and no place where
they are so generally neglected. But this
makes it all the better for the man who
does not neglect them. Prices must be
based on average production and quality.
Now Just in the degree that by adhesion
to business principles farmer increases
production and quality, without proper
tlonate increase Of cost, does he make
farming pay.
A good many farmers may be heard to
say, Il was brought up on a farm, and
have always been farmer, and think |
ought to know something about farming
Unquestionably he may know something
lbout farming" Undoubtedly he does
out the question above all is: "Does he
know enough to make farming pay?' If
he does motif ne has not practically
proved that he does-he should hold on to
and still be willing to learn. 1t
is curious thing that right in commu-
nifty where everybody is declaring that
farming does not pay, it is an almost inva-
riable custom for young farmers to 90 in
1ebt for a farm, with the expectation of
being able to pay for it from the profits of
farming Now, if this can be done, and
where it is done, farming must pay
there are no two ways about it." And
it should still better pay the man who.
equally skilled and careful, is able to begin
with farm and stock all paid for. Yet,
the first one wins and the sec
ond one loses the race. at is more in the
man than it is in the land"
The economies of the farm are often the
turning point in winning the strike to
make farming pay. The wastes of ordin-
airy farming in America are enormous and
would constitute in themselves, when re-
deemed, good profit, supposing that I'M
der them the farmer can live, which in /,
many cases he certainly does, and some