The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-10-30
FARMER AND PLANTER.
BOYS ON THE FARM.

If You've Sand in Your Craw, Boys.
Stick to the Farm.
In the May number of the Farm was
begun what was intended as the first OF
a series of articles on this subject 1t
is matter of regret to me that this In
tention was interrupted. The impossi-
bility of procuring sufficient farm labor
compelled me, in the early part of the
season, to go to the field, so that nearly
all of the blowing and narrowing on my
farm, and good portion of hoeing, has
been done by my three little boys-the
oldest just twelve years old-and my
self Well, we have certainly worked
with General Green" After fight
ing him hard-sometime for week
or ten days-with cultivator and
harrow, and congratulating ourselves
that he had been routed-''horse, foot
and dragon" week of rainy
weather would enable the old fellow to
recruit his forces and, phenix-like,
| hundreds of thousands of his green
coated soldiers would rise and soon be
swarming, like the locusts of Egypt all
along the lines. Yes, we had pretty
| tough time; but on the whole we have
enjoyed it. l have never had such ex-
celent health in my life, and my boys
were always able to eat their full ra-
tions. There is nothing like making
! up your mind to do thing. and then
go at it-not in a half-hearted slip
,L,o
but with a determination to win. A
soldier going into battle, if he starts
with a weak heart and misgiving as
to his success in the coming conflict, is
half whipped already.
am aware that the record is full of
dismal failures at farming, and 1 pro-
pose to point out some of the reasons
for these failures. When go about in
the country and note some of the meth
DDS farmers are pursuing, it is really
a matter of establishment that the fail
ures are so few. There is no other call
ing under Heaven that could bear the
neglect that farming does and not go to
the ''ever-lasting dominion bow
vows"
ii
deed at any thing-requires energy,
close application, industry and economy.
These qualities are especially neces-
sary to success with the farmers One
reason why farmers do NOT succeed bet
ter is because they despise their
calling. know men who have been
pretending to farm for a number of
Int hoe Ill
along. They throw no energy or snap
into the business, and their prime no.
ton is to get in a condition to quit
farming-to either go to town to live,
or run for some Office. man must
love his business if he expects success.
The successful farmer takes a pride in
every thing about the farm-his mules,
his corn, his pigs and his poultry-and
each year, he strives to improve them.
Some boys have an idea that farm
ing is necessarily drudgery-there was
never a greater mistake. 1t is true,
that farmers life is busy one, and
there is hard work connected with it,
but with few exceptions, the work is
pleasant. Take almost any of the
mechanical arts, and in nearly every
instance, except with the master-work-
men, the work is more laborious,
and certainly more combining than
farming. | have in my minds eye
man who, fourteen years ago, was ten
ant on my farm. AS he expressed it
himself, he was fifteen dollars worse
off than nothing" l have seen that
man on the hottest July day that ever
came, with nothing but his shirt and
breaches, hat and shoes on, lead lot
of dozen negro men in the cotton field
from sunrise until dark and never quail
That man is my neighbor. He owns
one of the best farms in this section;
has one of the incest families in the
country; for he has lot of the finest
boys and girls to be found in these
parts-nine, 1 believe-and is worth
from ten to fifteen Thousand dollars.
Do hear some one say, 80, he had a
legacy left him, or he married RICH"
neither sir, because, as | have heard
him express it, whatever of success n
life l have achieved has been by main
strength and awkwardness.
These papers are intended for poor
boys, those who have to work for living
and make their may inthe world by their
own strong arms and stout hearts. The
boy who hasn't got the sand in his
craw-or, in modern phrase, hasn't the
faculty of getting there Eli"-and on
time-had best let farming alone Lag
CARDS and laziness in this great calling,
will surely result in miserable failure.
That the life of farmer is pleasant,
and that the calling is both profitable
and notwithstanding to develp the
best instincts of our nature-evolving
the highest type of physical and moral
manhood, l shall endeavor to show in
future articles. j. L. Walthall, in
Southern Farm.
TILE DnTATnBc EMEAatr1