Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-06-14
The Farmer a Manufactures.

One thing that works against the
farmer is the almost universal idea that
he needs to have no training for his
business, that in fact he is not engaged
In business, but that he only needs to
DO certain unwarying tasks and then
trust to luck for the outcome. 1t Is this
idea that causes the city man who has
made a failure at everything else turn
TO farming as a last resort though he
knows no more Of true farming than his
hogs-if he is lucky enough to have
any-do about Latin. OF course he only
adds to the already long list Of unsuc-
~cessful farmers who furnish the stock
in trade for the political demagogues
who have taken the farmers TO raise
and b seem always to find willing
dupes among this class of people.
First IL should be Thoroughly taught
that the farmer IS a manufacturer in the
strictest sense Of the word and then
that like any other operative that he
must know his business In all its de-
partments and must apply business
principles to its management just as il
1t we're a pillow factory or a cotton mill.
This does not mean that he must be q
graduate Of some agricultural college,
indeed, hat would be a disadvantage
to him IL he graduated from some of
them we know of, but he must have
served an apprenticeship in some way
until he is master of the operations of o
farm. Then he must be progressive
enough to make IN effort to keep up
with the progress Of the times just as
his brother manufacturer in other lines
does. II he will do this the chances are
that he will be successful.
Our southern brethren express the
idea OF the farmers business more aptly
than we do, though they do not work up
10 the idea they express any better
Of ever as we'll as we do. They say
Of their crops that they make" them.
Thus: John Smith made ten bales of
cotton this year," or "Peter Jones made
so many barrels of corr or potatoes this
season." They are correct. They do
make their crops in just as strict a sense
as the mechanic makes q house or the
founder makes q cannon He is a man
ufacturer and he should rise to the i'm
portance of the situation by adopting as
strict business principles to his manu-
featuring as does any other factory pro-
| prietor. and he will find that he Is en-
gagged In a business that will show .
balance On the right side of the ledger.
Don't for . minute imagine that we
do not recognize many evils OF monopo-
listic source that are yet to be righted
and that must be met and conquered,
but we do not want you to
lose sight of the fact that II all these
wrongs were redressed it would still
be necessary to do farm business accord
ing to business principles to make q
success Of it.
We can't get around that and there 10
no use trying to.
The legislature or congress cannot by
any act 1t might pass make any class OF
people prosperous, but 1t can protect
him In his rights so that by using proper
efforts any individual can make himself
prosperous.
Don't lean back and throw all the re-
sponsibility for your failures upon con.
gress, but while you by proper organic
alton compel congress to enact proper
laws keep q keen lookout for every
chance to improve your condition
by doing your business to the best ad-
vantage.