The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1891-06-25
A Word to the Farm Boy

Van are thinking Oh ieAfihS 'HS
stead;
Don't be in hurry to 60"
This is the talk. Don't fancy 1t
is easier to get living IN more
pputeel way. To excel in any cal
ling, means work, WORK, woIk; ana
in these days OF close competition,
no one could expect to attain any
high grade of prosperity VINO IS not
a thorough matter of bis occupa-
ton. There is no class OF people,
however, so independent as the
prosperous farmer.
Don't be deceived by one side OF
a question. When the physician
calls and receives five dollar bill
TOR a bliet visit, you think: at must
be fun to be a doctor to just ride
around and take in the cash" Now
look at the other side. Eninence
in the medical profession is attain
ed only by and immense outlay Of
time, expense and hard work, re-
marks a correspondent of the Do
naestic Journal; while the life Of
skillful practitioner is one OF
drudgery at best. The doctor
earns his money, my boy. Stick to
the farm. Health and wealth are
IN the soil; only dig them out.
"Tlne is money" Don't idle a
way the long winter because yon
cannot be hoeing corn or digging
potatoes; find something else to do
Fit I'D some comfortable sunny
quarters in any outbui'dings, or con
struct some low, cheap houses, and
stock them with poultry, not crowd
ing too many into one place. Give
the business careful attentions; and
when the mercury sinks to zero and
the cold wind whistles through the
broken boards of your neigh BORIS
barn, his will stand round doing
nothing, while yours will be sing
ing and cracking merrily, and you
will be marketing eggs by the buck
etful for thirty OR forty cents a
dozen.
A smart boy can make a neat
sum of money each winter by the
sale of choice evergreens. Either
ia their natural state or made into
Christmas wreaths, they find mar
ket i'll any large city. Another
pleasant occupation is the cultiva>
ton of flowers. They sell readily
to the city people who congregate
in large numbers among our hills
and mountains in summer. Don't
try large variety at first. Take
sweet peas, asters and mignonettc
60 into the field and plant early
and literally. Treat the peas as
you would tall garden peas; the as
terS as you would tomatoes, only
setting them nearer together: the
mignonette like turnipS-- broadcast.
The aster plants should be started
indoors, or in hot bed, and both
early and late varieties planted to
secure succession Of bloom. When
your flowers blossom, make them
into small bouquets and take them
to the hotels and boarding places.
and you will be surprised to learn
how readily they sell. Everlastlngs,
or dry flowers, also command a good
market at a price considera bly,
higher than ordInay cut flowers.
! heSe, as a rule, must be gathered
before fully expanded, tied in small
busches, inverted, and hung in a
dark, airy place to dry. The aero
Iinium, hellcrysum, rodanthe and
helipterun are among the most
desirable.
Another way to increase the in
come of the farm is from tie sale of
fine fruits and vegetables. An acre
or two of Iaspberlies and straw
berries well managed, cannot fail to
be source of income, while good
vegetables are always saleable. A
few hot beds, or even cold frames
are very serviceable in forwarding
eally productions which command
the best prices. One of the most
desirable features of farm is a
good orchard of standard varieties
of fruit. The first cost is compare
lively trltiing, considering the ben
etts derived later. Bookkeeping is
another branch of farming too often
neglected. 1t costs nothing to keep
the housekeeping little work.
unless one chooses to feed them.
and experience proves that they
may be kept ofitably, even on the
old'fashioned plan in box hives.
have mentioned only a few OF
the many ways that money may be