The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-22

The men who succeed in farming now
adays are doing a. good deal of hard
thinking and studying Years ago the
farmers thought their work was mapped
out for them by nature. They followed
the crowd. in raising grain and stock
on fertile soils, and little thought was
given to any change of method or Of
tilling crops The question of maintain
ing farm fertility was little considered,
and as the staple crops paid under or
binary culture, there was no seeming
necessity of doing any special thinking
for ones self.
This has wholly changed. Staple
crops are not bringing big returns, and
fields are losing in fertility in all cases
where their owners are not adopting
means for returning to the soil some of
the plant food yearly removed. The old
plan of blowing, planting and reaping
without study or careful thought has
landed some farmers upon the shoals,
and let others affirm what they may
we know that thinking and progressive
farmers in some sections are having all
they can do to battle successfully with
some Of the unequal conditions that pre-
vail Hard work alone cannot win in
this age; it must be accompanied with
some hard thinking. The two go hand
in hand in all successful business.
Critics of the farmer often point to
what they term his waste Of time in the
winter. The truth is that the days
spent by the fireside should be the most
AGNES that he knows just what is the
best thing to do with every field-how to
treat 1t so as to get the best net income
and have the soil growing richer all
the time-and who thinks he cannot be
learning anything about economy in the
care of stock, is a doomed man in this
age. The thinking farmer has problems
before him for solution all the time.
Some of the questions get an answer at
once. and others are held under consid-
Grafton for months. Shall / do this
thing, or will it pay not TO make this
change? That is the question.
Farm work is very laborious. 1t tires
one too much usually TO permit much
study in the summer. But in the idle
days of winter We have opportunity Of
reading of others farm methods and of
comparing our own with them, and Of
studying the laws of plant and animal
growth and especially of planning such
changes in our work as will increase our
incomes. In place of the staple crops,
or rather alongside of them, we may in
troduce some paying cash crop that is
making good net returns to farmers in
other sections. Or in some other way
We can begin to get out of the rut that
Is keeping so many poor. The farms are
indeed few on which great Improvement
is not possible.
What would the farmers life be worth
II there was no time for reading and
social pleasures? The stormy days of
winter when the stock is warmly housed
and everything is snug and comfortable,
are the grandest days of the year. There
should be good books and papers on
the center-table, and the mind should
have the thorough culture we give the
garden in the spring. The time should
pay IN increased income in the future
and especially should il pay in a higher
way than I'm dollars and cents. Then
when the sunshine of spring warns up
the ground, we begin our work with
new zest. determined TO put to practice
all that we have made sure that we
have learned-all that we have mastered
by studying it over after a careful read
ing. Farming is an intellectual pursuit
as well as a manual.