The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-01-31

IL we would prosper. We must be
satisfied with less profits, raise a
greater variety Of produce, and not
make ventures that we take no in
terest in.
'For he who by the plow would thrive
Must either hold himself or drive
If farmer lives within his means
and is a good manager, he is a most
independent man. The Oregonian
some time since had an editorial on
the farmer and his hired man eating
China pheasants, while the city man
could not buy it in the market-con-
sidered it unjust, and referred to
rural people as peasants"
We are all free-born American cit
liens and know no peasantry; that
savors too much of landlordism-a
who has better right to enjoy the
man who raises and feeds it. Our
forefathers were nation of farmers
and their descendants constitute to-
day the backbone and strength of this
grand country of ours.
Diversified farming this fall seems
to mean a great many "irOns in the
fire. at once and most Of them burn
ing your fingers, there seems to be
SO little in anything farmers can
raise-no profitable market for prunes,
hops, wheat, for butter, beef or pork.
Still this is not usually the case, and
in these times of general prostration
the remedy would seem to be that
we must learn, on farms, to sell what
we can, and use ourselves what cam
not be disposed of to advantage else
where The day for exclusive wheat
farming must be practiced If success
is attained. One trouble is: Many
undertake branches of farming they
are not prepared for-raise sheep and
do not provide shelter and food in
inclement weather-buy expensive
machinery and do not properly house
lit, raise poultry and let vermin prey
upon it and then say: "There's moth
ing in sheep"-"there's nothing in
chickens''-"there's nothing in farm
ingw
Some Of the diverse work falls on
the wife; it reads SO easy in the pa
Ipers how ga man and his wife can
make money on few acres of land
and lay something up! She dries
fruit on sharesr' Well! know a
farmers wife who dries fruit every
, summer, lots of it-(she's not far off
as I write)-and while her friends
. enjoy the balmy air Of the mountains
or sea shore, and complain of flies
| and heat, she mounts her airy wood
shed roof and spreads her precious
fruit thereon-imagine her feelings
. when a shower comes! imagine hel
taking it in when it rains and putting
, lit out again when the sun once more
blazes forth in all his glory, and heat
r Imagine, no, it's no imagination-jus
hard reality. The imagination comes
in when she takes it to the village
, grocer and he says there Is not mucf
demand for sun-dried fruit, but HI
will give her something for it-so she
, exchanges it for beane, calico ant
) elothespins, and goes home rejoicing
She raises chickens and they lay whel
: eggs are cheap, and insist on slttin:
. or doing nothing when eggs are dear
|, Diversified farming is the rul'
|. around jefferson. It is a great ship
ping point for immense quantities o
!. . potatoes hops, prunes, butter ant
grain.
The Statesman advocates cream
a cry at or near Salem. Salem is sup
> piled with more gilt-edge butter thai
the city can assimilate, and cream
E cry established there at the presen
! time would be a failure. Working
men generally take their lunch witt
them and they but the best qualit.
$ of butter. When "the dinner PAL
hangs on the wall'' the butter marke
!. suffers-they go without or use
: cheap article.
If there is nothing in farming
z there's nothing in paying a board o
y equalizers to raise the taxes in Ma
e rion county, and the present legisla
! ture would do well to abolish all sucl
; unnecessary things as that and tn
railroad commissioners, who rid
e around in Pullmans and diversif
: farming by running over live stoc
e once in awhile. What shall we
t when it costs more to produce an al
;. ticle on farm, as we'll as elsewhere
; than said article will bring in th
). market? Shall we create seats il
universities for men who have al
' ready been well paid for their service
!. by the state? Let us abolish ever
u unnecessary thing and bring all sa
Z aries from state to county officer
: down to a local commensurate wit
the times. Many farmers cannot SUI
e port their families and pay their tax
t es, living in the plainest way, withou
mortgaging their farms. We pa
i dearly for our independence, an
/ look anxiously to this present legisla
T ture to make crooked paths straigh
e and hope the new members fror
. Marion will make as good recor
e for economy and reform as has HoI
. Tilmon Ford when he has held sea
> in the legislature.
HARRIET c. LooNEY.