The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-04-24
could do anything on the field my money

could do anything on the field my money
was gone.
Then l tried to get my implements on
time but l could not get them. Then 1
tried to get my seed on time. but I could
not get it. So, instead of farming. l had
to work by my trade, l been a carpenter,
to keep me from starving. For one farmer
/ build barn 20 by 40 by IL for s25, and
that pay, of course, only for the labor. the
farmer he buy the lumber for himself. I
work on that barn alone for four week,
and when l got my money 1 bought ~
bushel of fax for so cents a bushel. The
rest l had to bring to the grocer in paying
my grocers BILL All that time we did not
taste meat nor butter nor any milk, tor
we had stock. Some milk l bought in
the neighborhood for my baby, which
very sick.
Nov, when I had my fax my ground
has to be broken yet, but how to do this?
l did not have any tools horses. SO 1
went to the neighbors for help and they
told me they would break the ground and
some field for me if l was willing to help
them in harvest time. And that is what 1
did. for there was other way for to
do it,
''And they figured this way, $3.50 by the
acre. and they broke Is acres. That made
debt of SIS; and sowing was SO cents by
the acre, and that is 50; and the whole Of
it is s54 And they should pay for the
time | was working, and that was 81 day.
Now this was the agreement and some
body else was Working my field and |
could do nothing myself, | took another
barn TO make, on contract, and the price
a and calf. This was complete
after three weeks. but my work brought,
we'll, little butter and milk in the house,
but money.
$50 | vas in account again with my gro
GER Soon after this / took a contract for
house for $50, but if 1 got pay the grocer
was there to receive my money. So, when
the house was finished, there was not
cent left for me.
after that / helped the neighbors for 81
by the day worked for COW or pig.
but l di not have a cent in the house.
And for Gre farmer l worked 36 days. and
when it came to pay l got only slS. and
glad to get that much yet. My potato
patch. about half acre, brought about
six bushels of potatoes. My Is of
flax brought 35 bushels of flax. the only
way to keep from starving there was
to get back to Chicago quick as | could.
My little house they took for the work on
the farm, and the money my cows and pigs
brought / used to get back to Chicago.
And. Mr.. -Griswold, here l am, still
poor, but better though than farming. And
| would say good deal more, but think
this is pretty near enough, and if Mr.. Girls
wold had had my experience he would not
talk about farming to men who work all
their lives some trade. And 1 hope he
will excuse me for speaking so freely about
him, but I think he is wrong"
With that Mr.. Hertzer sat down.
Mr.. Griswold had nothing to say. He
iammed his silk hat his head and left
the hall amid a profound silence.
"A motion for adjournment is in order,
said the president terSely.
II move we do said Mr.. Hertzer. And
with that the members dispersed, all in
deep thought.
There are a great many GrlSWoldS
in this world:-men who mean we'll
but who do not think more than
quarter of an inch below the surface
of things. We have no objection to
their trying to make farmers of peo-
pie who have no money and know
nothing about farming but If they go
into the work they should do SO with
their eyes open. They should under
stand that they must furnish the poor
man with money enough to by his
land, build a house, purchase team
of horses or oxen, and all necessary
implements, seed, ETC., and to keep
him and his family alive for six
months, or d year: and, if we have
season like the last they must be pre-
pared to keep him alive for another
year; and so on.
Farming is gambling with the Lord,
and the Lord sometimes throws loaded
dice. The successful farmer is the
man who has persevered through and
survived infinite disappoin tments; has
pinched, economical, lived poor and
worked hard The little he has accu-
INFLATED consists of the fragments
plucked from continuous battle with
the elements. He has had to fight
gods, de goods, and demons asons
too hot. seasons too dry, seasons too
wet, seasons too cold; blazing skies,
storms and frosts, hail, cyclones, light
ming and disease. Nobody stands be-
tween him and big-tisted, cruel Ma
ture; and he has to take her Bullets as
they come; and she has mean way Of
hitting below the belt; of knocking
him out with 'sockdologers" that no
intelligence could have foreseen. She
is kind of big, brutal John L. Sulli-
van, and the man who can stand up
before her for four rounds is hero.
The city man thinks any fool can
be farmer;-but when he tries it
himself he proves that his theory is
false. The city man thinks the farm
er is a fool and the farmer knows the
city man is a fool. And to hear
board of trade yawper instructing the
agricultursts how to conduct their
business is enough to make hell forget
the brms tone and shrek with laugh
ter.