Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-10-08
A sgnIous NtsrAKn.

"A HH-nA0lr MlHIAtkt
IL is very common 60 see farmer
who owns a small farm and ia out Of
debt with enough live stock around
him to do well Of rightly cared for)
who concludes that his future suc-
cess depends on his buying the so
a res or more adjoining him on one
SIDE, and he buys it. To do SO he
sells off his stock to raise tho ready
cash to make the first payment, and
takes upon his shoulders q burden
of debt in the way of deferred pay-
ments, which, together with the ac-
cumulating interest, weighs him
down all the best years Of his life
He finds it very difficult to re-stoolz
his farm and widen out in his opera
tions sufficient TO cover two farms
instead of one. In fact to do so he
has to go deeper in debt. Then to
pay interest and taxes is about all
he oan do, From our own observa-
tion, we feel confident that not more
than one farmer in ton who buys the
land adjoining, ever lives to see
himself safely out Of debt again.
How much better it would be if
they had made the most they could
of what they had in the little farm.
When they had a little surplus cash,
if they had put it into the drainage
Of their land from year to year, and
by SO doing have increased the avor-
aged yield Of their crops from 25 to
100 per cent annually it would have
required only q few years to have
accumulated enough to have bought
the adjoining so acres, without tax
ing on any indebtedness. Then
they would have been in condition
to have tile drained the additional
purchase, and in this way have con
tinued to increase the productive
capacity Of their land, as we'll as
their holdings Of real estate. free
from indebtedness It is q safe rule
to make the most of what we have
before we reach out for more, and it
isR sound business policy. More
drain tile and less acreage, if per
sistently followed, viii bring pros
perity.
a very clever man, who has
large holding Of land, covered with
mortgages, was leaning over the
garden fence Of a well to-do farmer,
who owned only eighty acres Of
well-improved land, and said:
"Why, how well your Garden
looks? How is it, Mr.. Robinson.
that your stuff grows 50 much bot
ter than mine?
Il suppose it is because the land
is tiled and manured, and, in addi.
we cultivate closely, Mr.. Field.
81 have never done much in She
way of draining indeed, I have so
much to look after ] couldn't. It
looks like You would grow as much
on your eighty acre farm this year,
as I win on my 240 acres.
81 expect / will grow as much this
season--it is q little we-as you viii
on your whole farm, Mr.. Robinson
replied
The contrast between the two
farms was a fair sample Of the two
farmers in question. Mr.. Field had
bought two tracts of land adjoining.
and was hopelessly in debt, and is
likely to be as long as he lives. MIR.
Robinson has only eighty acres, but
IS a model farmer His land is we'll
underdrained, and he has every acre
so it viii produce a maximum crop.
Mr.. Robinson has money to loan,
money ia bank, and his little farm
is well stocked He lives at ease,
enjoys life Mr.. Field is a hard
worker, is driven day in and day
out, and has great trouble to meet
his obligations by shifting the in.
debtedness from time to time. He
may be able to hold his land, but he
cannot hope for more, and he may
have to sell, which would be
bcttor At best he viii likely short
en- the years Of life and carry sor-
rowful burden Mr. Field s mistake
is a serious one, but n very C ommon
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