The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-08
Comfort on the Small Farm.

L knew an old man VINO, whenever ne
heard any one complaining, used TO
say: Think of your mercies.' and 1t
occurred to me that one thing farmers
have to be thankful for is the fact that
farm labor is not organized, and that
we have never had a strike, and there
is little danger of one, writes Waldo
F. Brown in the Louisville Home and
Farm. When ! read of the mobS and
violence among striking workingmen,
of the political corruption in our cities,
and even in our national legislative
bodies, 1 feel to thank God for the
farms on which there are being reared
men and women of strong character
and Industrious habits who are fitted
to fill with principle and honor the po-
sitions of trust and usefulness open to
them.
No man is more to be envied than
the farmer who, as old age comes on,
finds himself out of debt, and has
learned so to manage his farm that 1t
will supply the wants of his family
and enable him to live well and easily.
And, notwithstanding there are many
trials incident to farm life and that
the farmer meets with losses and dis
couragements, 1 know that today a
larger per cent of farmers are out OF
debt and have made a financial sue
cess in life than in any of the indus
trial callings.
There is no calling in which intelli-
gence counts for more than on the
farm, or where success depends more
upon the individuals; and as farming
embraces so much, stock growing,
dairying, gardening, fruit growing, etc,
it gives greater opportunity for choice
of that which suits the individual best.
The most successful and happy farmers
of my acquaintance are those who nave
learned to manage q small farm so as
to supply the wants of their families,
and a small farm not only costs less
to begin with, but less in taxes and
repairs, and the owner can keep the
work under his own eye.
1t is quite possible to so manage a
5C-acre farm as to have a larger net
income from it than the average quar-
ter-section farm brings; and a--Smaller
farm than this will furnish family
with all the dairy and poultry products,
fruits, vegetables, breadstuffs and
meats that a large family requires, and
a surplus Of each of these to sell. A
man can, if necessary, carry on MS
small farm without regular hired help,
and thus save the trouble and an
noyance of having a stranger boarding
in the family.
The farmer who can live well and
lay up even 800 year will, in few
years, have a nice working capital and
be able to run his farm to much better
advantage than if he has no ready
money. The farmer who keeps hand
to drive the team and has his own time
to attend to keeping up repairs, grow
ing family supply of fruit, keeping
up a good garden, caring for poultry
and looking after the many little things
too often neglected, will find that he
can save twice the wages his hands
cost, and furnish his family many
luxuries which they must do without
on the farm where the farmer has to
do much or all of his own teaming.
The most prosperous farmers l know
are the ones who have several sources
of income, and who keep the merchant
and grocer in their debt continually;
and certainly those homes are most
attractive where there is some leisure
TO plant flowers, to care for the lawn,
and TO keep the home surroundings
neat and TASTY.
Life on the farm ought to be the
ideal life, the freest from care, and
the happiest of all: and it can be made
such by wisely planning our work and
adjusting our expenditures to our in
come To be able to do this, we must
have the courage to practice a wise
economy, and wisdom to plan our work.
We must be ready and anxious to learn
all we can from all available sources.
and must guard against dependency,
for the discouraged man never does his
best There are farmers who have
prospered through all the hard times,
and who have homes such las any one
might desire; and what they have done
we can do if we will manage as wisely
and intelligently. We should learn by
our failures as well as our successes,
and keep ever before us definite plan,
toward which we work as best FIe can.