The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-09-02
FARMING As A FINE ART.

As the Galveston News remarks
..Texas is an agricultural state, with a
rare diversity of products" That
diversity, however, is not yet approached
TO the full measure of the capacity OF
Texas soil. Even now the variety OF
crops adapted TO Texas soil is re
markablc, but farmers who are acqualnt-
ed with the soil of other states as well
as the soil Of this state agree that Texas
soil is capable Of producing many highly
| rcmuncrative crops that have never yet
| obtained permanent footing in the state.
The recent increased price in the
cereals and the good markets open to
such products will encourage invest
ments in Texas land and the opening up
of new farms, and as agriculture has
become science praeticcd by scientific
farmers, we may reasonably expect an
extraordinary development of even II
greater variety of crops than have here
tofore been found profitable in this state.
The advance in scientific farming is
largely TO the advantage of Texas. as
these farmers will find diversity Of soil
in the radius of one farm that will de-
light their souls with Il response to II
great variety of products. Nothing is
more cheering and encouraging 10 Il
scientific farmer than to find that within
his own boundary lines he can raise al
most anything that is raised in nearly
every section of the earth. He then be-
comes IN enthusiast and to a man of in
tcligencc farming under such conditions
becomes fine art to which he brings
his utmost energies and skilled intelli-
gencc.
Profitable scientific farming Is the
most delightful of all occupations. Its
Independence is very satisfactory, and
the IA tural love of productveness rem
ders its occupation Il delight that is
rarely found in any other occupation.
In every line of business numerous
men can he found whose sole ultimate
ambition is to spend their declining
years on farm. TO many such men
the farm is an Utopia to which they
look ahead with longing eyes and for
which in middle age they will make any
sacrifice with the hope of attaining it.
Unfortunately just after the war, with
the changed and uncertain condition of
labor, the young men reared in the
country and destined formerly for the
farm. sought the towns and cities. and
many of the splendid old farms all over
the south were permitted by disuse to
go to rack and ruin Some have sue
ceeded. many have not, and now there
seems to be Il reaction. Young and mid
die aged men are awakening to the
fact that good land in Texas can be
bought so cheap that with industry used
upon II, In one or two seasons that they
can pay for it almost solely by their
own labor. 4 reaction in favor of the
occupation of farming was bound to
come, and 1t has come, because no mat
ter what the Jeremiahs may say. no
matter how much they croak and la
ment, farming does pay.
we know young men in this city who
have bought farms and paid for them
from the proceeds of their own labor.
and such as it was necessary OCCASION
ally to hire, in one season, and some
OF these men are doing business on
a salary in town while they rent out
their farms acquired by one years labor
and Others have settled down to the oc-
of agriculture. The increased
price of agricultural commodities come
very OPPORTUNITY to aid in booming the
reaction we speak of, and we can conf
IDENTIFY look forward to the renewed ap-
of young men of their ener-
gies and industry to agricultural occu-
pations, making Texas emphatically the
imperial agricultural state of the Union.