The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1897-03-17
FARMER JONES TO FARMER SMITH
A NeighborIy Letter Wen Seasoned with
Practical Suggestions.

Neishooriy Lettcr wen seasoheh WIN
Practical Suggestions.
DEAR SMITH - Your letter received.
| am sorry for you, my friend, but your
case is not by any means a hopeless
one. III can in any way mitigate
your sorrow, count on me, for the man
that thinks he has to give Deed in
Trust in order to live, is indeed in a
sorrowful condition. / am more than
willing to try, and hope you will con-
slider what ] have to say in the same
friendly spirit in which it Is offered.
Now, it occurs to me that your COM
plant of no meat and not enough corn
to last until June is not near so Sc
rious as you imagine. The most es-
sential thing to be done is to reduce
expenditures from the word go. /
don't say expenses, because expenses
should be necessary; expenditures are
not always so. Well, you ask, how is
that to be done? In the first place let
the bacon go. You don't need it. i was
once compelled to abstain from the
use of all meats and coffee (let the cof-
fee go tool for six months, and during
that time my weight increased from
150 to l75 pounds, and / was doing
more hard work than ever before. And
that tobacco habit, Smith-quit it.
Milk and butter, even in limited
quantities, will supply more healthy
nourishment than any product of the
hog. AS a substitute for corn and
corn bread, l advise planting Irish po-
tatoes in sufficient quantities to in
sure an abundant home supply. "Oh,"
you say, "my family don't care for
them, only mess or two in the spring" :"
Mr.. Smith, try them,-try them boiled,
baked, steamed, mashed, fried, Sarato-
ga chips and numbers of other ways
that an ingenious woman can devise
for cooking them, and my word for it,
you will soon want them three times a
day, twelve months in the year. And
don't forget to grow a full supply of
garden vegetables. And, Mr. Smith,
please don't wait for your wife and
children to do the gardening, but ap-
ply instead fair share of your brain
aud muscle, and just see how Provi-
dence will smile on you. The idea,
Smith, that delicate woman, with
five or six children, can do the garden
ing get up at 4:30, prepare breakfast
for the family and hired man or two,
then milk three or four cows, rope off
yearling calves that are stronger than
she is, wash the dishes, clean up the
house and kitchen, get the children
ready for school, do the sewing, yard
sweeping, etc, etc.-why Smith, l am
ashamed of you-really am. No won.
der Mrs. Smith looks pale and sallow.
The wonder is that she has not long
since been numbered with the dear de-
parted and that you haven't witnessed
another "sorrowful dispensation OF
Providence" "Dispensation of Provi
dence" nothing! Tell the truth and say
another illustration of your perfidy il
not fulfilling your marriage vows; tha
you would love, honor and cherish her
Now, Smith, let me tell you what tt
| do, "old fellow" You work that gar
den, milk those cows, and don't forge
to wean the calves and save the mill
they get for the children. The calves
don't need the milk; the children do
take it for granted you have in al
oat crop. Now, right here-today-
plant an acre or so in Yellow Den
corn for early feed. Then as soon a
danger of frost is over, plant one o.
two acres we'll fertilized in specklet
peas, and don't forget to plant patel
of sorghum for COW feed. It comes il
nice when pastures are dry, and thos,
Poland China hogs will simply fattel
on it. Then put in two acres of swee
potatoes. They are good to feed to tn,
horses, COWS, pigs, chickens, children
and to Mr.. and Mrs. Smith. Nov
brace up, old man. Preserve tina
Deed in Trust you have given as
monument of your supreme folly, ant
in future obey the scriptural injunc
tion: "See that thou owest no man,
and, my word for it, you will soon b,
on the high road to prosperity.
The day Of all corn and cotton il
past, if you wish to reach a highel
plane of living. Keep out of debt, ant
you will not have to raise cotton un
less you wish to.
And, by the way, Smith, saw you il
town last Wednesday, and again yor
were there on Saturday. "Oh yes
you say, sit was too wet to pillow OF
Wednesday and you thought you
would just see what was going on, ane
then Saturday you had to go for the
mail. Took all day to go to the post
office and back. Now, Smith, you viii
have to get out Of that, or get out O
the church; why, man, don't you know
the Bible says, "six days shalt thou la
bor," and he that violates sthe least o.
these commandments is guilty of the
whole? I'll tell you, old man, you viii
have to mend your ways or the Devi
will be after you with sharp sticl
with fire on the end of it instead of
bug. Yours,