The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-06-14
SAM JoNEs ON FARMING-HAP
PIRST OF VocATIoNS.

~lSSA49
Stock Ia His Lot, He is independent
Of All the World
Every man does work, will work,
must work. Vagabonds erioy being
idle. The secret of happiness here is
not only in the fact that we work, but
that we love to work and love our
work and epj1y it. The spirit of dis
content that makes so many men dis.
satisfied with their vocation and situa
tion in life is the bane of humanity.
The doctors would like to be lawyers,
the lawyers would like to be merchants,
the merchants would like TO be farm
ers, the farmers would like TO be gen
tlemen, and so on, each thinking that
the other has the better job. This is
the source Of diec c0ntent and the father
OF the spirit Of dissatisfaction. SO few
people choose really anything, and
abide their choice. A man who chooses
to be @ farmer and puts his energy and
intelligence into his work not only i'm
proves his farm, but fills his own pock
cts. If q man viii take care of his
farm, his farm will take care of his
bank account.
There is no life more charming than
that Of the farmer, and IL / wasn't 8
preacher and hadn't rather be q
preacher than anything else in the
world. / would frequently envy the
farmer his farm and-h toll. Riding
through the country on the railroad
trains and seeing the busy farmers
along the way Eplanting and cultivat
ing their crops, is always interesting
to me, and ! spend no hours more
pleasantly than those spend on my
farm looking after it's varied interests.
The farm with it's crops and it's cattle
and hogs and sheep and ducks and
chickens and turkeys. all put charm
upon the whole situation. Every
bushel of corn and wheat, every pound
Of cotton, every pig and calf and colt,
adds wealth to the country as well as
to the farmer, for the farmers are
really the producers Of this country
and lie at the basis of all prosperity.
Weneed housebuild derss lawyers. dee
tors, preachers, railroad men and all
classes, perhaps, but the farmer is the
essential man Of all. They should be
encouraged more than they are. While
they work others ought to think in
their interests and plan for their good,
for j1st as the farmer prospers the
country prospers. The farmer with
his improved implements and Inn
proved roadWays ought to compete
with any other class in the world. The
Georgia farmers are rapidly catching
ON to the improved machinery and inn
plements and 60 take care Of them.
The farmer Of Georgia is beginning to
learn that it doesn't pay to have his
corn crib in Kansas and his smoke
house in Chicago, and his cotton fac
tory in Massachusetts, and his banker
on Wall street and his boss the little
merchant In town, and Kentucky and
Missouri his stock producing sections
WelEfo him it ia that he has learned
that corn crib full of corn in his own
lot, a smoke house full of bacon in his
yard, few colts and calves in his lot,
and his economical wife for his banker,
makes him independent OF the world.
It had what the farmers Of Georgia
pay for guano I wouldn't want any
crop, or land either; and dare assert
that there is not farmer in Georgia
who could not spend thirty days i'm the
year producing and compounding fer
tilizers into compost and save every
dollar that he expends for guano and
improve his land one hundred per cent.
more every year, foF guano is like q
drink Of whiskey to a man-it viii
stimulate him for awhile, but leaves
him with less energy and vitality than
he had before.
The farmers have much to learn.
They are learning. The farmers ci
Van Buren, Ark, ship from three tC
f1ve carloads of strawberries per day
during the strawberry season. They
produce no better strawberries than
we do in Barlow county, Georgia,
What vast sum those shipments OF
strawberries bring to that community
Let North Georgia learn Of them. Nc
finer vegetables grow than we can
raise in our county. Let the farmer
see that everything he produces FOR
sale brings him something, adds to his
wealth and prosperity. Let him know
that everything he buys but adds &c
his poverty and takes from his income.
IF he would prosper he must produce
much and spend little, and never 60