St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-03-25
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE IDEAL FARMER.
some More or the Qualities Essential to tho
Makeup OF the Ideal
Farmer.

some More OF the Qualities Essential to tho
Makeup OF the Ideal
Farmer.
An ideal farmer must not only know
when and how to Plow and plant, and
reap and thresh, and gather into
barns; how to take advantage of favor
able opportunities for all his work;
know the habits, conditions, qualities
and requirements of all the farm stock,
and so apportion his work that all de-
mands may be met, but his farming
rs a whole land there is more of it
than is mentioned aboye) must be
conducted upon correct principles.
Wise Franklins, Girards, Coopers, Pea
bodies and Wanamakers have formu-
lated rules of business which have
been accepted by the business world
as axioms, and those who have adj
hered to them have acquired wealth
and fame and honor among men.
Wealth alone may have been acquired
in open violation of these wholesome
maxims, and notoriety also, but nei-
Their fame nor honor. Wealth is good
thing, and every man should strive to
obtain enough of it toayoid dependence
upon others, either for bread or pO-
Utica! opinions: but it is not so good
a thing that to gain it one should
crawl in the dirt. or stoop to mean
or dishonorahle action. The acqnisi-
ton of wealth is no evidence of mental
or moral ability. Many Of the wealth.
est men are rich in cash, but poor in
character; wealthy in real estate, but
paupers in all else. The advice of the
father to the son to get money; hon
estly, if you can. but get money" is a
maxim to be avoided. but it is popular
nevertheless in some quarters. The
laudable maNims are many of funda-
mental. and apply to every business.
Honesty is the best policy" can not
be questioned without absurdity. and
is of universal application. Never
spend money until you have earned
it." is another that can not be ignored
without financial disaster. Another
like unto it is: 1.-The debtor is slave
to the creditor" fact that hardly
needs to be mentioned. Every unfor-
tnnate debtor realizes that he is work
ing for others. not for himself, until
his debts are discharged to the utter
most farthing. both in interest and
principal. The case of the debtor is
tepsely stated by Dickens Micawber:
annual income ego: annual expendi-
lures, f19. q; result, happiness. An
~ n. nCnnn1s-
lures, $50 naught. 6; result misery"
The craze for expenditures and result
ing debt will cease only when people
realize that it is dishonorable to spend
what they have not earned. Douglass
Jerrold eloquently says: He who
dimes out of debt, though his meal be
a biscuit and an onion, dimes at the
Apollo. What warmth in threadbare
coat, if the tailor's receipt be in the
pocket! The man out of debt. though
there be rent in his jerkin, or hole
in his shoe, is still son of liberty, and
his heart shall be at peace and the
sheriff COMPOUNDED" How many, af-
ter reading this, will lay the paper
aside, and HE them to their market
town and execute mortgage on the
crop of 1899, to be Gifted" in Novem-
Der, or never, as the case may be? It
is needless to say that an ideal farmer
never goes in debt more than once.
After that, he knows more than he did
before.
"Never put off until tomorrow what
can be done to-day" and ''procrastina-
ton is the thief of time," are maxims
as much alike as the Dromios or
Autiphali. Many people, and some OF
them farmers, have practically Mex
icanized this great maxim, and read X.
until tomorrow. and some other resort
to the parliamentary subterfuge of in
definite postponement. Promptness in
dealing with matters in hand is the
only economical method. and indis-
pensable to success. Have place
for everything. and everything in its
place. will, if rigidly adhered to. save
more. labor and annoyance than 800
worth OF combined planters and cult
vators. Haste makes waste" H..
who runs all the way rarely gets there
until after the feast. There is no sort
of farm work. unless it becomes neces-
sary to fight fire or go to doctor.
that can be well done if done in hur-
~. Done in a hurry means badly done,
and all such work must be done again.
A farmer who prepares his land in a hur-
nv. plants in a hurry and cultivates in
q hurry. wears out his teams and tools
and makes but sorry crops; and if he
then adds to his imprudence by gath
ering the proceeds in hurry, the SOON
err he hurries away from the farm the
better. If farm work was simply a
mechanical operation, requiring no in
telligent thought, as some suppose,
this hurried work would answer the
purpose about as well as any other
method. Results show that well done
farm work is the only Kind that gives
satisfaction; therefore, the ideal farm
er will carefully consider his methods.
and do his work rs il ought to be done
according to the best of his knowl-
edge and ability, so help me God. No
one doubts that a hare can outrun !,
terrapin, and yet we are told in classic
literature that in a test race the ter
rapin was on hand waiting when the
hare go there.
The following may be added without
comment. merely for good measure:
ITO preserve credit. do not use it,"
appearances deceive 'Rogues dress
we'll and have good manners" EN-
ploy nobody to do what you can do
yourself" Sign no paper for stran-
ger until to- morrow. Farm and
Ranch.