The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-10
Persistency in Farming.

A very common cause of failure NOT
only in farming, bat in all other cau.ngs
is lack OF persistent purpose. saws the
Homestead. Some one has said that
Genius has glue on its feet" which
means, Of course, that the results which
How from what is commonly called genius
are due to the fact that those who attain
them concentrate their efforts in that par
ticular direction, 10 the exclusion of
temptations by the Wayside, and, by keen
lng eVeriastinSiy al it, eventually "get
there"
While the lack of tenacity of purnosa ot
the kind referred to is common enough in
al caihngs, we are most familiar with il
IN farming. 1t is very common 10 see
farming carried on without anv defnite
plan, the particular object to which the
farmer deVotes his attention varying from
year 10 year and being determined bv the
course of the markets and what seems 10
be for the moment bringing the best prices
1hose who pursue this plan are very aptIy
called price chasers," but the trouble
with them is that they always make their
changes Jusi far enough behind the price
they are chasing TO miss getting the high
ones. "A farmer VIII not be growing pota-
toes perhaps. this year, and he sees that
they are away ND in price. Accordinglv
next year he determines that he will grow
a big crop Of potatoes and get his share
of the big prices. but by the time his crop
is grown the markets have changed and
the crop is scarcely worth digging The
same thing occurs IN the course pursued
by many who grow live stock. They
choose a kind that this year happens 10 he
hlgh priced. next year some other kind
brings better prices and they jump to
that, and they always succeed In Just
missing the kind that is most In demand
and consequently pays best
1t is easy to see that this is not the vav
to achieve success. The means by which
success is attained consist in giving plen-
ty of thought at the outset TO the work OF
making definite plan by which the farm
ing on particular farm and under n Civ
en- set of conditions is to be conducted
and then sticking TO it with as much te-
naclty as though it were impossible TO do
anything else. In settling what the plan
should be one should look on all sides and
see the advantages and disadvantages as
clearly as possible, remem berng that II is
a characteristic of human nature to see on
ly the bright side of a situation one pro-
poses for himself. minimizing its disad-
vantages and seeing at the same time but
dimly the advantages of a present situa-
ton, while feeling its disadvantages keen
ly. If in forming a definite PLAN the far
mer viii look on all sides of the question.
considering the adaptations of his farm
the conditions special to it, its advanta ges
and Disadvantages with regard to the
markets and all the things that go to
make up his environment-if he viii con
slider all these things. we say, and then
make plan in accordance with them
and stick TO II year after year. he can
hardly fail, if the plan has been made
with reasonable intelligence. One seasons
results may be Disappointing, but those of
the next will compensate for the disap-
pointment and in a series of years the
farmer will do better than the average
more times than he will do worse.