The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1900-05-10
What Constitutes an Up-TO-Date
Farmer?


try districts, Is more of revelation In
this regard than a series of grange meet
ings. There is no difficulty IN telling at
glance whether the owner of farm Is
"up-to.date" in his methods, or way
behind the times, but the nearer we g I
to the ideal the more perplexing becomes
the question, which al two or more far
mers Is the most up.to-date, OR which
one has methods that would be practical
In all cases, and which, combined, pre-
duce u farm that Is well kept, well
stocked and profitable in the question OF
dollars and cents?
While IL don't seem to me that any
particular branch OF farming should be
taken up In this paper 10 preference TO
others, yet may rs matter OF iliustra-
ton allude TO dairying more particularly.
as Ii seems better to suit my purpose
and the conditions of this section.
Suppose, therefore, farm having as
stock small but good herd of Jersey
cows and the owner knowing just how
10 go to work, just what plans To make,
and whose results come out just as he
expected. Such Ii man, we would say,
has purpose and put rs the first es-
sential of an up-to-date farmer, pun
pose or ideal TO be attained.
don't mean by that that man must
get a great reputation, ''get rich," and
settle down with nothing 10 do the rest
of his life, but | mean man who has n
definite plan to start with, and who ear
nestly, diligently, and patiently works
t. bring such purpose into the shape
and dimensions he desires, the reby III
make a comfortable but honest living
The herd may not perhaps be OF the fine
quality desired, the farm and buildings
perhaps not so convenient as one would
wish, while possibly the profits may
come on the wrong side of the accounts,
but the man with purpose or ideal Is
the one who will succeed in the end.
As the next essential to an up-to-date
farmer | would place studiousnese, and
think it is at this point that more fail.
ures are made than at any other. There
has been great advances made in this
direction 10 the last fifteen years, and at
the present time it may almost be said
that 1t is mans own fault II he does
avail himself the opportunity for infoi-
nation upon nearly any subject he
wishes.
OF course, a college or even a high
school education Is not always to be
obtained, but through our Experiment
Stations, the State Board of Agriculture
and the grange much practical Informs
ton may be obtained, which II carefully
studied and applied may be of very
much value. There is, however, some
thing be ,ides having large amount of
Agricultural literature NJ our command,
or even liberal education, and that Is
the proper application of it.
Here is a point where many failures
are made and one of the advantages of
the grange is to enlighten each other In
our successes and failures. | say fail
ures, because they may perhaps Civ
more real help and education than SUI
cesses.
But to return to the dairymen before
pictured. There Is much to be though
Of, and many are the wa and plans of
bringing about the same result.
First, there is the production of the
milk. How can it best and most cheaply
be done? What can we raise To help out
the hay crop, which may be short
What can we do to save buying high
priced feeds for them and at the sam
time get the most profit out of the herd
Shall we purchase by-prOducts and other
feed, or shalr we buy fertilizer and raist
roots or corn for ensilage? These are
but n few OF the many questions that
arise and after they have been settled to
the satisfaction of the owner, there arises
the problem of how to dispose of the
product TO the best advantage.
Shall we sell the whole milk, thereby
leaving nothing upon which 10 raise
calves or pigs? Shall the cream he sent
10 the creamery, or Shall we complete
the making of the product before sell
ing it?
These questions each one has to set le
to his own satisfaction, depending Of
course upon the conditions under which
he Is placed, such MS locality of the farm,
nearness to and requirements of the
market, and amount OF help that is avail
able.
AS the next essential Of an up to-date
may be, perhaps, of less importance than
the Others, 1t is Of great value as we all
know. There are times when the dill
gent farmer succeeds and his neighhoi
fails, or so nearly so, just through some
point of being more prompt 10 certain
instances, or of being always ready TO
do whatever needs to be done.
For the fourth essential of an up-to-
date farmer | would place the keeping
of farm accounts, and from what W
know it is n point too often not fully
kept or neglected altogether. How shall
we ascertain which branch of our labor
has been the most profitable and should
therefore be continued and enlarged, and
which as heipg Improbable, should be
left out. We may, perhaps, tell by a
mere guess II paying crop from total
failure, but by an accurate account we
can tell exactly which to depend upon.
The keeping of accounts is one of the
first essentials to successful busint IS
and the sooner we adopt business prin-
ciples 10 our methods Of farming, the
sooner will the Improbable farms be
changed to profitable ones, and the
sooner will we get out Of the rut that we
have so long troddep In
1t has been said "Nothing is SO mar
rowing. contractive, hardening, AS AL
WAYS 10 be moving iB the same groove
with no thought beyond what we imme-
dat ely see and hear close around u.s."
While his Is true of every class and
condition Of the human race. 1t seems TO
be particularly fitting to farm life, and
there are instances which probably any
one of US can point out where this is ex.
tremely true.
Travel in certain course is sure to
produce ruts and it Is only by being cor
stantly on our guard can we escape
them. Bv constant care, study, aud
diligence IL seems to me we can produce