The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-07-17
THE FARMERS TIME OF LEISURE.
Some Suggestions as to the Best Way to
Spend 1t and a General View of the Farm
er's Prospects Things all Should
Work for

Spend It and General View of the Farm
er's Prospects Things all Should
Work for.
Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
Farmers are now laying by their
crops and soon we shall have a
season Of comparative leisure The
question is, How best can we use our
time from now till September or
the first of October? Of course we
shall want to SOW some clover many
of us ought to put in heavier turnip
and rutabaga crops than usual those
who have not done so should make a
test of rape on good land, while silos
would pay on ten times as many
farms as now have them. Yet with
these things done and leaving time
for occasional pleasure seeking days,
we will still have many leisure hours.
I wish to discuss this question
through your columns, especially as
1 see you are so cordially inviting
farmers to discuss any and all farm
ing problems in your paper, ard are
still looking steadfastly after the
farmers interests and making a
newsy independent farm and family
paper, without engaging in any of
the bitterness and narrowness of
partisan politics.
In my opinion, brother farmers,
the best use we can make Of our time
from the laying-by period till the
harvesting season is to devote it to
study. Let us work with our heads
and minds month or two and see if
it does not pay just as we'll as the
same time devoted to muscular work.
Edmund Burke used to say that
brains were needed worse on the
farm than anywhere. A true saying
this was, though not in harmony
with general beliefs. Let US, of
course, study the political end and
see that good men and men who
have our interests at heart are placed
in all government positions. But
let us not blame the government for
everything that goes wrong. Let us
see what we can do for ourselves.
Quite often the politicians tell us
that the cause of our trouble is over
production, and in the next breath
tell us it's 1aziness. Now I don't
pin much faith to the average poll
tician, for try to keep posted as to
their acts and their records and vote
for the one that I consider most
solid. Yet 1 don't know but that the
trouble is really overproduction and
laziness-an overproduction Of crops
that must be sold as raw material,
and mental, though not physical,
laziness.
We've got to get down to study
ing our business and laying plans,
just as the banker or merchant
studies his work and plans.
We must pull together and learn
by the mistakes of others. After
the election is over we ought to have
farmers meetings in every township
in North Carolina and lay plans for
a general betterment of agriculture,
mentally, morally, socially and
financially" But we need some
thing more than spasmodic meetings
now and then we need a general or
ganization to teach the principles of
fellowship, cooperation and pro
gressiveness. Since the Alliance is
now upon these original principles,
with a State leadership comprising
some of the most influential and
trusted farmers of the State of all
religious and political creeds, itseems
to be the only organization that fills
the bill
With such sterling Democrats as
President Graham and Secretary
Parker, and such influential Popu-
lists as Lecturer Seawell and Prof.
Graham of the Executive Commit
tee, leading the organization, the alb
surdity of the charge of partisan
ship is seen at a glance, and the
writer, who has never voted a straight
party ticket, hopes to see the Order
re-organized all over the State.
There are many fields of useful
ness open to an organization such as
the Alliance that have never been
entered in this State. It must teach
the doctrine of education and CO
operation. The young people on the
farm and the farmers wives must
have more attention than they have
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