The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-05-01
AgriCul > ,e.
THE FARMER A BUSINESS MAN.

The farmer is, or, to succeed, must
he q business man. This is especially
the case with the dairy farmer. In
the broader sense his business in
r7udcs the production of the raw ma
teriaI. the manufacture of it into
butter or cheese and the sale of same
when ready for market And ahead
of the production, manufacture and
sale comes the esta bEshment of the
D7ant. His entire plant includes the
farm. the COWS and the apparatus
used for working up the milk. Sure
" if any profession calls for brains
and affords employment for that
commodity it is the farmers. And
even with brains the price of success
/, eternal vigilance. A successful
farmer will conquer his surround
ings, whatever they are, or in some
wav change them for his good.
Present and prospective conditions
are favorable to the farmer as a man
Of business. The writer in making
this statement has in mind the ten
dencv to improve country roads, the
telephone and rural free delivery of
the mails. Each of these is an ims
pOrtant factor and when combined
and a farming community is given
the benefit of all of them it will re-
suit in benefit to such community to
an extent that we can now hardly
realize and appreciate.
There has been so much written
and printed about the benefit of good
roads that not a great deal need now
be brought forward at this time.
However, it will not be amiss to en-
phasize the fact that good roads is a
very important factor in the develop
ment of the farmer as a business
man-if not the most important one
The telephone, while perhaps not
bringing to the farmer as much real
k,n1 immediate profit as good roads,
Is a good investment for any farm
ing community and every individual
farmer of such community may
adopt it. There are writer's on the
subject of country telephone lines,
and those who have had experience
in establishing such lines, that can
10 better by this subject than can
the writer, and he trusts your read
ers will sooner or later have the
benefit of letters from some of them.
The third factor referred to above
Is rural delivery of mails. This in
addition to being an important bust
ness factor has, like the telephone, a
social side to it-One of great i'm
portlnce.
As before stated, the three fac
tors, good roads, telephone, rural de
livery when combined will be power
ful in beneftting the farmer in mat
ters Of business and they will in a
social way be equally so.
There is one factor that has not in
this letter been referred to, one
which, it now occurs to the writer,
should be considered at this time,
VIZ, the bicycle. Farmers living
within a reasonable distance of a vii
lagc or city, will find, as will their
children and hired help, the bicycle
many times very useful as we'll as
pleaSurable, provided there are good
roads to use it on.
Once more. In some agricultural
paper the writer has seen illustrated
"a po~tof1ice or wheels and read a de
~.rirtion of it in connection there
with. This travelling postOfice was
drawn by two horses and accom-
panied by d postmaster, who as re
m"maercd was also the driver. The
'-r~u takes all letters and parcels
that arc mailable and pOst-marks
I..". He sells postage stamps
a". postal cards, but whether he
~...- money orders or not the writer
.."r MT know, but the chances are
'..' b" does. Every section of the
H1r- Eolld not have roads good
,..-" To warrant a pOstOfffce on
nut where the roads will ad-
... .. Il. mo- doubt it would be good
o encouraging, developing
.... .- 'lning the business farmer
" -ac other four factors men
I-.wr.rcr trusts this letter will be
-- ' ..Hn~ Of drawing out the
-.-t~ and experience of others
rs % are interested in the topics il
,.~ 'f. Let us hear from all such
p.>'A~ through the columns of The
''-f"~Sivc Farmer.
F. w. MOsELEY.