The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-21
DRUMMER ON RANCH
6R. JOHNSON TRIES POTATO
RAISING FOR A SEASON.
FROST COMES TO SPOIL CROP
Mental Picture Of Life on the Farm
Changes as Cold Weather APP
proaches - Quits the
Country.

Seeing something in the papers here
about some trouble that is brewing in
the courts over potatoes reminds me
that l once had a little experience in the
potato business myself" observed James
johnson of Chicago this morning as he
turned to a party of friends at the
Butte.
Il had worked for a number of years
as travelling man and was getting
pretty tired of hustling over the road
when friend suggested to me that there
was fine field for money and freedom
from cares in living on a ranch.
Il had always been wont to think of
the life of the rancher as a pretty hard
one, but this friend of mine could paint
picture of life in the country that
would make a man forget that there was
hard work to perform out in the rural
districts.
Life on a Farm. ;.
Il got to thinking the matter over
and finally concluded that there wa1
nothing in sight for me that equalled
the prospect of a life on q farm. Ac-
cOrdingly I made arrangements to move
| down into Beaverhead county and try.
my luck as a farmer.
Il bought a fine little place and when
spring came was enthusiastic over the
stuff l was to sell in the fall after had
spent the summer in hoeing truck.
Potatoes were my long suit.
bought potatoes to plant and got them
into the ground all right. When they be-
gan to grow the question arose as to
how often I should irrgate them.
went to a neighbor and asked about the
matter of watering the vegetables and he
| told me to turn the stream on them
| whenever they needed moisture.
| Nov that was information about the
art of farming with a vengeance. I
knew, of course, that the potatoes
should have water when they needed it,
but what wanted to know was how
long should allow the crop to go with
! out water.
Uses His Own Judgment.
Finally I used my own judgment on
| the irrigation business and it would
seem from the results secured that my
judgment was not of the best.
"There was hoeing to be done and that
afforded me pretty good exercise for
several weeks. During the time I was
hustlng away in the hot sun kept Won
dering If as a matter of fact I was hav-
ing as fine a time as 1 used to have
when was humping over the road and
talking to people who We're supposed to
want to buy goods.
| at did not seem to me that my lot
was quite as good as that of the men
| who were doing what I formerly did.
but when I recalled my friends picture
| about life in the country l concluded
must be wrong. I buoyed myself up and
worried through the summer
when fall approached 1 looked at my
| crop and concluded that after 1 was
lucky boy. 1 saw several hundred dol
~ md In nnYrrn< IF
the long winter evenings when I could
sit by my fireside and take things easy
| while the other boys were running to
catch trains made me think that had
made no mistake in leaving the road.
Great Change Comes.
However, there was a change. About
week before the time when I thought
my crop would be out of danger from
cold weather a cold snap struck the dis
trict where my ranch was located and
| in a single night my potatoes were
| frosted and my dream about the for
tune I was to secure through my sum-
mer's work was dissipated.
"When 1 saw how things had gone
| sat down and wrote a long letter to my
! friend who had advised me to go into
the ranching business and told him that
I thought he was all right. I asked him
why ne naO not gone 10 ave Oh AdTI
long ago and thanked him for the kindly
advice he had taken the time to give me.
1.-THE next morning after I wrote that
letter hunted up a man who had
little cash and sold him my ranch for his
own price. was not sticking on the
amount. All I wanted was enough
money to get out of the country and
chance to get back on the road. I was
fortunate in getting my old position
| back as soon as applied for 1t.
Before had been on the road week
I met my old friend who was such
| great f1reside farmer and he seemed
much surprised to see me. I explained
to him that his theory was all right, but
| that there was too much money in the
| ranching business for me.
! Not So Eager.
IT was not eager to get rich in hurry.
Naturally he caught on that things had
not gone we'll with me and he did not
dwell long on the subject of ranching.
Branching is like any other business
guess-you have to understand it to
make it win. In these days I enjoy
reading poetry about the home on the
farm and all that sort of thing. but as
for Yours Truly the road and the grip