Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-10-28

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Money Needed For Agriculture.
1t is an old but wise saying: 'Tt takes
money to make money" have been IA
miliar with farms all my life. 1 was born
on a farm When I married went to
farm to live and now that my head is
white with the SHOWS of many winters,
still cling TO farm life, when nine-tenths
Of my old neighbors have flung up country
life and moved to town.
have learned a few things by expert
ence and hard knocks.
find II takes money to farm as well as
to run a store or build a railroad, or con-
troll matters in a political campaign.
II you are destitute of money, perhaps
you can support life on farm, when you
might be sent to the poorhouse from
town or city; but you can set II down in
your books, you can't make Roadway
in farming without ready money to help
the business along.
In ante-bellum times when slaves did the
farm work and everybody was satisfied,
II bills of the store were squared of once
year there was no loud call for ready
cash. II was a happy-go-luclxy sort Of
life, and yet many farmers went to smash
nevertheless. and had to sell of a negro
occasionally to balance accounts with the
sheriff.
But farming is a different proposition
from what It was at that time. and the
farmer who succeeds today knows what
he is about, and has the dollars in his
pocket to pick up good chances, or he
Is merely holding soul and body together
until death or debt puts him out Of the
business altogether.
The most advanced farming that I see
or read about is conducted by people
who have a bank account to draw on
or who run store TO pay hands out of,
or carry on some other business, that
shells down the corn" when the farm
is scant and not selling anything.
The hardest run farmers I know any
thing about are the folks who want to be
something and somebody, and yet must
draw their supplies from the farm that
does not afford the living. and these folks
are straining themselves in agony to meet
obligations and keep up appearances,
when the crop could only bear close econ
omy, hard work and no luxuries.
II a person aims to begin at the bottom
with a farm TO support he can make up
his mind TO make his first crop on corn
bread and buttermilk (where the COW has
range to run on and corn is not more
than fifty cents a bushel) II store
clothes and store provisions are a neces-
sity he had better run a dray at sixty
cents for, HIS labor and eat his
of as his farm neighbor. who had moth
ing and went in debt for the balance.
IL was somehow always remarkable to
my mind that the best farming I heard
about was done by people who have either
retired from other business with a fort
une or who run the Afarm with money
made by law, physic, railroading or pub
lie offices.
Their farming is a pleasure and a rec
reation, or Il seems to be.
One OF the homespun, ordinary sort
(and know much more about this class
than the other starts his years work in
anxiety and perplexity. and he is glad to
rest long enough at Christmas to be able
to begin again on new years, just because
he is like the cab horse that Mr.. Pick
wick hired for a little journey, that some
Of you will remember. Mr.. Pickwick was
questioning the driver as to some of the
horses queer antics in harness, when he
was told that the animal was buckled
up so tight he couldn't very well fall
down"
Scores OF farmers are exactly in the con-
dition, that they can't quit, and must hold
on especially when they conduct their
farming operations on a credit basis, and
expect TO pay for II out Of the years crop.
and oftentimes fail with a bad crop year
to harrass and perplex them.
But II there is money to start on, money
to pay hands, money to buy in bulk. rath-
er than a dollars worth on a credit, mon
/ ey to pick up a bargain in heifers or get
good mule or horse when they are
| cheap; that money will work in farm at
l fairs like axle grease on a creaking
wagon wheel. II will stop the racket and
get II along without trouble to the end Of
tIse trip.
I am writing OF the average farmer
There are some few people who would
get rich on bare rock. They are built
that way. II you should take their get
tings away and give It all to their i'm
prOvident thriftless neighbors and turn
them loose again IL wouldn't be a half
a dozen years until they had II ali back
/ and more too in their own pockets again
/ and the others as poor as ever. But in
i nine cases out OF ten these smart ones
/ would have some ready money to start
with and you would never find them with
/ out a little cash to pick up bargains that
drifted along by them.
Some people call this gift good man
/ agement."
| / would call It the aptitude for making
money. which would work as well in a
/ dozen other callings as in farming, IL they
applied It with the same zeal and judg-
1 ment.
The difficulty lies IN the lack OF this
aptitude IN the poor farmer. AS said be-
fore he may live, and not die from star
i walton, on a farm, but he will never find
farming what II ought TO be TO him, a
pleasure and a benefit in mind, body and
4 estate. You may. set IL down II takes
money to farm.
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