The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1902-05-24

now" ''Zat's it," he said, "you
do the lecturing and | will &C
along as the terrible example, .
Now we can learn something from
the example OF those who fail as
we'll as from those who, make q
success.
wish to tell a PLAIN, unvarnish-
ed story of what has come under
my own knowledge in the line OF
mistakes in farming, and think
that it may prove a warning to
many of my readers, especially
young men just starting in life.
The man to whom | shall refer did
not begin farming for himself I'M
til he was about twenty-five years
of age, as he had been in college
! taking scientific course before
beginning. He was a young man
of good health, of steady habits,
and has proved to be one of the
best workers that | ever knew;
even now, when he is a GRANDPA
Their, he boasts that he can do
about the work of two men in a
day; hut his life has been a series
of mistakes which have detractet
from his comfort and hindered his
success
His first mistake was in attempt
ing to do something outside of his
regular farm work of which he
knew little. He made a contract
with nurseryman for several
thousand peach trees year for a
series of five years. He had little
knowledge of the methods neces-
sary to sell large quantity of
trees, and the result was what
might have been expected; he fail
ed to sell a fourth of the trees he
had contracted for the first year,
and as a peach tree that is not sold
and planted out at two years old
is worth nothing except for pea
brush, he met with a heavy loss.
He also had failed to study the diff
ticulties he might meet, and one
winter he lost almost his entire lot
from heavy sleet, which froze
the trees as they were heeled in,
waiting for the spring trade. The
result was he was obliged to
throw up the contract in about
two years, and came out with at
debt of several hundred dollars,
besides having lost all his labor.
Then he concluded he would try
growing seeds for the seedsmen, q
business which since he has made
a success of in one or two lines.
But he put all his eggs in one bas-
ket. In other words, he con ract-
ed to plant his whole farm in early
ap-beans, contracting at a Ger
tain price with the seedsmen. The
summer following proved to be
the Wettest on record since my
earliest recollection, which runs
back to 1910, and the result was
total loss of the crop, as when the
time of ripening came it rained
every day, and the beans sprouted
and were absolutely not worth
gathering. Here was another
heavy loss, for no farmer can lose
the entire proceeds of his farm for
year without being more or less
embarrassed by it.
Then he concluded he would trv
feeding cattle. He had but small
farm eighty acres-and was
fruit to some extent, so
that 1t was necessary Tor him to
purchase nearly all his feed. This
would have been all right if he had
begun with one-half dozen cattle
and experimental with them, but
he bought thirty cattle, and after
purchasing feed for them and car !
rying them through the winter. |
he sold then at a price which in,
volved another heavy loss. Now
this farmer could have made a sue. !
cess if he had not ventured on
such large scale.
One reason why these changes I
in the business often proves dis |
astrous is that in addition to the
fact that you are beginning alone
some line in which you have NOT
had experience, it always calls for
an outlay for new tools, and this !