The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1902-05-24
Experiments on the Farm.
Special Cor. Home and Farm.

Special Cor. Home and Farm.
Every farmer should be an ex
perrin enter, for farming is many
sided business, and there are many
things he can learn only by ex-
pertinent upon his own farm, as
soils vary, and climates, and the
management which might give
satisfaction on one farm would
fail on another; and, in order to
make these experiments of the
greatest value, there should be q
careful record kept of them.
Our readers know that | have
for many years kept farm dairy,
in which all such things have been
iotted down and that ! am enthus-
iastic in recommending this, par
ticularly to young farmers who
are just starting and forming the
habits of life.
These experiments, however,
should be always on small scale,
if it is a matter with which you
are not familiar. For example
The majority of farmers, unfortu-
nately, do not grow Strawberries
for home use even, but OCCASION
ally one becomes enthused as he
reads the account of some success
full man who has behind him per-
haps life time of experience in
growing and managing this fruit,
and he concludes that he will 60
into the business to make money.
Now what we should do IS to be-
gin on few square rods and OF.
this learn what varieties are suited
to his locality, what management
will give the best results, and, if
lie expects to grow for market, he
shonId also begin studying the
markets.
| think some OF the greatest
mistakes which farmers have made
have been IN attempting to do
something of which they know lit
tie or nothing, simply because
some nelghbor, or some one with
whom they are acquainted, had
found it profitable. A man is not
TO blame for making mistakes; IN
fact, we learn by our mistakes;
but if these are on q large scale it
is often too expensive a way to
learn. / said no one is to blame
for making mistakes. will quail
ify that by saying that if he re-
peats the same blunder time and
again then he certainly is to blame.
No farmer should make a radl-
cal change in his business without
first studying carefully all the de-
tails of the proposed plan. He
should learn what the market at
his command wants, whether the
plan which he adopts is one that
has few contingencies, There are
some crops that are exceedingly
uncertain, both in yield and in
price. | have been studying the
''Llfe of Davy Crockett" the past
winter, and was greatly interested
in the motto which he adopted for
his life rule: "Be sure you are
right and then go ahead. And |
believe that Crockett's wonderful
success, both as a Congressman
and in the development of chalac-
ter and getting an education after
he was in mature life (for al the
age of eighteen he could neither
read nor write) resulted largely
from that motto. 1t is a good one
for farmer to adopt, and | have
little doubt that many a man in
old age, who has made a success in
farming, would tell that 1t had re-
suited from something which he
had read or heard spoken in early
life, which he adopted as his life
rule and which had been a con-
slant help to him.
/ recOllect reading this anec-
dote: A noted temperance lectur-
er was accosted one day, Just as
he was gong on the stand, by a
man who showed Enthusiastically he
was under the influence of liquor.
and who made to him this PROMO
sition: "Les you and l 90 in
partnership in this temperance
usiness." The lecturer turned to