The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-05-20
TO THE YOUNG FARMER BEGINNING
BUSINESS.
By F. A. Warner, Manager Of the siblsy
Estate Farms.
(Reprinted by Permission, from the Philadel-
phia Saturday Evening Post. Copyrighted,
1902 by the Curtis Publishing COmpanYl


Importance as the choosing of the
business of life. That time comes,
or should come, to every young man,
and to many it is a source of much
anxiety. 1t is step we'll worthy of
his very best thought and his most
careful decision.
It is,for the purpose of assisting
young men in making the choice of
business that this article is written.
Self reliance, ability and energy
are three requirements for success in
any vocation. Without these any
success achieved is more a matter of
chance than q reward for correctly
directed effort. An earnest desire
to succeed, with keen appreciation
of the difficulties and obstacles to be
surmounted, yet with q firm deter
mination to attain the desired end
by ones own effort, honestly applied
is half the SUCCESS, attained already.
AS a rule, wealth unearned by his
own brain and hand is more likely
TO be curse than a blessing TO the
average young man. Rich mems
sons who can get money for the ask
ing, with no thought of giving any
value in effort for it, are not our best
citizens nor is society benefited by
their example. Sons making the
right use of inherited wealth are the
exception and not the rule.
There is an immense attraction in
the sudden acquisition of wealth.
The idea of getting rioh at thirty five
or forty and using the rest of ones
life in spending the money is firmly
rooted in the mind of the average
young American. He first sets a
mark of perhaps 5000, 900 as the eize
of the fortune he wants, but if able
and fortunate enough to secure that
amount he Immediately sets about
doubling it, and then, if he follows
in the usual course, he not only fails
in the new effort but loses all he had
first won, and is rarely able, after
ward, to gain more than a mere live
lihood.
In these days there is too much
plunging and not enough conserva-
tism, too much venture and not
enough caution, too much triokery
and not enough honesty, too much
self and not enough thought for
ones neighbor.
In the consideration of agriculture
which I think is an ideal business,
want the reader to follow me for a
few minutes while describe the
ideal young farmer engaged in the
real business of farming-a descrip
ton made from the standpoint of
studied and careful observation and
practical work for period of over
fifty busy years.
Starting out with the assumption
that the young man was raised on
the farm with only moderate country
school advantages, with possibly a
winter or two in some city academy,
I should advise him TO attend, if pos
sible, and even at some sacrifice, the
College of Agriculture and the Ex-
pertinent Station of his State He
should take up especially the study
of soils and their adaptabilty to
produce certain varieties of product,
and the study of the proper prepare,
tion, cultivation and preservation of
field crops, the care and feeding OF
sto ok both for beef and dairy-and
also swine husbandry Even winter
terms at such a college will add an
interest to farm work and will great
ly aid in explaining the various pro,
blems which arise to puzzle the far
mer. The principles taught in these
State Agricultural Colleges are broad
in the scope of their work and are
exceedingly helpful.
A COURSE OF READING FOR THE FARMER
If, however, the privilege of attend
ing such college is denied, should
advise a young man to spend as much
of his time as possible in the deliber-
ate, thoughtful reading of some
selections from the following list of
publications For a general survey Of
agriculture First Principles of Agri
culture, by Voorhees, Principles Of
Agriculture, by Professor L. III. Bal
ley, of Cornell University; New
American Farm Book Revised and
! Enlarged, by Lewis F. Allen. These