The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1902-10-09
Better Stay On The Farm.
FROM the journal Of Agriculture

From the journal ot Agriculture.
Almost every farm paper has
something to say. now and then.
IN regard to the adyisabilily of
young men staying on the farm.
This paper has often advised il aud
will continue to- do so: but. as
Usual, the last census report shows
that there rs steady decrease in
the proportions of farming popula.
tium, This means thst there is a
siendy drain of Young Teople from
the farm tu some k;Hd nf work in
the towns aud cities,
OF course there ARE q few of
these young men whose fine talent
for business, or in some profes-
slonal line jnstides their leaving
The farm and going 10 Il wider Geld
of action; but the great majority
0f them do not go for such reason.
They are poorly educated and have
10 training IN any spacinl line.
aud have 10 take some kind of a
job thar pays small wages aud
offers very little opportunity for
advancement. Aigreat number of
country boys who get into large
cities become motOrmCn, or pos.
slbiy conductors on street ears: a
great many of them become brake.
mru on railroads, aud the rest are
scattered through all sorts OF work.
including driving wagons. work
ing for butchers, in machine shops.
iron founderies. etc, They work
as hard as they would on The farm,
aud have really less chance for
future Improvement thnn they
would there. II is very seldom
that any of them save any money:
in many eases thcy cuntruc. had
habits and almost always they be-.
come hahtuated 10 the noise, ac-
tivity and hustle going on around
them, aud thut makes the country
less attractive than il was before.
After many years Of life on the
farm, as we'll AS q long experience
in business in the city, the editor
Of this paper can say, both from
experience and observation, that
the average farn-hrpd boy and girl
had better stay IN the country. II
is all right to ba in the city 10 oncis
rich hut to the poor or even those
IF moderate means, living in the
,ity or town where everything that
a family needs has to be- bought
md paid for in money, even when
everything runs along smoothly
means close watching of finances.
aud under the most favorable cir.
some deprivation aud
hardship. Aud even If there is
little chance 10 get few dollars
ahead, there Is so little oppnriuu-
~ to put IL where il is safe aud
will bring returns. that the money
$ usually blown in. a. some
'all It, and nothing is saved. A
arm paper, speaking of this, says
Young men in the country have
better opportunities to invest few
dollars at home than they
would have in city. 4 few acres
pf ground, few head of sheep, or
4 poultry yard, are individual in
ycstments that pay good profits
r'iieii property rtintugr,i. Ii iS iir
management that makes the invest.
ment good The money invest
nent alone can he figured worth
siX per cent at most. A hundred
dollars as money Is worth So on
per year The same amount will
paw 500 per year in sheep, or 800
per year in poultry, or $50 per
year in cattle; that is, with man.
tgcment thrown in. 4 little mon.
~ in town looks smaller all the
time, is seldom saved mp for that
reason, whereas little money in
he country will go long way.
Tor the reason that the demand for
country products is increasing and
all the time. -
There has never been time in
The history of this country when
The chances were So good for young
men In the country, or so bad for
hem in the city us now. Lands
are advancing, farm products sell
we'll, and everything is coming tue
Iartner's way. Now is therefore
the time for the farmer h0ys, who
have some ambition aud snap to
them. to do their level hest tu get
A little farm and go TO WORK TO
make ii the best in the country.
There was never before q time
when brains and business" put
into farming brought such good rc-
suits. To those bows then who
are capable of forming a purpose
aud sticking to il aud working il
out. we express the earnert hope
that they will heud all their cner-
gies toward getting good, little
farm. and making farming their
life time work. In the future the
business Of farming is going To
grow steadily better all the time to
the intelligent American farm own
er. but IL IL going 10 grow harder
all the time to get a farm. S0 the
young men who are nov looking
towards the future should bestir
themselves aud get some land as
soon as they can, and settle down
TO their life work.