The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1902-01-25
FARMER AND PLANTER.
How 10 Run . Farm ON q Modern
Easis and Make the Most With :.
the Least Effort.

An old farmer on whom / called
gave me several good points, and
with the rest he said: Farming can
always be carried on successfully so
long as it is not taxed to death. Onr
fathers of the early part of the CEN
fury worked on an economical basis;
but they lived, and they lived well.
They did not have our privileges, but
the kinlx was that they knew how to
take advantage of what privileges
they did have. Nobody needs more
than the farmer does to readjust
himself to the times he lives in. We
can not farm it now as they a hun
dred years ago and live; but we can
adjust ourselves to the times and live
right WELL" Then he brought his fist
down with a whack that ratified his
silver spoons. / said: Perhaps you
will show me your farm, and Illus
trate what you mean by showing how
to run affairs on what you call a rea-
sonable modern basis"
SO we took stroll, and am going
to tell you something about it. In
the first place, there were no large
fields in sight. where is your corr? q
l said. II do not raise much, he
answered. Il do not need to. Why
should 1 help pile up lot of good
material to be unstable, when it can
be raised so much cheaper in the
western states? The first law OF
economy is, that every food product
should be produced where it can be
produced most cheaply, and no one
else should enter into competition.
but your wheat" said, show about
tbat?" Il buy it, he replied. Il can
buy it cheaper than / can raise it
even now since the price has gone up
Only over there" be added, "are two
or three acres sown for home use
You notice." he observed, that
grow little barley, and enough oats
for my own horses" THAT field
sweet corn for the cannery." Have
you gone into beet raising?" l asked
mot headlong," he replied, expect
ing fortune. / intend to wait unit
see what will be done after the
government appropriations are uset
up. Meantime / have made small
experiment, that will not damage
even if it does not pay me. for shat
get some personal knowledge out OF
it. Let me tell you, sir, it's haste thai
makes waste. Our farmers are to-
anxious to make a fortune on the
jump. So they go into buying grea'
farms, raising new crops, and the,
must have big crops or fail" But,
said, "t.oes it not work il
way on small farms as on large
When man puts all of his capita
into one crop does it not take more
than two or three years to breai
him?"
That's it, that's it," said my farm
or friend, "all the eggs in one basket
you see. But suppose he has tel
baskets, and dozen eggs in eacl
one, and an accident knocks owe
two, he still has eight left to sell.
have seen men so bankrupt on straw
berries, on beans, ON chickens, oil
pigs. ON horseradish. A man may g
bankrupt on sweet peas" The las
advise of my friend was: "a fey
acres of land, well titled, is bette
than a large number of acres badl.
titled. Every badly titled acre stand
for so much waste energy. We hav
got to the end of big farming. w
must learn to use what we have t
better advantage, and adjust our
selves to more closely inhabite'
country. We have gone on Who'll
half-century beyond the safe line,tr
ing to farm on too extensive scale
Raising what can be produced else
where at much less expense, instea
of adapting our production to on
markets and the conditions govern
ing supply and demand.'-G. H. Dier
hold, in Agricultural Epitomist.