The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-09-26
FARMER AND Pr ANTER.
ADVICE TO YOUNG FARMERS.
mo ~ Old Enough to Have
learned Tells the Youngsters
Few Things.

~'"S III my siXty-Scyenth wear
nave not seen enough TO offer some
suv'cc, especially to Young farmers;
! mink so and will undertake il. Firs,
then, would say beware of farm
mortgages. Mortgages and interest
moneys are heart and soul cancers
eating out the life of untold num-
oers. Vow and then, few and far be-
tween man is found who can take a
mortgage encumbrance and work out
VI ~, put the eases are exceedingly
ia'f. And even then the mortgage
struggle is hard, making the man old
before the time, and the wife de-
spondent and bitter with face full of
worry lires and care. Better figure
mat the successful one was born
hnancier and not made so. To secure
mortgage is an easy matter and
works out grandly with pencil and
paper, but getting rid OF it after
once you are loaded with 1t is a very
different thing. 1t is henceforth .
CALLING incubus, wearing out your
very life. Interest, and taxes, and
insurance, and bread and meat, and
clothing, and doctors bills, and incl
dentals, al must be met. How can
You have anything left to liquidate
any part Of the mortgage principal?
far better is il to have clear title
10 twenty acres than to have deed
10 thousand with mortgage cover
ing half of its value. In Che latter
case, the home is almost sure to be
lost after few years Of hard strug-
gle to save it. Then the task of
starting life again confronts you, and
you are almost or quite empty hand
ed, with youth faded, and health and
strength declining. Truly it is a sad |
picture TO see the Respondent heart |
turn away from the home lost after
SO hard and so persistent struggle |
TO save it. Infinitely better it is |
never to assume the mortgage unless
you have full assurance you can salts
~ its claim very early. Beware, then,
OF farm mortgages And still another
item Of advice / will venture to Of
Ter: Watch against impediments to
success. They are legion. Fo: in
stance, stumps, bushes, briars, old
ogs and all such things allowed in
The field constitute barrier to sue
'essful farming that can scarcely be
'stimated. Keeping and feeding Sec
'nd-class stock, of any kind, is an
'ther draw back TO success of such
Importance that it is simply amazing
hat any farmer in this enlightened
gc should be guilty of it. Cattle,
heep, hogs, in fact, everything ,
hould be of the blood for the re-
pective purposes in view. 1t may
ost little special effort and ex-
'ense to { ct start with good bloods,
mt the largely enhanced rewards will
IMPLY justify them. Still another ,
tenn is the matter of failing to have
oretbought and system in everything. ,
'ook ahead and plan regarding the :
creagc to be devoted to each sepa- :
ate crop and which field or fields q
horld be planted in corn, which in :
heat and so on with each crop. :
he matter of rotation of crops 5
hould be planned several years in ad- !
ancc, SO as to get the best crops of :,
cch with the most favorable condi- !,
ons for the land. Forethought and !,
lsnning, too, regarding which work :
, do first, which second and SO on, :,
of the very first Importance. In 7
tort, the question Of wise planning 3
everything means absolute success :,
: absolute failure. just this and r
othing else, and the farmer should Z
allie it before he begins farming. =,
gain, the matter of selecting seeds :,
r planting should be very carefully :,
udied ard carried out. 1t is hard to e
innate the Importance of this ques- =
Dn. Seeds taken at random will al :.
ost certainly result in the planting :,
many that will not terminate, or, =
they do, will produce weak, sick -
plants that will amount to little.
her important things might be
entioned as requisites to success on
. farm. But close by naming just | fe
e more and i would strongly en- en-
asize its Importance. refer to the en-
king and reading of at least one he
st-class farm paper. If you have co
ne, 1t would be well to read two or ST.
rec such, but the time is past when us
farmer can hope to succeed at all wi
thout at least one good farm paper. m,
J. L. Richey, in Epitomist. nj.