The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1905-11-22


ducks and chickens cannot get in the
ward. then set out a dozen cannaS and
let them throw out their great
leaves of rich green.
Passing through a little city one
hot summer afternoon, saw many of
the city women lying in hammocks.
or sitting in lawn swings. Many of
them were reading. Then l passed
on out into the country and found
that hardly any of the farm homes
bad these luXurieS. The farmer. ana
bis wife and children had worked
harder than those city people, and yet
they had no lawn swings. no ham
mOcks and no porch chairs. Now all
this is wrong. and it would have
been better if the farmer had sold a
steer or two and invested the money
i in some of these restful appliances.
We know of one woman who re-
ceived a legacy from home. and in
stead of buying another forty acres.
that would have only added more
work for the whole family. she in
vested it i'm remOdeling the house.
She had porches built. put in bath
room. bought fine carpets. furniture
and other luXuries that the husband
bad not felt able to provide. She
bought one of the boys Il nice repeat
ing rifle. the other bicycle and then
the daughter was given coveted
prize. Il new piano. In. all she spent
more than thousand dollars, and
some people might have said that she
had better have put the money out on
/ interest and given it to the children
when they become of age, but those
children will always remember that
wonderful transformation in their
home For many years they will en-
joy those things, and as the whole
family was blessed by more beau
tiful home. surely we think it was Il
wise investment. We know another
woman that received more money.
but it was loaned out. and one by
one she counts the dollars of inter
est money in order that she may give
her children something. Maybe they
will handle it wisely and maybe they
will not. These two homes are not
many miles apart. and if it fell to my
i lot to choose which one | should live
1 in. | know it would be in the first.
Every one has a right to some of
the pleasures of life and those who
make a slave of themselves and deny
their own lives the pleasant things
of life are defeating Il common law
of humanity 1t devOlves upon every
one of us to make Il success of our
i own existence This need not be
come SelfishneSs. but the child of my
mother has Il right to Il pleasant life,
as has her grandchildren. and our
children will honor and respect us in
proportion as we respect ourselves.
The farmers reading table and Ii
brary should be as extensively sup
FLIED as that of man of any other
profession. Not alone with Journals
and works of agriculture, but with
those that broaden out and touch
many fields. We should keep apice
with the worlds work, and those
magazines that express the leading
thoughts of the day. should be in the
hand of every progressive farmer.
We have more time to mediate and
+ digest upon these things than has the
city man. for we are more to orr
selves Then let us fill our minds
with the progressive ideas of our
times and not with neighborhoOd Cos
sip.
Modern methods of farming will
make Il different man out of the ag-
ricuturiSt from now on. No longer
does be go pIodding along footsore
and weary. too tired to think or care
how the world goes. but he rides