The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1906-06-30
FARMER AND PLANTER
ARE FARMERS ALL HONESTY
fs the Farmer Who Robs fits Soil,
Leaving IL to His Children Ina
poverfshed, h0nestf

The term honest farmer" has been
applied to agriculturists for so many
years that some OF us have really come
to think Of ourselves as almost models
for people engaged in other trades and
professions to follow. We try to make
| ourselves believe that We would not
steal IL We had all the opportunity II
the world: while the fact Is. that as .
class We are. in way, the biggest
| set of thieves allowed to run at large
] to-day.
A bank robber Is looked upon as an
enemy to society-or used to be at any
rate before such business became the
style. And. even now, there is prob
ably not one banker in a hundred who
appropriates for his own use the funds
Of the institution over which he has
control.
Every farmer Is q banker In Z
sense. His farm Is his bank; the fer
tility Of his soil. his deposits. The use
he makes Of his deposits determines
whether he Ia, or is not, an honest
| banker.
TO get at this matter In the true
Hight, We must determine what the
farmers true interest is In the farm
he controls. Is he the owEer Of this
soil, or rather Is he not simply a stew
ard having charge Of q certain portion
| Of the Creators vast domain, holding 1t
In trust for the use of his children and
children's children?
This looks to the writer to be the
true situation. Man created nothing.
never can create anything; was given
power to change the form but not to
create. Now, II man created nothing,
what right has he to rob his soil Of
the plant food that has been deposited
therein! And Is he not robber to
the extent that he allows himself to
depIete the store OF plant food entrusted
to his charge and appropriates the pro-
ceeds Of such depletion to his own pri-
vate use?
This Is exactly what is happening
| In nine cases out Of ten, all over our
great land, on farms whose owners arc
selling raw products In one form or
another. A great many farmers fall
to gasp the fact that to the extent that
they reduce the fertility Of their soils
Just to that extent have they reduced
their capital.
! Let's look at the matter further, and
see II this be not the truth. A nom
productive acre OF land IL worth moth
Ing to the agriculturist. An acre that
will produce 10 bushels Of corn. We
Will say is worth IS; while an acre that
win with the same labor) produce 30
bushels, IL worth at $50. II We have .
100-acre field, say that will produce
but 10 bushels per acre. the price would
be worth only $500; while II, by good
management, we bring that field to
produce so bushels per acre 1t win be
worth (actually worthy $500.
And the rule will work In the oppo-
site direction as WELL Can We not see,
on every hand. evidence Of this-farms
that, so years ago, were producing well,
depleted by mismanagement?
This subject Of soil value 10 Of vital
importance to land owners Of the south
at present, as everything indicates that
there will be. in the near future, .
great influx Of land buyers. And those
who have their soils In good condition
win reap the benefit Of the higher value
| that viii be placed upon these improved
farms: and II they be not for<sale, We
will have the satisfaction Il knowing
! that we are leaving to our children -