Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-03-06
Fickle.Minded Farmers.
BUY WHEN PRICES ARE HIGH AND SELL
WHEN THEY ARE LOW.

/ once knew a very Jealous farmer and
a hard worker who made up his mind
that there was big profit in sheep. At
that time wool and mutton were selling
well, in fact one of his neighbors had
told him upon being asked why he had
butchered certain sheep, 81 killed that
sheep expressly for the wool, and the
mutton, too, by thunder" Accordingly
he sold most of his other stock and
bought large flock of sheep. He kept
them two or three years and when they
were low one fall, thinking that there was
no profit in the sheep business he sold the
lot at eighty-three cents per head. The
next year he went into cows, paying
good prices with the intention of selling
cream to the creamery. Being dissatis-
fed with the results, he sold his cows at
so much for the lot-making sub
stantial loss. He built silo and filled
it year or two and then turned his at
tention to potatoes leaving the silo
empty. The high price of potatoes at
planting time did not continue long after
digging time and concluding that there
was no money in potatoes he cursed the
crop and went to grain raising, but as he
said western grain was too cheap for
him to compete with, he has finally sold
his farm and gone into other business.
Right here will mention some of the
advice of a rather shrewd old farmer
who has been satisfied with good liv
ing and has never wanted or expected
to die rich. In fact he says that al
though he never took cent of interest
money he has paid as high as twelve per
cent. Upon being asked if he thought
it would pay to buy flock of sheep he
said, "Now is a good time to sell sheep.
but if you buy do 80 of some one who
wants to sell 10 get rid of them and not
because they are high" Again he says,
at is better to plant potatoes when they
are low and then your seed will not be
likely to cost so much in proportion to
your income from the CROP"
On the road to wealth everyone, un-
less possibly it is Mccall, McCurdy or
the like can look back and see where
they have taken the wrong road or stood
too long at the parting of the ways con-
sidering. Most anyone has the waiting
habit and gold brick men have for a
motto, ~ knock unbidden once at
every gate, if sleeping, wake, If feasting
rise before it is too late-it Is the hour
of fate"
There was q time when / could have
bought for twenty-five hundred dollars
a piece of timber land that is worth now
over hundred thousand, but / had not
the twenty-five hundred, and If I had
most likely would not have had the
courage or faith or knowledge to 90
ahead and buy. Perhaps it is as we'll as
/ might have taken to drink and it is
getting to be the general opinion that
there are too many McCalls and Nc
Curdys.
And so with the results of the recent
Investigations of the methods OF high
financiers in view l will make this New
Years resolution and set it down on pa
per, that if / have any surplus money in
the year to come l will not buy life in
surance, gold-bricks, patent medicines
nor mining stock, but will spend it for
improvements on the farm or piece OF
growing timber land.-H. b. Whipple in
New England Farmer.