The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-06-05

TWO or three would be an advantage
IN ordinary farming. If so, it will be
much more advantageous on a truck
farm Or In fruit growing. The article
is as follows:
In almost every other business and
profession the advantages resulting
from partnership are recognized and
praCtlCed far more than in farming,
and yet there are none in which the
Dement'S are Or could be made greater.
There is no business which has more
details to be attended to nor in which
care and accuracy IN planting and
promptneSS In execution of plans are
more essential. Sometimes a delay
of only few hours in the perform
ance Of piece of work entails a loss
that is many times the cost Of having
the work done. These delays and
consequent losses are due to a large
extent to the fact that no one man
can successfully attend to so many
things at the same time.
1t is true there are many farmers,
especially in the South, VINO conhne
themselves almost entirely to one
crop. Partnership may or may not
be advantageous to this class Of farm
ing number who by Investigation are
attempting to improve their lands,
there is no doubt that union of forces
and capital would in many cases
prove beneficial.
that has the following departments:
Stock-raising, dairying, trucking,
poultry, and frult-raising, with per-
haps some general farm crop. With
out doubt there are advantages in
combining these different branches
on the same farm in varying pro-
portion, but on the other hand it will
be readily admitted that very few
men have the ability to master all
the details incident to the successful
management Of such a variety. If
we find man who has the ambition
and time to inform himself On these
subjects, he soon becomes beWlldered.
The multiplicity Of details, the un-
familiar words and processes, the enc
mics and diseases that each plant and
animal is heir to, the new labor Saving
appliances said to be indispensable,
all have tendency to confuse him.
He feels that he is not equal to the
task, and the natural result is that he
falls back into the old rut.
The best remedy for this lies in
partnership entered into with the
understanding that each partner is to
make speciality of one Or two lines.
1t does not mean that their work
should be entirely separate or that
their specialties should be proper
tionately emphasized In fact, most
of the actual farm work can be done
together, but each should be the
director in his special department. and
should make himself an authority by
a thorough study of everything con
nected with his subjects.
The first and one OF the most i'm
portant advantages these men will
have over one who uses only his own
knowledge, capital, and labor, has
already been referred to in a general
way, viz: specialization. 1t enables
man to concentrate his mind on
a few things, while at the same time
he reaps the benefits, directly and in
directly, of the knowledge of another.
This concentration of mind not only |
results in better plants and more eco
nomical methods, but also brings
about quickening of the intellect, |
a more intense enthusiasm and devo-
ton to the work, and so makes life |
more interesting. The depth and
thoroughness of mans knowledge |
is in inverse proportion to the extent |
and variety of the objects of his |
study This educative influence is |
not the least valuable factor in the
process.
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