Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-08-28

Some time ago / talked, one day,
about the difference between mining
and farming. The idea was that some
people who call themselves farmers
are, more accurately. miners. They DO
not farm their lands with intelligent
provision of the future but mine"
them-take all they can get out OF
the dirt and put nothing back. They
are the sort who rush after new
lands. work them feverishly for a Few
years, get off them all that they can
by hit-or miss methods, make sort
OF grab game" of il, and then, when
the abused soil refuses any longer to
yield crops to their piliage-"pi llage.
please not tillage-they make bolt
for some other place where they think
they can again get something for moth
ing.
This is the way farms are worn out.
A real farmer never yet wore out
farm. Real farming makes the farm
better every year.
Five or six years ago a western
farmer who had raised big crops on
his fertile quarter section and had
made SONS money, had a chance to sell
his prairie, place for about twice the
price of one of equal size in this east
ern town in which / live So he solo
there. bought here, and for several
years undertook to carry on the New
England farm. Somehow he didn't
succeed. He was rather free with his
advice to the slow natives about how
big farmers did things 'out west" but
the slow neighbors generally stuck to
their slow ways and frequently had
fair crops. He almost always failed.
So now he has sold his New England
farm and gone back west again. The
day before he went he told ME that
nobody could ever hope TO make farm
ing pay in the east. You have to put
back as much as you take off, he COM
planned. Why he had a neighbor,
out west" big dairyman, who once
offered him four hundred loads of sta
BILE manure If he would only draw it
away-and the dairyman would have
il loaded for him. and how far would
you have had to draw it?" "Oh, a lit
tie over half a mile" But he didn't
take it; had no use for it and mo
time 10 waste on such foolishness!"
Now he's hunting the west for land
which will grow crops without manure
and with little labor.
When the last acre of that sort Of
land has been taken up in this coun-
try, as 1t was hundreds of years ago in
Europe, where do such as he think
crops are coming from?
But it isn't of these "rniners" that 1
another class. You've read the adver-
tisements about near ilk?" It's
something which isn't silk but pre-
tends to some resemblance. So there
are real farmers and a sort whom /
call NEAR farmers" They aren't the
genuine thing. though they often look
and talk like 1t. and invariably think
themselves a little better than solid
metal. They are always going to do
great things, but always falling short
They set out to make big money, and
end by making q living-perhaps They
put about seventeen irons into the fire
and do very fair jobs with a dozen of
them; the rest they leave to burn out.
They are the kind who work magnifi-
Gently and successfully to raise grand
crops of corn, and who then leave it
stocked" in the field, till the fall rains
have soaked and softened and sprouted
half the ears and the fodder has had
three-quarters Of its nutritious value
washed out OF It,
Some Of them attempt too much
oblte off more than they can chew"
There are men who can handle three
acres to perfection. who couldn't take
care of hundred to save their lives.
Some are a. bit Mighty" enthusiasts
who begin the year at its spring with
. tremendous overflow of zeal And
then run down in the summer and fall
They can't seem 10 keep up the gait.
Some are able to see straight ahead
but can't look sideways or around a
corner.
Some lack self-control they can't
stick to their job and finish it. but
must all the time be jumping around
from one thing TO another. For all
the world. they're like children in
berry patch. never willing to stay at a
good bush and pick it clean, but leav-
hg it half stripped to struggle after
one a little farther on that looks bet
ter.
And so on and so on. There are
more varieties Of these near farmers"
than you could shake a stick at in a
long June day. But they all come I'M
der the general head They may i'm
pose upon chance visitors or casual
observers but they're not real farm
ers. At least, they're not really good
farmers.
les something Of trick to be a
real farmer. Oh. don't let that nose
begin to twitch. I'm not going into
hightalutin' nonsense about the digni-
ty OF the thing or it's fundamental i'm
poStance in the building of civilization.
Leave that to the office seekers who
want to swap softsoap for soft snaps.