Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-08-04

munitiee just now need leaders much
more than they need men who can
simply make money on their own
farms. 1t is necessary for the agri-
cultural college graduate to succeed on
his own farm. of course His every
move is closely watched by critical
neighbors. Even the shadow of
failure starts chorus of 81 told You
So"
Success on his own farm is he first
essential to the young man who would
be leader. Given that for backing,
he can do almost anything he wants
to with his community. Farmers have
a vast deal of respect for the man
who can do things. Their prejudice
against college farming Is lost in adj
niration for the results achieved by
the college farmer. If he advises or
ganizing club they are willing to
join in and help. If he tells them the
school needs recognizing they are
willing to be convinced They may
even consent to bringing two or three
schools together and using the money
saved to hire better teachers. The in
spiration of one mans success and the
energy impaired by him is sufficient to
start whole community to thinking
Once you get man to thinking, there
is no need to worry further about him
He will take care of himself.
If an energetic young farmer with
odI
placed in each township throughout
the farming sections the results would
be an enlightened agriculture that
would be the envy of the whole
world. A leading educator recently
made the statement that three live
agricultural college graduates could In
ten years increase the value Of the
land In any agricultural county $40
per acre. That sounds incredible, but
it Is literally true The community
would become so progressive that 1t
would be worth $50 an acre more to
live there.
The charge has been made that ag-
ricultural college graduates do not go
back to the farm. The facts do not
bear out this assertion. While the
percentage varies, it is safe to say
that fully SO per cent of the graduates
go directly to the farm. The others
go into some work closely related to
farming. In my acquaintance with
young men just finishing college l
have known of very few who were
not anxious to go to farming. A good
many of them do not do so because of
lack of capital. They have spent all
their money in college. and 1t looks to
them like uphill business to start
farming without cent. They are
overwhelmed with offers Of salaried
positions at salaries Of from 81 900 to
$1,000 a year to start with. Expert
ment stations, agricultural colleges,
agricultural papers and manufacturers
of agricultural products are all looking
for agriculI ral college graduates.
Many of The men go into some work
of this kind until they can save money
enough to start farming.
Of the college graduates who do
take up farming as a business the
greater number rent the home farm
or go into partnership with their re-
spective fathers This is the ideal
way for young man to get start
Under such favorable circumstances
be cannot help but succeed. Often,
however. there are enough brothers
at home to occupy all the land The
young college farmer must look else
where for a job. Every year the agri-
cultural colleges a.e receiving larger
number of calls for farm managers.
Many of these offers are exceedingly
liberal. They come for the most part
from farmers who wish to retire from
active work and at the same time do
not wish to sell or rent their farms.
They are often willing to take the
right sort of a young man in On a
partnership basis or give him a per