The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-02-28
rIErY ACRE ENRMs

| Prof. Miller VI ihe u"FNi''N'
Missouri, delivered lecture recently
i'm which he said that any city man
with intelligence and pluck could IN
vest $3.50 in n iifty-acre farm ana
within a few years be absolutely inde-
reudent lie went n little further
than the average lecturer in that he
gave "details of operating expenses
etc, and itemized the investment
Thus we find that he sets aside VI
$50 for land. That Is at the rate oi
$2b per acre, and 1t must be rem
embered that much land can pc mao
at the price, but not in this immedi-
ate vicinity. Four times that amount
would be more nearly the correct
figure upon which TO base an aver
age for this country. and even then
IL would be very low, but that has
nothing to do with the case, as
there is an abundance of land in
this country still to be had for $25
an acre.
Fence repairs. the professor sets
down at $3.50; small buildings $50 two
cows, $120; two horses, $500; two
brood sows, $40; implements 5000;
fruit trees, $40; seeds, potatoes, etc,
SIS: miscellaneous repairs 500; Feed
for animals, $50; living expenses for
family of five, first year $3.50; taxes
and insurance $25.
There is good deal of tommy-rot
being printed about farming at this
time, and we are not sure but the
above could be put under that head,
plausible as il appears. Certainly If a
man who has saved $3.50 should un-
dertake to carry out the instructions
of the professor, and make his invest
ments according to schedule, he
would have about as much success
in farming as the people have in rails
ing children according to the rules
laid down by old maids. The truth is
there is no way to figure upon farm
expenditures; there is no book which
one can read and become a farmer
by reading Il.
why is IL that everybody wants TO
tell the other fellow how to make
money on a farm. anyway? You do
not hear professors or others advis-
ing people to go into the merchan-
blSlilb bhSii'eos ahiiu s'N ~ 80 ~
easiest thing i'm the world TO take a
piece of paper and show how TO get
'ich in selling goods. For instance,
ct the fellow with the small fortune,
iay of five thousand dollars, invest
half of IL in mems suits that cost him
10 suit. That would enable him
% buy two hundred and fifty suits.
rhen let him invest the other half of
lis money in advertising, and sell
he suits for twenty dollars each,
md he has within a few weeks a
profit of two thousand five hundred
lollars. Such talk is as sensible for
| professor to attempt to show a
nan how he can buy two hundred
dollars worth of implements and
nrteen dollars worth of seed and
make a chop.
The truth is that farming Is as
much a profession as the practice of
Medicine, and requires as high grade
Intelligence, although 1t may not re-
quire as much education. Invest
ments on the farm must be made
with as much care and discretion as
they are made in manufacturing.
there are no two farms requiring the
same investments, and there Is no
way to set down in black and white
what Ii is going to cost TO operate
a farm. There are more contingenci-
es TO be figured upon in farming
than in running a store. and more
depends upon the foresightedness of
the farmer.
Farming is coming to be a profit
abe industry-not as profitable as it
should be perhaps, i'm comparison
with Its importance, but still pro-
iltable where scientifically carried on.
But the city bred man cannot hope
to invest couple of thousand dol
lars in a piece of land and few
fences and sit down and let nature
raise his crops. The city man can
learn to operate farm, If he has
the patience, the courage, the
strength and the industry along with
a liberal allowance of intelligence
but 1t Is delusion and snare to be-
lieve that he can save up few dol
lars and become independent by in
vesting II in land, the very nature
Of which he does not understand.
We do not wish TO discourage any
one from going to the farm. There
are certainly too many people In
The cities, and not enough of them
IlVlng in the country. We believe
that life upon farm at this time
comes more nearly being the
ldeal lie than any other, that the
FARMER Is the most fortunate of men;
ana that 1t would be better for the
whoie human race II the land were
more Intensely cultivated, which
means smaller farms. But we do
urge the people to consider carefully
a move to the country unless thew
know something of the problems
winch they will have to solve upon
the farm just as we urge the sons
ana daughters of the farmers to re-
man upon the farm where there is