Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1910-10-14

ing the cows. III regulating the ma
chinery and the thousand and one 9th
err things that the farmer must know
how to do. The only way the ART of
farming can be learned Is by prac-
tice The best way for the city man
with limited capital to learn is to hire
out to some good farmer by the month.
Farm help is scarce, and farmers are
always glad to get faithful men at
fair wages. They prefer skilled men.
but these are often impossible to OBJ
tain. It is not at all difficult for So
Der, industrious city man who really
wants to learn farming to get job
with a good farmer. In such a place
he can learn how to meet all the emer-
gencies that come up on farm. 1t is
even easier for married man to get
this sort Of job than 1t is for single
man. Farmers have a theory. which
is generally correct. that married men
are more to be depended upon. Many
of them are willing to furnish house
and garden to a man for the sake OF
getting one with family.
After spending year or two work
ing for some one else the would be
farmer will have fairly good idea Of
the art of farming. II he has been
putting In his spare moments studying
he will have a fair understanding of
the science of farming. His own com
mon sense and the training he has re-
ceiyed in town will fit him to handle
the business end. He Is now In pc
sition where he can plan on going TO
work for himself. He will have saved
something from his wages while on the
farm, and he probably had a little
money saved up before. Then comes
the question of whether to buy or TO
rent A good many beginners in farm
ing make the mistake Of tying all their
capital up in land and having moth
ing left for stock and equipment. In
order to make the farm pay the farmer
must have plenty Of working capital.
1t is usually better to rent for a few
years until enough money has been
saved to make a fair payment on the
land. Then farm can be bought
without robbing the equipment fund.
The question of where to locate Is an
important one and one which the con-
f1icting mass of evidence makes hard
to decide. The irrigated districts Of
the west offer some of the best oppor-
tunities to be found anywhere. The
country is new. and settlers are wei
come Land is high. but 1t does not
take much of 1t to yield good living.
The dry farming districts Of the
west have been loudly doomed. This
dry farming land can be bought very
cheaply. 1t costs little to get a start.
At the same time the man who goes
on a dry farm must remember that
only half of bis land will yield
crop each year. sometimes not more
than a third of it The principle Of
dry farming Is to cultivate the land
for a year or two without sowing
crop. This prevents the rain which
falls from evaporating. and by the
second or third year enough moisture
will have been stored up to raise
crop. No one should think of going
on a dry farm without having enough
money laid by to pay expenses for
two or three years without any IN
come. Dry farming means many
losses and much encouragement. but
the success of many dry farmers
proves that 1t offers opportunities to
the man who has the courage to stick.
The fertile lands of the middle west
have been little advertised Of late. and
many people are of the opinion that
this part Of the country is already
fully settled. This is far from being
the case. The Mississippi valley could
support four or five times its present
farming population with ease. Land
is high. but it is worth the price. The
middle west offers the advantage of
progressive neighbors. good churches.
schools and colleges and modern con-
venienceS of every sort. There are
thousands of chances for the city man
in this section.
In the east probably the best oppor-
tunities are found IN truck farming.
Only small tract Of land is required.
and the returns are large.
The abandoned farms of New Eng
land can be purchased very cheaply.
They can never be made as productive
as the lands farther west. but under
proper treatment the fertility can be
restored and a very comfortable profit
secured from them.
The agricultural opportunities of the
south have been little advertised. yet
there is no section of the country
where the opportunities Of the small
farmer are greater Diversified farm
ing and stock raising are compare
lively new thing in this section. The
men who are growing less cotton and
more corn and hogs and dairy cows
are getting ahead. Land Is cheaper
here than in many parts of the coun-
try and can be made very productive.