Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-01
MUCH THAT He MUST KNOW
Extensive Requisites for Successful
Agriculturist.
WRONG CROPS ARE RAISED
Products That Are Scarce and Sure
to Grow Bring the Best
Returns.

Question-Can a city man make sue
cessful living as a farmer?
Answer-He can. but the chances are
big that he won't.
The Department of Agriculture has
been studying the question for some time
There is an ever-increasing movement OF
men who want to leave the city and
make their fortune running a farm.
The department has done all II could
to help them with advice. w. ]. Spill
man Of the Office OF farm management
has been especially instructed to look
after this work.
Questioned about tho outlook. he said:
Chances Against City Man.
II do not want to seem pessimistic. but
the fact Is that the city man who Is
trying the farming game is going up
against q hard formation. He can make
a success. He sometimes does. But
there are many who have not the nerve
or the capacity, and they fail.
1T il just as well to consider the sub
ject as 1t Is. and not to raise any false
hopes. A city man who goes to the
rest assured that he will make at the
best but a scant living for several years
After that things may come his way
He may make success. but he mas 10
have the nerve and the endurance to
stand the lean years ana the hard work
first.
"The reason Is plain. The city man
who goes to farming Is starting at the
A country boy can come In tswn ana
start as a street car conductor. he may
eventually develop into the president or
q high Official Of the road.
But that same boy-brins MIN 70 Town
and put him in charge Of big depart
ment store. and 1t takes no imagination
to see what sort Of q failure he would
make. That Is the sort OF job that
the grown-up city man undertakes wnen
he starts out after he Is mature and
tries to make living in the country.
Things He Must Know.
He has no idea before he starts how
many things he must know to make
success. He must know something OF
fertilizers and the chemistry Of soils.
He must know about breeding and feed
ing stock. He must DO . mechanic and
be able either to do q Job Of blacksmith
ing or carpentry or know how 1t ought
to be done.
"He must know about planting and
working knowledge Of botany. He must
know about marketing crops after he
gets them. Above all. II no has men
working for him. he must be good
'You see. this 10 . list Of accomplish
ments that are absolutely essential. A
man can study . lifetime and not know
all Of them.
tive farmers. born and reared on . farm.
are not making more than . bare living
today.
setting toward the farm from from I'll, the city
Q movement from the farms to the city.
"You take the returns Of the present
census. the last census and two OF the
decades before that. and you will find
have shown an actual loss Of population
In tho country and an enormous increase
In the towns. There was steady employ
ment In the towns. and. excepting times
there was more demand for labor than
could be supplied.
Trend Il Back to Farm.
sThere was an immense increase in
manufacturing. transportation and dis
tributiDn Of supplies. We were raising
and exporting moro foodstuffs than we
could usa
but now that surplus supply u
being cut down. There arc actually less
cattle being raised now fn the west
than In past years There 10 less food
being exported. Fifteen years will see
M making no exports Of foodstuffs. The
price Of food here viii be the foreign
price plus the freight.
1t !. true. but they have. not kept pace
with the cost Of living. By no means
The city man II being pressed to make
both ends meet ana It II natural that
he should turn toward the country.
'"The magazines and periodicals are
telling of the fortunes that are being
made by city men In tho country. 1t Is
natural that the city man wants to get
back to the soil But a. = rule he does
not know what q hard job he is tryiLg
failure
.One OF the reasons that he makes
q failure IL that he 90 frequently tries
the th,ns Most 9 s city men s9t wn9
truck raising. They do not know what
q small truck area It takes to support
the country.
The city man may be raising cabbages.
The chances are that he will fiLd at the
end Of the year that there were too many
cabbages raised ana he did not even
come out even.
Il know that last year up in Michigan
went Il US s cny raising Il. e,
men but the native-born farmers.
They had . big crop and potatoes
were selling for 8 cents q bushel and
hard TO sell at that. They did not pay
for the fertilizer.
Fruit Raising Improbable.
MANY other city men 80 in for fruit
farming. Now. fruit II ono Of the most
| uncertain things that are raised In this
country. days frost In tho spring can
run the whole years crop. and we usu-