Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-08-19
AT me I'M ar EZE AATxJV 13

great American humorist, said N a speech before
the representatives of the Associated Press that
everybody thought they could write play,
a hotel or edit newspaper" He might have
larged his list by adding become a successful
farmer To put seed in the ground and see it
grow seems easy that almost every mag
ines himself capable of doing it successfully. But
we know that farming, that is, successful farm
ing, is both science and business One
make just complete failure of farming he
can of practicing law, running hotel edit
ing a newspaper 1t would be than useless
to encourage the Back to the Soil" movement if
IL is not planned and executed in way that is
likely to be successful. The natural yearning
get back to the soil' that comes to most people
causes such a movement to appeal to those who
are well qualified, well to those who are
poorly qualified successfully to do their part
cultivators of the soil. To go back to the soil
is to the man of ordinary means and under ord
nary circumstances something like pioneering
and not every man, by any means. is capable of
becoming successful pioneer. To undertake in
discriminatory, unscientifcally without proper
method and organization, to get people back to
the soil will result in more of failures than
cesses; in more of injury than of good. But this
work can be accomplished in way that will be
both effective and successful and which will in
crease the proportion of producers as compared
with consumers All that is necessary for the
accomplishment of this result is that the fore
sight and organization should be adopted in
ing the business of farming is adopted the
Inauguration of any other business enterprise. If
men of means, who also have the disposition to
help their fellow men, would realize that they
could make good paying investment well as
relieve distress and suffering by helping others
to return to the soil in the right way the back to
the soiI' movement would then give promise of
accomplishing all that its enthusiasts have claim
ed for it Such MOVEMENT must of course be
under taken on a bushes basis upon plan which
viii promise not only profitable return on the
investment, but result in giving good homes and
steady employment to mary people who need both
1t is easy enough to say 50 the poor of the large
cities that they should "go back to the
SOIL; but for the successful accomplishment of
sucn result money, and considerable money, is
required One cannot expect to make a living
a lew hundred dollars invested in a farm and the
machinery necessary for its cultivation any more
tnan one can expect to make living the
amount invested in any other business. So in
the nrst place, it requires money or credit to
ouy farm, and money credit secure neces
sary implements. machinery horses, cows, etc, to
successfully conduct it 1t will take from five
one hundred and sixty acres, according the char
acter OF the soil and the methods its cultivation
10 support family You cannot expect large re-
turns from poor farm, from good farm, DOOR
~ cultivated You cannot expect to receive re-
turn from farming Investment out of all pro
portion to the value of the investment and the
labor expended thereon The dificulty in this
proposition begins at once. Many of those whom