Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-08-18
ar me M o< m ANRN<JV 1S

great American humorist. said N speech before
the representatives of the Associated Press that
everybody thought they could write play. run
a hotel or edit a newspaper. He might have en-
larged his list by adding become a successful
farmer" To put seed in the ground and see 1t
grow seems so easy that almost every one imag-
ines himself capable OF doing 1t successfully. But
we know that farming, that is, successful farm
ing, is both science and a business. One
make just complete failure of farming as he
can Of practicing law, running hotel edit
ing newspaper. 1t would be worse than useless
TO encourage the Back TO the Soil movement II
II Is not planned and executed in way that is
likely to be successful The natural yearnng
get back 10 the soil" that comes to most people
causes such 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 ordi
nary circumstances something like pioneering.
and not every man. by any means is capable Of
becoming a successful pioneer. To undertake in
discriminatory unscientfcally and without proper
method and organization. to get people back to
the soil will result in more OF failures than sue
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 same fore
sight and organization should be adopted in start
ing the business of farming is adopted in the
inauguration of any other business enterprise II
help their fellow men, would realize that they
could make a good paying investment as well as
relieve distress and suffering by helping others
10 return to the soil in the right way the back to
the soil' 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 bushes basis upon a plan which
Will promise not only profitable return on the
investment, but result in giving good homes and
steady employment to many people who need both
1t is easy enough to say to the poor of the large
cities that they should go back to the
SOIL; but for the successful accomplishment of
such result money. and considerable money is
required. One cannot expect to make a living on
a Few hundred dollars invested in a farm and the
machinery necessary for its cultivation. any
than one can expect to make living on the
amount invested in any other business. So, in
the hrst place. ii requires money credit to
buy farm, and money credit to secure neces
sary implements, machinery horses, cows, etc, to
successfully conduct it 1t will take from five to
one hundred and sixty acres according to the char
acter OF the soil and the methods its cultivation
10 support family. You cannot expect large re-
turns from poor farm. or from a good farm, poor
ly cultivated. You cannot expect to receive a re-
turn from farming investment out of all pro-
portion to the value OF the investment and the
labor expended thereon. The difficulty in this
proposition begins at Many of those whom