The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-02-14
No Drudgery on This Farm.

Foolish it is for city people to at
tempt to draw q graphic picture OF the
hard lot of the poor down-trodden
gerry farmer takes up the same story.
feel an inclination to battle when I
hear a farmer talk whiningiy of the
drudgery of the farm, as though that
was all there is connected with farm
life. And then to complain that the
young folks won't stay on the farm.
1t makes me feel much as though
mine. There is drudgery anywhere,
when work is done grudgingly in Il
half-hearted manner. We do not al
ways get a chance to place a kick
where it is likely to be effective toward
bettering our condition. / Will kick
hard. but this kicking at our own
business does a lot of harm and. no
good. I would like to tell of a young
man with whom ! am very intimate,
who grew up on the farm with little
love for the business, and With no
definite idea as to what his own life S
work would be He married rather
young and found himself with the
responsibilities Of supporting family,
with no means and no special position
above that OF a day laborer Like
many other farmers sons he went to
the city. only TO find that city life
is not SO gay as it looks from a
/, distance. and that city people have
| IL I,ay> fn hac
in the country
About this time he met q man who
is an enthusiastic farmer and cham
pion Of intensive culture. From this
man he gradually acquired much in
formation, faith and enthusiasm. and
finally deGidsd to take up farming as
his lfe's work lie worked and saved
with. this in mind for several years.
Then we find him with a capital Of
s1,15O and a determination to make a
start for himself. He bought 10 acres
Of land with buildings on for $l,2oo.
The house was fairly good. but the
other buildings were Very poor, and
the place ha6 been allowed to go to
rack generally. The water from one
side of the house roof ran back under
the porch and down cellar. .he sur
face water ran into the we'll until 1t
was unfit to use: the yard was full
of rubbish what fences there were
were in the most dilapidated cOndi-
ton possible and the kitchen garden
was the only spot on the place that
would produce a good crop as it was.
There was not an acre in any one
piece that did not need ditciing, and
much Of it was practically useless
without it. A tough-looking PROPOSE
tion for a man with all his money
invested in the real estate, $50 in debt
and no outfit to begin operations with.
Yes. but there was to be no drudsery
here.
He took hold Of this job with some
thing Of the spirit Of the contest, fully
realizing that these were mountains
of hard work and not q few obstacles
Iahead. and that he was not We'll fitted
himself for this kind Of work. He
proposed to transform this place into
p pleasant comfortable home, and TO
make the land both productive and
profitable. 1t was a big game, but the
object was worth the effort, and he
was going to win. His plans was
TO begin market gard ening and gradu
allv work into the berry business. or
combine the two This was in the
spring of 1905, the fourth of May
when he took possession. It required
two weeks Of hard work to get the
house and surroundings in something
Of a respectable and sanitary condi-
tion One Of the first things done was