The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-11-15
INFORMATION FOR
THE FARMERS BOY
Young Men Stay on the
Farm.
BY Capt. T. F. Peck, Commissioners Of
Agriculture.

l would like to talk to the Young
men on the farm this week who are
making up their minds as to their yo-
cation in life. Those who have grown
up on farms owned by modern pro-
gressive farmers in the majority of
cases will select farming as a vocation
for they have learned something of
the great possibilities of farming when
followed with intelligence and energy
and they have seen some of the at.
tractive features of farming. But to
the boy raised in the country who has
seen only the drudgery side of farm
life, who had to get up at four in the
morning, work until breakfast feeding
or cutting wood; drudge all day and
we'll into the night; no time for pleas
ure, living on a farm where no thought
was given to making the home and
grounds attractive; where it was al.
ways work and drudge; no books, no
flowers, no music, no pleasant com,
pany; no wonder a boy would want
to get away from such surroundings
The most hopeful thing about the boy
is that he means to get away, and
my dear boy you are the one l want
to talk to, because there is a move
ment to take those conditions away
from the farm. A movement that
will be better for you, than for you
to give up farm life, because if you
do, you go among conditionS unfamil
lar to you and the chances are into
a form of slavery worse than that yor
are irving to escape, for vice is less
in evidence on the farm among farm
ers than anywhere men labor.
If you were to leave the farm you
might succeed. Thousands have gone
from the farm to the city and taker
the lead. While that is true, many
more have drifted into crime or havt
been swallowed up in the army o
men who live in squalid surrounding,
and have a struggle for existence.
wish you young men who are unde
cided about your vocation could inter
view the successful business men an,
ask them what they most desired ant
let them tell you how they yearn TO
the country and for the farm. The,
know that the farm can be provide,
with more comforts than the cit
home, but young man remember tina
it takes money to provide comfort
and c~onveniences either in the cit
or in the country home. We ar
not going to find any place where W
get them without effort. We hav
IL own living to make just as thos
ahead of us have made theirs, b
their own efforts. We want to fin
the best way. The boy raised on tn
farm has naturally learned man
practical things about farming
Everyone who knows anything aboU
the tendency of the times, knows tha
Agriculture is a vocation and Agricu
tural education Is commanding esp,
cial attention. People are just wal
ing up to the possibilities for prof
from Agriculture when intelligent
followed. The demand for INTEL
gent farmers is growing and tn
prices for their services is good an
will be better. With the same inte
ligence and educational advantage
the young man taking up Scientif
Agriculture finds a better field for SUI
cess than any other vocation to-da,
Most Of the others are crowded wit
incompetents. In Agriculture tn
demand far exceeds the available me-
Thoroughness and dependability mes
the same in Agriculture as in otht
%vocations, There is the added adva.
tage in the country over the city
latitude and freedom. In the city v
J are restricted, in the country not
much so; we have pure air. We ca
grow and develop mentally, moral
and physically.
I think the farmer boy before I
, decides to leave the farm and chanl
, his vocation should acquaint himse
: with what is being done to stimula
Agriculture and Agricultural educ
ton; what is being done to impro'
Z rural life conditions. If he will.
:, win be slow to leave a vocation til