Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-12-10
PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR.

We are now getting well into the win
ter when the bad weather viii keep
us indoors more than during the other
seasons Of the year. We will have time
to plan for the coming years work and
look back over the past year and recog.
nize our mistakes and plan 20 avoid
them next time. We can even let our
minds run still further back; even TO
our boyhood days, and see If we are
doing as well in every way as our ia
theirs did In some respects many of
US are not.
When l was a boy every farmer in
the community fattened not only enough
hogs to provide meat and lard for home
use, but practically all Of them had hogs
TO sell and bacon to sell The tenant
farmers and many Of the laborers man.
aged to fatten their own meat. They
also raised their own potatoes, canned
their own fruit and made their own soap.
Now, very few farmers do this, but de.
pend on their groeeryman.
II is true we have better markets
than our fathers had but there is no
need or profit in paying for the handling
of things we can produce at home. The
groceryman is not in business for ac-
commodation.
think it is good business judgment
to produce as much on the farm as pos
sble of the things required for home
consumption. As our land from constant
cropping has produced shorter crops
each year and the demands for money
increased, our farmers, because of the
good markets, could not resist the temp
tation to sell their live stock off to meet
pressing demands, hoping to restock in
some way, but the ability to restock
their farms decreased and will continue
to decrease as long as they continue their
| present method of farming.
To change our methods is going to re-
! quire some intelligence and energy, and
is going to require some sacrifice Of
comforts for a time, but nothing worth
while has ever been accomplished with
! OuL Stli-sdcIlIce.
Our trouble as farmers has been our
inclination to drift with the tide: to
follow in the well-worn ruts. Many Il
mortgage has been saddled on farms be-
cause it was the easiest way to secure
ready money to provide some luxury that
little extra effort and economy could
have provided in time and presented the
mortgage on the farm.
We must produce more live stock in
Tennessee if we hope to rebuild our soils.
I can understand just how the farmer
feels about changing his methods when
he is having hard work to make both
ends meet under present conditions. But
at the same time he might as well make
up his mind that conditions can only
grow worse with his present system
l have suggested as a solution where
he has more land that he can cultivate
as it should be, and this is true in a ma
jority OF cases, to sell enough land to
get out Of debt and get a few stockers
then all the land not required for thor
ough cultivation, use for pasture. The
saving in taxes and trying to keep W
a large area will hep out. The increased
production from thorough cultivation
and the increase in live stock will helE
out more, and one important thing that
will count mOst-the utilization of valu
able timG-will in itself enable the farm
er to take new grasp and help him t.
get safely on the ROAD to prosperity
We must get away from methods tha
are obsolete. We must adjust ourselves
to present day conditions. We must giv'
the same intelligent attention and en-
ergy to farming required for success il
any other vocation, and when we do tina
we can confidently expect success Il
crown our efforts.