The Green Forest tribune., 1913-03-07
BACK YARD FARMER
Interesting Pointers on Garden ing for the City Man or
 Suburbanite.
WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN
Advice by an Expert on Agricultural Matters-The City on the Farm Moses on Chicken Raising
 Care of the Lawn.
By PROF. JOHN WILLARD BoLTE.

By PROF. JOHN WILLARD BoLTE.
 The title to this talk is a question that is asked the writer more often, possibly, than any other. Does the farm hold out a promise of a comfort able living along with it's advertised independence? Can the ordinary city bred man, with or without cash cap ital of his own, undertake farming with any assurance of success in a money way
 Unfortunately, this question cannot be answered, save in qualified man. ner. Hundreds, yes, probably thou sands of city men have gone into farming in some of it's branches and have been entirely successful. Pos sibly as many more have taken the same step and have been mighty glad to give up their independence for regular job at the risk of some one else. As in all other independent pur- suits, it depends almost entirely on the man.
 The farm is no place for lazy man. It is not all new mown hay and fresh rawberries with clotted cream. Most of it is hard work, with plenty of precipitation mixed in. It means long hours, from before dawn until after dark, most of the year. City farmers who have failed have been, for the most part, those who expected to put in an eight-hour day and let nature do the rest.
 The fact that must be borne in mind is that nature by herself rarely pro duces profitable crops The profit in farming is represented by the differ ence between what nature would pro- duce if left alone, and what man forces her to produce by his thought and work, the cost of his work being deducted from the gross receipts from the crops. Work Is what makes for success in farming as in any other line-work and careful planning. We are entirely safe in saying here that a city bred man of intelligence and perseverance can undoubtedly make as good a living on the farm as he can in business, on the average. If he has to do manual work, as he certainly will, his reward will come in strong muscles and clear, fresh brain. If he has to put in longer hours, he will be able to sleep nights and awake in the morning as fresh as lad. The lowly natural things that he comes in contact with in his daily work are at least as nature made them, which cannot be said of the filthy surroundings in most sections of every large city.
 What line should a city man take up in order to be reasonably sure of success at the start? Subject to local conditions, we would name the follow ing list of agricultural pursuits in the order of their precedence: Poultry and fruit, dairy farming, small fruit farming, truck gardening. A number of other special local lines could be add ed, but we do not advise any mex perienced man to attempt general farming or the handling of a large tract of land until he has had time to become familiar with general farming practice It is absolutely certain that any of the above lines, carefully han dled on a small scale, will enable a man to earn hundred dollars month on an average, over and above ex- penses, provided he owns his land and buildings As he becomes familiar with his problems he can hire others to work for him and materially in crease his own income.