Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-12-31
cBv u. a. c. TAYLOR.

tBF II. a. L. TAI
The "back-to-the-farm" movement
thai is being pushed so vigorously is
accomplishing its object at the cost
of the hopes and the savings of many
who have been made oversanguine by
the untruthful and misleading articles
that have been published recounting
the advantages and monetary gain for
those land-hungry ones who leave the
city to follow farming.
This movement, with its object OF
populating the inactive farms and
gradually bringing back to fertility the
abandoned places has awakened the
interest of both rich and poor alike,
and will in the course of time, and by
ne natural process of elimination,
actually place on the farms those who
will remain there to follow farming as
a profession; but during this time a
sharp word of warning should be ad-
dressed to the oversanguine and to
the man of small capital who imagines
great profits will come to him who
does but buy a farm.
To the city man especially should
this warning be addressed, and will
point out to him by truthful recital of
my own experiences just where city
man may fail, if he is not very careful
in taking up farming as a profession.
can imagine no greater folly for
l city man than to engage in farming
without any previous experience in
farming, or without a bank-roll com
mensurate with his inexperience, as
inexperience in farming comes high.
Farming requires to be financed as
carefully as any business venture one
may engage in in the city or else
where. You cannot possibly make a
success of farming without capital,
and you cannot expect sufficient finan-
cial returns without an investment or
until you have been farming long
enough to profit by and correct the
mistakes of the first years.
Some farms have all the modern
conveniences, such as running hot and
cold water. both gas and electric
lighting, with the facilities of tighten
ing the homework, but the great ma
jority of our farms can only boast
of a sink in the kitchen.
! bought a 20 acre farm in Massa-
chusetts. not far from Boston, and
moved on to it in the fall, thinking
that a winters work would get things
In good shape for the following year
| was farm-hungry. l had longed
for and anticipated the day when !
could shake the city and live in pure
air and healthful surroundings on q
New England homestead of sufficient
acreage to permit of my doing all of
my own work without hiring help.
For several years | had read up on
farming. taking several farm journals
and the bulletins issued by the depart
ment of agriculture, and in this way
gathering a fund of information,
which, together with the knowledge
earned in four years work on farm
In Wisconsin when a lad, would, ! be-
lieved fit me to carry out the plan |
had in mind when l should acquire
my own place.
OF the hard work in the fields, the
building of railfenees in the cold
morning by starlight, the cutting of
the corn when the dew was on the
leaves causing sore shoulders and
aching backs, the husking of the corn
from the shock when snow WAS on
the ground. had only a hazy recol-
lection probably because l was then a
Young blood ready for frolic or hard
work, whichever came first. In the
light of the experiences Oh the farm
know that l must have worked
awfully hard without realizing it at
the time.
/ spent two years looking up farms
in almost every state. making inquiries
from every source possible, but could