The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-11-05
TO THE FARMERS
OF TENNESSEE
BY CAPT. T. F. PECK,
Commissioner of Agriculture.
TAXES.

AAEO y
The above subject has been discussed
as much, and by as many people, as
any other one Subject; by Politicians,
land owners and those owning ny
kind of property subject to taxes, all
referring to the taxes collected by the
state, county and municipalities.
] want to talk to the farmers about
another form of taxes they are paying
that aggregate many times more than
the amount they pay in taxes TO the
state and county. | refer to taxes
hey pay on account of bad roads, neg
ected farm machinery, waste of time,
improper feeding OF farm animals,
want of care III selecting field seed,
failing to plan their work ahead want
Of sssem, etc.
When the question of good roads was
agitated have known farmers To vio-
tently oppose the proposition because
Of the increased tax, when ,he time
saved, The saving of teams, y ear aud
tear OF harness and wagons with good
roads over bad save TO any farmer Who
pays taxes enough To mention live
times the money he would pay IN in
creased taxes because OF the guid
roads; leaving out of consideration the
comfort and satisfaction of travelling
over good roads.
You can GO on to the majority OF
farms and find the depreciation on farm
machinery because of neglect, leaving
out in the weather, running when not
properly adjusted, not using oil, etc,
amounting TO more than the interest
on their cost plus natural wear and
tear with proper attention. This is II
useless tax.
Some farmers will tell you that they
work more and harder than nybody.
| persuaded one who told me that to
keep an accurate record of every day
he worked that he would be willing to
pay for If he were hiring it done. /
believe he was honest, for he reported
so days, and now admits that wasted
time was the biggest tax he had been
paying. Let the man in the city
whose time is his capital and has to
buy all of his food, clothing, fuel, ETC.,
only work so days in the year at the
wages he is paid and he will come out
badly in debt. No other vocation will
provide as many comforts at the same
expenditure of labor as farming.
have seen much waste in feeding
farm animals for want of knowing
how to feed to get the best results;
knowing how to feed balanced ration.
With some farmers feed is feed and
just SO their animals get feed it is i'm
material whether it will make heat,
fat or build up the muscles, when by
intelligentfeeding one-half the tonnage
would have given better results The
other half was an unnecessary tax paid
either to ignorance or indifference.
have seen farmers when they were |
ready to plant corn go 10 their cri /
and shell up their seed corn without
making any effort at selection of seed.
When every one who keeps in touch
with the work that has been done in
seed corn selection knows that by pro-
per selection of seed, other conditions
being the same, the yield can easily be
doubled. Is not as much more than
you make rather heavy tax to pay
Tor neglect in selecting the proper seed
corn?
| have seen men pretend to farm
without any definite plan about their
work. | have seen their ground in
splendid shape for working, but they
would do some other kind of y ork that
,ould be done when the ground was
ither too wet or too dry to pillow, then
when they were ready to do the plow-
ng it was too wet or too dry until it
lad to lie idle whole season, which
vas big tax TO pay for not inteIli-
emily managing work. II is better
lways to push any kind of work in
tead of letting it push you, because if
'ou are pushing it you can always do
he right thing at the right time. If
our work is pushing you you can not.
| have just mentioned few taxes ]
We are paying that we need not pay. '
DON'T you think you can manage to '
top them. That money and time for /
UGH taxes does no one no good The
lggestions are thrown out to get you
D thinking on the matter. If you will &
hink it over seriously you will decide
hat you will avoid paying unnecessa- +