The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-01-14
TELLS WHY HE STAYED ON FARM
A Young ran Saws His Father Let Him
In On Plans Of rlanaeement.

A Young nan Saws His Father Let Him
In On Plans of
There has been a good deal OF dis
cussion on the subject of boys leaving
the farm. | am farmers son. ;nearly
q years old. and still live on the farm.
Of course a great many leave after
they are of age. but they would have
gone long before if they could have
followed their own inclinations. If a
boy is interested in farming when he is
20, then he will stick to it, unless cir
cumstances are very unfavorable.
Now that is just the point that many
of the writers have been trying to
make; anything to get him interested.
The method most usually suggested is
to give him something to call his own.
| do not think that plan as 1t usually
works is worth rap. To give a boy
an idea of stock raising in that way he
should be made to pay for all feed and
housing and finally to pay back the
money invested in the stock, together
with interest for the time he used it.
The biggest mistake, however, is not
there. The father may furnish the
money and work and yet do less harm
than he does by furnishing the brains,
which is the big thing in the whole
scheme Make him think. | have
been acquainted with a good many
farmer boys. whose views of farming
run all the way from hatred through
contentment and up to enthusiasm and
the policy of their fathers runs from
keeping the boy under his thumb
through giving HIM more or less freedom
and up to making him think of himself
and for the farm.
Some farmers think their 16-year-old
boys can not be trusted with anything
more valuable than the oldest, slowest
horse on the place and can not do any
more important work than hoeing
weeds or pitching manure. If boy is
Is years old. and ?, ysically normal, and
is not hitched TO any farm implement,
then he is a decided reflection on the
fathers method of training. and ten
chances to one he is already casting
longing glances toward the city.
fortunately for me my father has
always followed a different plan. |
have been around stock since | can
remember. | have handled a team IN
the field since | was g. Since | was
II have handled all the machinery we
used, from the pillow to the corn shred
der. Some neighbors thought it in
human to make small boy work in the
fields, bu. father never said anything
about the amount of work | was to do
and so did not work hard enough to
hurt myself, but took such absorbing
interest in the quality that soon was
able to compete with the best farmers
in neat blowing and straight corn plant
ing.
Of course | made some mistakes, but
If they were of such a nature that
could not see them myself father never
said anything about them. l was ex-
pected to set it right myself. and then
see that it did not happen again. When
| did anything really noteworthy he
would make complimentary remark
about it that pleased me more than
yards of gush. If there is anything
that | can do better, or know more
about, than he does, he admits it and
always allows me to do or manage that
part of the work.
Some have suggested giving the boy
a good horse and rig. Right again.
As matter of fact | would not stay on
this farm two weeks if did not have a
horse to drive just about whenever |
wish. Any boy over 16 who has not a
healthy desire to associate with bows
and girls of his own age is abnormal,
and so much that he will never make
two stalks of alfalfa grow where one
ragweed grew before. The farmer does
not need to give his boy a horse. but
should see that he has the use of one
without begging for 1t. While you are
slowly allowing Yourself to be wheed-
ed into letting him have the rig, some
other fellow gets the girl; and then
you should not expect him to take an
absorbing interest in the stock judging
while the other fellow is feeding Nancy
ice cream and whirling her on the
merry-go-round
Do not entangle the finances of the
farm with partnerships or profit shar-
ing plans, but just give the boy a
chance to get in where the big and i'm
portant things are done. Give a word
of praise when deserved and never try
to cut out his social life.-"A Future
Farmer In The Breeds Gazette.