The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-11-18

DANCED country. If l had
81 enough money to move on
I'd go To OklahOmy."
Tom Weston thus delivered himself
after taking his year. crop Of cotton
to town. When he finished settling
up for the twelve months advances
of provisions, clothing, fertilizer and
feed for his two scrawny horses, with
10 per cent interest on the whole
of cotton as rent he had to pay for
the dilapidated farm he occupied, he
was still in debt.
Tom Weston had never owned a foot
Of land. and lie was forty-siX years old.
His father had never owned u foot Of
land and died in debt at the end of a
long life, the scant proceeds of his mis-
directed labors going always to others.
Joe Weston, fourteen years old. had
the same unhappy prospect stretching
down the years for him-a slave in the
chains of circumstance and nothing
but toll, always for others. For his
portion, existence and the privilege of
toiling.
Joe had come to town with his ia
Their on settling day. He hoped that
when Mr.. Weston finished with the
SOmerville Mercantile company, or the
company finished with him. there
would be money enough for a pair of
real store trousers and a new hat and
a pair of stout boots with bright cop
per bands on the toes. For four years
now Joe had worked in the fields with
his father, and Mr.. Weston had prom
ised him the shoes and hat and clothes
this year for helping.
In the spring Joe dropped the cotton
seed in the furrOw. When it came up
he handled a hoe and helped 'chop
out" the surplus plants. Then came
on the bitter fight with weeds and crab
grass to give the little cotton stalks a
start. The last year Joe had been
given a light plow, and he plowed the
cotton. Then, along in the middle Of
September, he and his mother and lit.
tie sister Nell helped pick it.
After all the cotton had been picked,
ginned and sold Joe was allowed to go
to school. from November until the last
of February. for in March the plows
were started to going again.
"Why don't you diversity a bit. Mr..
Weston" inquired John Somervillc
kindly. You'd be better off if you did.
Instead Of planting all cotton. why not
try some oats and corn. an acre or so
Of yam potatoes, raise a couple of pigs
for meat, put in a good garden and cut
your expenses down.
Then it was that Mr.. Weston made
ma. A shade of impatience fitted ovel
Mr.. S~omcrville's face.
you're dead wrong there, Tom.
There's more in the man than there is
in the land. The trouble is with you,
Tom, not the country or the land. You
are just too lazy to learn improved
methods. and you are no different in
that respect from thousands of other
farmers in this country. You won't
learn anything
"Y-a-a-s, I've hearn a heap about this
here book farmin', but l amt neve
seen nobody gettin' rich at it,"
Nobody around here has had sense
enough to try it," retorted the mer
chant.
IF we don't know nothin' about it
how we goin' to start?" inquired Yves
ton, thinking he had Mr.. Somerville.
"There's an agent of the United
States department of agriculture ant
the state commissioner Of agriculture
over at the courthouse right now TO
the purpose Of comforting with yo'
farmers of this county. I'll bet Their
are 300 farmers in town today, and no
twenty-five will have interest enoug|
to go and listen to these gentlemen"
Jaw, shucks! What does a little doc
from Wash'n'ton or up to the capita
know about farmin'? I've done forge
more than they'll ever know"