Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-08-14

. S"I1I Specially ASA A@AS
In q recent issue OF a. so-ca1ed
farm paper," published os6ensihly in
the interests of farmerse and for their
helm, 7 found a rather vigorous edi-
toriaE on Summer Journeys 1t be
gan:
where e-are YOU gungf We ask
particularly our farm folk who were
never better situated than now to en-
Joy the benefit OF travel.
1t went on to state thatshaytng was
now over and there was "a month
OF six weeks before fall work comes
on apace" Therefore, It advised It's
farmer readers to get acquainted with
their own country.
II snti,nated that II auyefarmer sold
one fat steer the price would "nego-
tate the round trip from Chicago to
the Pacific coast" but strongly advised
that he sell mot one fat steer, but
two or three or four and take MS
whole family with him.
"Westward-hoi' it cried Let us
knock off work for August and go
afield!"
When ! had read thus far. I, lay
down the paper and began to think;
began to figure how that ine-sound-
ing advice would apply inn case.
In the first place, hayingsis not over
in my meadows, nor in any other
meadows in this vicinity. The con-
slant rains of the past six weeks have
hindered US all SO that we are not
now, where we usually are July 10,
in point Of hay-harveSt. know OF
several hundred acres OF 1ow-fy1ng
meadow which are still ,water-logged.
1t would be impossible to drive q
moving machine across them or even
an empty hay-r1gging.. We shall all
have to wait some little time before
we can attack them And we GER
+.1<
prompt advantage Of the very first day
when they do become approachable.
1t would never do for us to be in
California when we could be saving
that hay. If we were on our job.
In the next place, neither nor any
Of my neighbor farmers are apt to
have "a month or six weeks of loaf
ing time, any season between hay and
harvest. We none of us are able to
Get all the help we need. We have
to take such inadequate supply as we
can find; always less than We want
end generally of a sort much less de-
pendable than we would like. don't
know of a farmer who would feel safe
in leaving his stock and his crops
and his whole farm interests in the
unmatched care of his hired help for
six weeks, nor for a month. nor for a
fortnight.
6uI CnaE ISL all Oh L by T6a-
son of this shortage of help we arc
always a little behind hand sometimes
a long ways behind. If there comes
to US a week when, normally, we
might expect leisure, We have to use
it all in catching up with our work
Evon after these things have been
considered, we haven't yet arrived at
the real status and condition of the
farmers summer Tt'S an old saving
and worthy of wide acceptation that
we are to make hay while the sun
shines"
This doesn't mean just cutting grass
and drying it. The phrase is a fig
ure of speech conveying by apt innu-
endo the truth that farmers, being
wholly dependent for their success
upon weather and other climatic con-
ditions, must work when the condt-
lions are right-and must always be
ready and prepared to seize each gold
en- opportunity as it comes our way
In other words, each one of Us must be
''Johnny-on-the-spo with plans all
witS> both feet on the job, whatever
it is. which natural conditions give
us opportunity to do.
We must be ready to make our hay,
whenever it gets fit to make and the
sun shines to make it; We must be
ready to cultivate when the soil tells
US it needs cultivation: we must spray
bugs when they arrive on our crops;
We must dig our early potatoes as
soon as they are big enough and while
the market still permits us a living
price for them; and we have no man
ner of control over the sunshine or the
bugs or the markets.
We can't order them to come in ,nly