Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-03-05
p /.

first chapter to last.
CHAPTER I.
Mother said Sam Powell, Tets
go back to the farm this year."
well, 1 do say" exclaimed Mrs
Powell, smiling. Whatever put that
notion into your head. Sam? I thought
we'd had enough Of farming"
Sam Powell and his mother and a
sister a year younger than Sam lived
on the outskirts Of town and made
scanty living from the sale Of butter
and milk afforded by two COWS and
eggs and poultry produced on an acre
lot. In addition to this income, the
family also had the rent from a little
farm Of twenty acres, which was STU
ated four miles from town. The
amount Of the rent, however, was sc
small as to be hardly worth mention
ing. Year after year the land became
poorer, and slothful and ignorant ten
ants let the weeds take the crops.
Sam was sixteen, and he and his Sis
ter, Florence, attended the public
school in town. Their father had been
dead four years. Before that time the
family had lived on the farm just men
toned. But Mr.. Powell had been nc
more successful than his neighbors OF
the tenants. Not that he hadn't work.
Il hard, for there had been n harder
worker in the community than Ed
ward Powell. But something was
lacking. He had been unsuccessful
and the family had suffered many pri-
vations and hardships.
At first the area of the farm had
been 16O acres, but as the farmer go'
deeper and deeper in debt he sold II
off, a piece at a time, till there was
left only the house and twenty acres
Considering that there was no posi-
bility Of making a living on this
amount of ground, Mr.. Powell would
have sold it also had he been able tc
find a buyer. No buyer being at hand
though, the disheartened farmer NOV.
ed his family to town and left it. Two
months later he was stricken with
fever and died. Then the struggle fol
a living fell on Mrs. Powell and the
two children, for Sam and Florence
were large enough to be of much hell
to their mother.
So it was with much surprise thai
Mr.. Powell heard San express the
| wish to go back to the farm. They
lived hard now, it Is true, but then /
| had been worse. Her w memorie!
Of their days on the farm were any
thing but pleasant, and she knew tina
| Sam had not forgotten. Much as sht
liked stock and growing things, sht
didn't want to go back to that life
again.
1t was Saturday afternoon, and San
| had just come in from town. His eye'
were bright with the new idea he hat
in mind.
Its this way, mother" said Sam
replying to Mrs. Powell's question ant
comment. "Since I've been going t
high school I've learned a whole lot o
new things about farming. They are no
new things, either-just the simples
facts about agriculture. Our teacher
says they are the A B C's Of the bust
ness. but 1 never heard Of them til
our class began studying The Ele
ments of Agriculture"
That's what they call book farm
ing" said Mrs. Powell. land how
farmers would laugh at you if the!
heard you talking about it"
Some farmers might, but not all o.
Them" Sam replied. bill Googe ant
| Miles Pagan would, because they don
know anything about it. That's jus
how it is, mother. The ones that MAXI
fun of scientific farming don't know
what they're talking about"
well, Miles Pagan is a hard work
er, and so was your father. 1 don
believe anybody ever worked hardeI
or could do more than them two"
It's not all in hard work, though
The main thing is in knowing how t
work. We are just now learning how
Some don't know how yet and won
try to learn. 1t wasn't fathers faul
that he failed, because no n knew
| anything about the new farming then
| But that's why father failed, and Fa
gan is farming just like father did
| He's got the chance to learn better
but won't do it. Bill Googe won
work much, of course, but he'd do
lot better if he tried the new way"
What is this new way? though
farming was farming"
1T would take a long time to ex
plain it ALL" said Sam, but it mostl!
depends on what kind Of soil you have
how you pillow it and how you plan
and cultivate your crops"
Did you learn all this III Of thu
book on farming" asked Mrs. Powell
We'll. I've learned a good deal from
the book" Sam explained. but no
all l know. The government has ap
pointed an agent for this county, anC
he is going to spend part of his TIM
here next year instructing the farmer
| and the boys. l heard him make tw'
talks downtown. He's anxious for m
to go out on our little place this year
He says nearly everybody out in tina
neighborhood is like Bill Googe anC
Miles Pagan, and he wants me to SHOW
them a thing or two. He says he'll
help in every way he can"
Il do like the country" said Mrs
Powell, "and l would like to go bacl
on the old place, but the lands worl
out. and I'm afraid we'll make a fail
ure."
We'll, a failure couldn't hurt u
much, mother" said Sam. It's all t
gain and nothing to lose. But w
won't fail. The land is not worn out
If I can't fix it so that it raises twic
as much to the acre as any farm
around there, then We'll move back t
town and I'll never say another wor'
about farming"