The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-07-13


to think that he knew more than I did
Jim went away, and 1 supposed he
was goin' to do as told him-hire out
for a farm hand.
Meantime while he was gone
wasn't gettin' along very we'll with the
farm. l reckoned the land had been
worked out and required to be ferti-
lized. | didn't have the money to do
the job as it ought to be done, and
thought that If didn't spend a lot on
1t I'd lose what put into 1t, so didn't
do anything. l tried to raise such
crops as didn't need much fertilizer.
but didn't get much of return
"Jim was away four years. and all the
while l was runnin' down financially.
He used to write home once in awhile,
but he didn't tell US what he was doin'.
But Jim was never a good hand at eX-
plainin' things. I've thought since that
II when he was a boy he'd have told
me somep'n about what he was drivin
at I'd have had more patience with him.
"The only thing Jim did tell us, and
he wrote that to his mother the last
year he was away, was that he'd got q
sweetheart. He said she was the pur-
test gal in the world and the best
When his mother told me about it
said l reckoned Jim would have hard
time takin' care of wife, especially II
he was goin to do things his own way
and never take any advice from any
body.
well, when had got SO low finan-
cially that had to put mortgage on
my farm Jim come home. He said he'd
been to an agricultural college and had
come home to help me out
Father he said, you and all the
rest Of the old fashioned farmers have
been laundering along for ages: The
earth and everything in it is a big
laboratory, and there's nothing that
isn't subject to the laws Of science. Do
you remember when you told me to
trim the apple tree and cut off the
lower branches? Well, 1t occurred to
me that that tree was mighty big
climb for the sap; that by the time it
got to the top it must be tired out. and
that what apples it produced would be
small and few. Besides, 1t would cost
more to gather apples grown as high
got 'em down.
"'And do you remember the ground l
put the chemicals in? Well, that was
failure, but when a boy Of fourteen
begins experimenting he's not likely to
succeed without a lot Of failures. Some
times grown educated scientist will
work for years over a problem and fail
in the end
"'When you tired OF me and grand
mother left me the legacy determined
to use 1t to learn what there was
known about scientific agriculture. !
don't claim to have learned any more
than is known by others, but I've learn,
ed that and It's good foundation on
which to learn more I'm not going to
do much experimenting on my own
hook till | have put you on "A better
basis in your efforts to make money
out of the farm.
land | must tell you further that
there's business In farming as well as
anything else My vacations I've spent
clerking in a produce store In big
city. There I've learned certain of some
middlemen's methods. I've seen some
thing of how he squeezes the consum.
er on the one hand and the farmer on
the other don't want to squeeze
either myself. but the more man
knows about squeezing the less likely
he is to get squeezed.
"'Now, dad, I'll tell you what we
must do. We must take advantage OF
our opportunities such as they are
and turn away from what are not op
portunities. no matter how attractive
they look. We've got a market handy
for such produce as Is used on the ia
bles of any and every body. Well &C
into table vegetables ON a small scale
at first, and if we find 1t pays Wei
increase the scale. AS soon as We can
work it well open a store for the sale
of our own produce and make the
whole profit ourselves. But we cam
a too fast: must feel our way and
aft our plans as we run up against
stone walls
/ The farmer paused in his narrative
| cast glance over his broad beds OF
/ garden truck aud concluded:
There's the result of Jim's work
He didn't do any experimental til
he'd got the business well goin'.
call II the business because bushes,
, is a part and very important part o.
! farmin'.
I've said that Jim didn't do any ex
perimentin'. so he didn't in the regular
line of the work on the farm, but he
been dom it all the while in a small
way, and he's found out some thing
already.
That mortgage l told you Of wa
paid Off in two years. and now there
plenty over for all.
"Jim married his sweetheart and the,
live In the cottage down yonder. Thi
little Jim"-putting his hand on tn
boys head-'is a chip off the old block
he has a will Of his own, anyway
There's his dad ron"
A StnrS yc. no mar Of n y