Norwich bulletin., 1918-03-01

- t--. - he had found little occa sion to spend money in the country, and strong in centive to save. Said he: Tn the ten months I have been there I have got s400 in cash. I have enough in my pocket to pay a TWO weeks trip to town and have over $200 in the home savings bank. How many of you with your s190 or $50 month can show a better record p And nvnody peeped a peep.
 X He went en tS say that he vas going te keep at its till he had money enough saved up to enable him to- take a small farm as renter or on nnortgage. Tn his. opinion there was big money in farming these days for 3, man y Eho will work and keeps the. ends together Also, his old father was a farmer in Italy; and he, knows a. lot about max ing things grow that might surprise an American T.. have a notion that after another year or ; two we can double up on a farm np =state and make it go.'' ,.ss:..s All of which is quoted for what it is worth, 'sss 5sss The point which inArresses me in all this is that our friends of ti1e big city as represented by thei ewspapers, are mighty anxious, all at once, to get on the right side of the farmers. They go out of their way to, say nice things about us and print pretty stories about the advantages of farm lifess. .r < There's 10 need Of being too. in quisitiye about their motives. It is not. good manners to look as gift horse in the mouth.
 But, it is. evident that they we seen a new light somewhere along the ho- rizon. and are trimming :, their sails l to catch sas breeze from different quarter E.. @
 I If. they have actually acquired or are actually acquiring a proper respect i for the vocation and it's followers, i we may. explain it either on the theory | that they're nervous about the supply 1 of bread and potatoes, or upon the i theory that they're beginning to learn 1 something abot1t they didn't know be- ] fore. fs
 1, Either one may be plausible,
 sssAnd, in either case, when they offer | the glad hand, Ee can a nord to take it 1 without first putting lon our oHn gloves. &
 There's great deal of human na l ture in folks whether they manage metropolitan newspapers or back
 country farms for a living. Most o1 Us, in either situation, are looking l after the main chance; Very few are lla5oring solely for our health or the ! advantage of others
 We shall be wise to meet our new
 admirers inytheir own spirit, without too much condescension and eer- l tainly without coldness liSs ----=---4---.---
 ] lt may be. as their farrn.laudater,
 campaign goes ,cn, that they will rescf the ears .sand affect the alleged un.
 derstanding of those censoriou. ] Snarleyows who still assume to believe that it is the farmers who are tn, cause of high prices
 If these latter. come to notice, aftel
 a time that their hitherto leaders ar. now singing new gong on a new key ' perhaps they, too, may decide to hun
 up other bugaboos to bark at and otl1el | legs to snap at
 We eastern farmers dent raise nuel
 wheat or corn. for obvious reasons ! We go, in more largely for potatoes - notice in my last New ork pa per
 quotations that we. are able to sel
 our potatoes in the New York. whole
 sale market, now. for just a littl,
 over oIle-t third of what the sam
 market offered Us 2 year ago mo
 where. near one-half, During tn
 same year the costs of labor. and fer
 tilizer have both gone up by leaps ane
 hounds. We are paving, or shall hay
 fo, pay. about double cost for pro,
 ducing potatoes for our kicking critics next season If we continue to ge less than half price for the potatoe
 we raise we certainly ought not to b.
 accused of 'robbing the cons umer.'' Personally, I, must confess that -thi seems to me about the very x ofst tim that ever4w was to start a boom fo farTning on the basis of it's profte \ l don't know a. farmer in my vfcinir,
 who did more than keep his ? 1lea, above water, fast season The pros pect for the coming vear is that 0 l haYing to. swim harder and ssyalloy more salt water. s
 But. if our highly esteemed friend
 of the netrspolitan nEess. with thei usual aptitude for doing the. Irigh
 thing at inc wrong tine,..il eYerthe ], less take this occasion to do som booming for JUS; ,wfl!T, we can afford t {. take the wilIefer the deed, and aoe.ob s Iged to- them flor having walked lip. There have been times when i : seemed as if they would never ge P their, eyes .open.s:ss-7 , .i.
 : s.sal a gs~ ..4.Ss THE FARMER 2