Norwich bulletin., 1919-05-23

nent rs -e
 Anybody can be farmer-if he doesn't care what kind of a farmer he is. But who wants to be an unsuccess- full farmer? That is the inevitable product of attempting to farm without farm capacity and farm minded ness.", -~--a--.4 --s=
 To make even partial success at farming, requires as much native abil- ity. as much training and as much skill as to win alike degree of success at any other occupation. To become thoroughly successful requires every whit as much capacity. every whit as much energy, every whit as much pru dence, and a good deal more hard work than is usually required for eminent success in other lines. Even then the success won will only be comparative,
 if it is reckoned in accumulated ac- quisitions.
 i Much farm work seems to the un-
 initiated very simple and calling for no skill whatever Nevertheless, there is
 a knack and a"knowhow" even to the
 crudest operations. I don't know of any farm work more simple than blowing. The horses pull the blow and l the blow turns over the dirt. That's !, all there is to it. But heres little
 blowing incident which suggests a
 thought:
 i The other day in the enforced ab-
 sence of my helper, I had to do some blowing myself. It is years since I have done much at it. I am getting a little old and stiff in the joints and prefer to let younger man tackle it.
 But needs must when necessity drives.
 was beginning to get back little of
 the old swing when a city friend drifted over to the field We chatted few minutes. and he then walked
 along beside the furrow. watching the
 operation. Here" said he at last,
 I'm stronger than you: let me spell
 you a turn or two" Well. I agreed
 to let him hold the plow-handles while
 drove, and we started off. Things
 went finely for about four feet. Then
 the blow ran out into the previous furrow. I stopped the horses. backed
 up and he managed to get the blow
 back into line. Next thing I knew it
 was trying to turn a slice two feet
 wide and, naturally, failing. We back
 ed up again. The horses, not used to
 so much backing and filling, started
 off a little impatiently the blow point
 struck stone, the plow handles took
 my assistant under the chin, and
 both went out of commission in-
 stanter He took it all in good part, | however, dHu4 lIlSlEl0u OI dl icdSl
 making one round The furrows were
 not over ten rods long, and I kept no
 count of how many times we had to
 stop and take a fresh start. But
 when we had gone round once and he
 looked back at his work. he took out
 his handkerchief, mopped his drip
 ping face, wiped the sweat out of his
 smarting eyes. and said, humbly: "No
 use, I'm not up to it: why. another
 round and I should have to be carried home in an ambulance and call the doctor"
 He was younger man than and stronger. Two minutes before he took hold of that blow he was cock sure that any greenhorn could man. age it just as easily and as well as I. Two minutes after he. let go he limp ed back towards. the house a Sorer and, I presume. a wiser man. Yet the average non-farmer, pass ing any old hayseed plodding behind the blow across some field, can see nothing in the work which seems to call for anything deserving the name of skill Indeed. there is scarcely any other on the farm which is as simple and apparently as easy.
 The old, discarded notion of fifty years ago that the fool of the family was good enough for farming, still de- | ludes too many people. It is, perhaps, | true that the fool of the family can | make living of some sort on the