Norwich bulletin., 1919-02-21
eially For The Bu.letin.) |

y
We've talked about it. several times,
I think. Blu: that is no reason why we
shouldn't talk about it some more, in
view of its farm Importance.
I mean the subject Of farm lndez
pendence.
We don't refuse to talk about the
weather today because we talked
about it, yesterday. Sometimes / wish
we did, a few of us, anyway But
we don't and we won't. because the
weather is an ever present and
weightily Important subjert with all
farm dweIIers. 1t is more than some
thing which vets us or htn'vs through
us. That may be what weather
means to city folk. but 10 US of the
open lanes i is that by which and
through which and sometimes IT, spite
of which we nave to get living. NO
wonder it is daily topic Ct talk.
The more ! think about things in
general and the more talk them over
with my farmer neighhorS, the more
impressed I am with the unique i'm
portance to rs of this naTtor of max
ing our farms seIf-suppo ting and
self sufficient.
Before the war a great many of us
! farmers had fallen uncors"iously in
to the habit of buying some Of the
| things we could have produced. SIM
| ply because i seemed little easier
and less trouble"
| Oh, the aoomnabIe profigacy of
| that phrase less trOUble!" 1t is in
| the mouths of too many who should
| be ashamed to utter it. As if avoiding
| trouble (mearing thereby work and
| efficient performance were something
| desirable, instead OF dep:orahlc! But
most of us had got into the bad habit,
| in common with practically all our
| neighbors. It was LESS trouble" to
| buy grain for the horses and COWS and
| hens than it was to raise it. Less
| trouble" to buy flour for our bread
and biscuits. Less trouble to buy
! canned corn and peas and tomatoes,
| etc, than it vas to do then up Many
went to burning coal because it was
less trouble to have the coal man
deliver it than it was to cut fuel in
the woods.
So it went through the whole list
| of Our domestic needs. Some were
more wasteful than others in their
application If the nefarious princi-
pie of saving trouble: but We were
all tarred with the sam" stick. We
all turned the apple cart of life 'tothel
end to, anG tried TO make it &C
forward by pushing it sideways WE
!
soulless rag-doll of trouble saving
much as a Chinaman sets UP his fam
lily joss, and then proceeds to fall dowr
before it ami worshiDS It. Ever
though we knew all tho time, in the
bottom of our hearts, that it was the
trinity of foresight and economy ant
accomplishment that We should have
enthroneGt
Well, the war came Whcoping aIont
and we found that we had to pa,
double and sometimes treble if no
quddruple prices for the supplies w,
had been so jauntily ordering off
hand from the grocers, etc. They cam
out of US, those prices. about as hare
as teeth in the dentists forceps. Ant
they hurt about as much
After year Of it. which we all hat
to endure because we weren't pre-
5 pared to stand once more or our owl
legs and so had to rely IN the othe
. fellows crutChes-after about yea
of it. some of us woke I'D to the re
membrance of old times when we
l used to earn our own dinners instea
Of paving the butcher and haker an
feed dealer 10 supply then, for US. An
thereupon we reverted--reverted t
5 the never should have been abandon
Z ed idea of making our own farm
self supporting
= With acres of land used perhaps 70
/ pasturage Or growing Un into briar
= and brush, we had been accustome
g to buying ouc bread or the -four fror
S which to make it. Why not raise on
= own wheat and rye again and hav
= it ground at the nearest mill? A
t our fathers ard grandfathers did?
f We had got into the habit Of buyin
= our horse and hen and cow feed fro1
{ dealers who IN turn bought it fror
g other dealers who bought it frol
n western farners-paving three profit
= and the freight in addition to the COS
e Of the grain. We excused this prod
a gality and wastefulness t. ourselve
), on the ground that it was '1es
n trouble than it was to raise our ow
It feed. But the war prices elong tn
o line also, induced some Of Us to har
d back to former times when we gre
: our own corn and oats and buckwhea
y Why not do it again? Which we di
Il as our fathers and grandfathers use
to.
s We had got into the hah! of huyir
y canned corn and camel peas an
: canned tomatoes and canned succotas
}, and even canned pumpkin, because
: was 10 much trouble to put I'D Il
g stuff from our own gardens. The
e were always Pretty poor eating but Y
toughened ourselves to them and pr;
tended to call them good. They we,
o also eXtravagantly expensive. b,
1t Lord! what lid that matter so lor
as they were less troubls,?" The
war-prices struck them, too. and V
= found that we simply had got whe,
we must go without or can our own.
which some of US promptly proceed
ed to do. With tht result that we h.
canned vegetables OF Vastly bett
G. quality and cacier f1avo" at much Ie
~ cost. AS our mothers and gran,
/ mothers used 10 have.
Sugar rose to high cost and II
/. available supply shraull TO insuficie,
Is cy. Therefore some of us made man
sugar, and some made beet syrup al
= some started keeping bees in order
- provide or own sweets. AS the o
5 folks did in the old days.
= So it went through the whole ran,
\ of domestic needs. Few os us con
afford to pay war-prices: few of !
y could get all we needed, regardless
r. price. We were forced to the eyD
n dent of p 'oducing for ourselves.
10 was a case of needs must with A1I
2 Clootie driving.
a. At first, we regarded it only as :
y expedient, temporary in its use,
meet a temporary need.
g, But some of Us, I think, have di
r. covered through experience that VIII
g, we considered only makeshift brid.
is really a time AID money savir
"a short across an economic Slous
- of Despond.
II We eastern farmers, with sms
le holdings of ledgy lands, and perha1
a dozen different soils on every tt
ly