Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1920-11-18

Way Is to Start In at the Bottom
and Climb the agricultural Ladder.
BY e. T. MEREDITH, Secretary Of
Agriculture.
Many young men In the various oc.
equations of the cities find their
minds turning to thoughts of the out.
door life of the farm, but they do not
know how to start farming. 1t is the
purpose Of this article to point the
way to a successful career as a farm
er. / assume the young men il
question are looking about for a Job
that will give them use for their mus
Giles, combined with work for their
brains and an outlet for their initia.
tive-sOmething that yields a good
living and, most important Of all, has
prospects for the future.
a mere job is not enough. Even If
the pay is good, there must be some
thing to satisfy the amBitions of such
man. The man / have in mind does
not want to be a wage Garner all his
life. He hopes for independence in
middle age and the best of oppor-
tunities for his children, and he
looks forward to an old age of COM
fort and freedom from financial wor-
ry.
More Chances Than They Realize.
For men of that type there are
more chances on the farm than they
may realize, and | should like to tell
about a few of them very briefly.
We may imagine such a man put
ting himself through an examination
something like this:
How much money have youY
mot much"
What do you know about farm
lng?"
Very little; but I'm good and
strong, and hard work never scared
me-"
What would you like to do for a
living?"
Il would like to own a farm some
where and work it. I'd like to live in
decent style and marry and bring up
family"
1t Is peculiar how the idea always
crops up that the first step in farm
ing is to own a farm. "a farm of
your own" is all right as a goal to
look ahead to, but the man who lacks
either the requisite money or expert
ence will reach the goal quicker by
starting in as a hired man. If he has
money and needs experience, he wi
not find it profitable to acquire and
operate a farm until lie has gained
that skill and judgment which will
enable him to manage a farm sue
cessfully. The cheapest and quick
est way to gain this skill and knowl-
edge is by working on welI-ma
aged farm in the summer and at
tending the winter short course in
agriculture at the nearest agricul-
ture college.
The young man without money will
find working for wages on the farm
the means Of saving little MOI
and establishing his reputation as a
skilled workman and a man of in
tegrity. With a good reputation in
these regards but little money is re-
quired to start in as a tenant farm
er, where he can realize on the extra
energy, the better skill, and the good
management he is able to put into his
farming business.
Road to Success Not Hard.
The road is open to the farm OF
your own" and the road is neither
longer nor harder for one who likes
70 tbon &c hn -
in other occupations, but the safest
way is to start in at the bottom and /
climb 1.-THE agricultural ladder"
| do not remember any time when |.
farm labor was In such great demand /.
as at present, or when wages for I'M
skilled farm labor were as good or
when the standard of living on the .
farms was as high as it is now. /
From all parts of the country comes /
the demand for men who are not .
afraid of work. If the schedule of the .
days wages in the cities appears Law, .
ish when compared with the pay Of .
the farm laborer, just remember that .
the latter gets his board and rent /
and usually his washing and lot OF
other things-and that in the cities
where the wages are higher. these
things are commanding greatly in ,
creased prices.
In other words, what the farm la.
borer receives in cash is pretty near
ly clear gain. Most of it can be placed
in the savings bank and begin TO draw
interest, while the wages paid in the
cities shrink to something much less
impressive when all the bills are paid.
In the right sort of farming COM
munity and the right sort of farm
er's household the hired man is re-
ceived on his merits as a man. If he
Is straight, clean sort of fellow, his
good qualities will be appreciated in
the country as readily as in the city.
A great deal more SO, should say,
for the individual human being seems
to count for more out on the farm
than he does in a city where great
of them are crowded togeth.