Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-08-19
BY c. T. MEREDITH, Secretary of
Agriculture.

BY c. T. MEREDITH, Secretary of
Agriculture.
Man! young men III the various &C.
ru,aiiiiIiS of The cities find their
u'n'i> riirn.n9 "a thnughts Oi tie out
door he Ot the farm. but they do not
n'M hoM To Siarl FARMING. III Is the
:i&!IIIoS" of tins article To point the
vi! ia :! successful career us fariI-
81. | H~>une the young men IN
!u.,Iin!, are ionk!n2 about for IL job
iliI viii give them use for ihe,r mus
rirS. rul.iluned with work Tor their
.nru!ns alld an outlet for their inltia-
sNt- something that Yields good
Ewing and. most Important of ALL has
PROSPECTS fOI the future.
A mere jUi, is moi enough. Even if
Tie pa! is good. There must be some
lining To satisfy the ambitions of such
Il man. The man | have in mind does
moi want 10 he ii wage GARNER all his
life. lie hopes for Independence In
middle age aud the best of oppor-
IGnlties for his children, and he
looks forward TO an old age nt COM
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 Sfew of them very briefly.
We may imagine such a man put
ting himself through an examination
something like this:
How much money have you?"
Not much."
what do you know about farm
ing?"
sIruug, and hard work never scared
me.
What would you like to do for
livlng?"
IL would like TO own farm some
where and work ii. Id like 10 live in
decent style and marry and bring up
II family"
1t Is peculiar how the idea always
crops up that the first step in farm
ing is TO own farm. "a farm of
your own" is all right as 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 II hired man. If he has
money and needs experience, he wi
not find il profitable to acquire and
operate. a farm until he has gained
that skill and judgment which will
enable him to manage a farm sue
cessfulIy. The cheapest and quick
est way to gain this skill and knowl-
edge is by working on welI-mr
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 a little mo-
and establishing his reputation as
skilled workman and man of in
tfgrity. With good reputation in
these regards but little money is re-
quired to start in as tenant farm
err, 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
farming than is the road to success
in other occupations, but the safest
way Is TO start in at the bottom and
climb "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 aborer, just remember that
the latter gets bis 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
~ clear gain. Most of 1t 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 man. If he
is straight. clean sort Of fellow, his
good qualities will be appreciated in
the country as readily as in the city.
great deal more so, should say,
for the individual human being seems
to count for more out on the farm
than he does I'm a city where great
numbers of them are crowded togeth-
er.
In short. II is strictly up to the man
himself to make good, and If he does
50 he will have no trouble to COM