The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1921-07-15

BY I. F. Pc *
Commissioner of Agriculture

One subject that is of vital Importance
to every citizen of the State, and one
about which much discussion is center
ed, Is that of taxation. We hear the
gu. stion discussed every day y-taxes-
State and county, municipal. income,
special school and automobile. There IL
uoquestion about these taxes being bur-
densome, but they must be paid.
AND yet we are paying other taxes
that are even greater drain on our
resources, and taxes that we Go not
give sufficient thought, for we could a.
void their payment without violating any
law, and with direct benefit to ourselves.
Let US enumerate few of the taxes
the farmer Is paying that he could
easily avoid
You can go to the majority of the
farms and find farm machinery de-
preclating because of neglect, Mach
inery is left out in the weather, proper
adjustment is neglected, oil is not used
when needed. This depreciation a.
mounts to more than the cost Of the
machinery plus natural wear and tear
with proper attsntion. This is . use.
less tax.
Some farmers will tell you thatsthey
work longer hours and harder than, any
body. | persuaded one who told me
that to keep an accurate record OF
every day he worked that he would be-
willing to pay for If he were hiring i,
done. believe he was honest. for b.
reported eighty days and bow he ad.
mits that wasted time was the biggest
tax that he bad been paying.
Let the man in the city, whose time
bis capital, and who has to buy al
his food, clothing. fuel and pay bis rent
work only eighty days in the year al
che rate OF pay he gets. be will come
badly in debt. No other vocation viii
provide as many comforts at the sam,
expenditure of labor az does farming
| have seen much waste in feedinp
OF farm animals the lack OF knowledge
how to feed balanced ration, With
some farmers feed is feed, and lust 30
their animals get fed it is immsteris.
whether 1t will make heat. fat, or build
up muscle. By intelligent ifeeding one
half of the tonnage would have give,
better results II properly proportioned
The other half was unnecessary tax
paid due either to ignorance or indit.
ference.
! have seen farmers. wien they wsr.
ready to plant corn. 90 to their crit
and shell their corn without any etfor
at selection. when every one who keets
In touch with the work that has bee,.
done In seed corn selection kpows thar
BY proper selection of seed, the yiel
can be doubled. Is not that a raths.
heavy tax to pay for neglect?
! have seen men pretend to farm,
without any defnits plan about tbei
work. have seen their ground i
splendid shape for working; but the
wouId,d do something else thst they cou d
have done when the ground ives eith..
too wet or too dry to plow. Then whe,
they wanted to plow, the ground Wa
either too wet or too dry to plow, ami
there was q chance that it would hays
to lie idle whole season because ..
this neglect-a heavy tax to pay f..
lack of intelligent management. 1t
always better to push your work tha
to have your work push you.
Farmers pay heavy penalties in 10.
OF crops by not taking care OF them a
the proper time. / have known be-
crops to depreciate onehslf by lettir.
siand too long before cutting. ha,
known wheat and oats TO alm6st ruin i
the field by letting them stand in Il.
shock after ready for the bsrs or stael
Tsxesinposed on the farmer BY La.
are heavy, but there are numeroL
ways 10 which be pays beaver tax. :
through nsgieet OF eoune.. 10 spi.
of all precaution, farmers suffer losse,.
but many losses they incur are preve,
table. Losses can be minimized b,
systematizing fsrm.opsratiors and keel.
ing up With the work being ready
do the right work at the right time.