New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-05-31
YES, life ON farm
HAS ITS REWARDS
But It's No Place for Lazy Man
or Qutter

Is farming in this locality paying
proposition? Is the farmer in Hart
county repaid for the work which
necessarily goes into conducting
Connecticut farm:
4 talk with a well known farmer
ir. this locality has convinced the
writer that pro and con OF question
Is about evenly balanced, in spite Of
the agitation popular nowadays to
the effect that either the farmer is
coming money hand over fist or that
he is leading a dogs life for no re-
compense.
Farming today is heap sight
different from what 1t was ten years
ago." the tiller of the soil stated.
Time was when man bought a
farm and some seeds and worked his
head off fighting insects and blight
and weeds and weather all summer
and then found the market filled up
with produce and went broke or
thought he was lucky to break lit
tie under even. His land petered out.
he didn't know nothing about this
here rotation of crops and he
thought that the government bulle-
tin was all story book stuff written
by a lot OF desk farmers that didn't
know the difference between a shoat
end heifer.
Il think the war had a heap to do
with opening the farmers eyes. Joel
and Abner marched off to war and
probably got thrown in with a
bunch Of boys hailing from the west
or from the south. They heard what
was being done in other parts Of
the country and they heard of new
methods that they didn't know moth
Ing about where they come from.
They found out that the government
bulletins were something more than
story book writing. They found
out that Connecticut and this section
Of the country We're way behind
other parts of the country so when
they come back they began to tell
the old folks about 1t.
I'm not saying that they con-
verified all OF them. Most Of those
old shellbacks need heap Of con-
verting. before 1t begins to register.
They still think that rotation Of
crops is something for the gentle
man farmer with a lot of time and
money on his hands. But the
younger men are beginning to see
the value Of the tractor and they
are keeping the mail busy with gov
eminent bulletins. The farmer in
this locality is about 10 years behind
himself to my way Of reckoning.
Most Of us are sticking to what our
daddy told us and we won't progress
very far until we decide that this
farming business has got to be ad-
vanced like the other businesses in
the country.
Diversified Crops Pay
I'VE here in Connecticut and es-
peciaily in this portion OF Connecti-
cut haven't got any special climate
that Is good for one thing like the
western farmers or the cotton farm
ers in the south but on the other
hand we have got a climate that can
produce diversified crops which pay
II We are smart enough to outguess
the market. We have got to know
whether tomatoes or potatoes are
going to be the thing in demand at
the end OF the season. We have got
TO know whether or not 1t will be
worth while to plant tobacco. These
are the decisions that the govern
ment bulletins help out and the old
method Of putting all the eggs in
one basket is being changed for a
diversified crop.
"One thing that and most of the
farmers in this locality approve OF
is this All movement among the
youngsters. This club is sponsored
by the farm bureau OF this state and
1t teaches the boy on the farm the
modern and improved method of
raising everything from alfalfa to
cows. 1t satisfies the chief problem
Of the farm today-that is. keeping
the boys on the farm when they
want to get of to the city and make
their fortunes.
II don't know whether its fair or
not to keep them on the farm.
don't know II had boy whether
I'd keep him on the farm or educate
him to make his pile in the city.
We farmers never get to own big
automobiles and a man to help us
put our overalls on. We work like
all get out and die with our hand
on a hoe and we don't have an aw-
full lot to show for 1t. The boy who
goes to the city stands a 100 per
cent better chance Of making more
money in the city---but somehow We
hate to see him go.
THE American farmers are get
ting scarcer and scarcer every year.
The foreigners are taking over lot
Of the farms u this locality and
they seem to be able to make liv-
ing where an American would starve
to death. I guess that's because
everybody from the father down to
the five year old kid is out In the
field working from o'clock until
it's too dark to see the ground. I
never knew an American farmer
who would dare to work his wife in
the fields the way those foreigners
do. That's why they're succeeding
while we all are having q hard time