Year: 1875

There are few walks in life where men not
born to wealth would bear as cheerful a
summing up as the following view of the
farmers situation, given by J. M. Smith,
before Farmers State Convention recently ::


S'In all that goes to make up the ordinary
comforts Of every day life, we are the most
wealthy people upon the earth. This may
seem strange statement to some present,
and do not mean to say that we have more
gold and silver than any other people; but,
gentlemen, did it ever occur to you that the
west and northwest is the only territory of
any size in the world where the masses of
the people can afford to have wheat bread,
butter and meat as the main articles of their
daily food? And yet such is the fact No
nation, either ancient or modern, has ever
before been able to provide the above named
articles in sufficient quantity and at prices
to place them within the reach of the labor
ing classes as articles of daily food. Our
stock of all kinds isircomparably in advance
of that of any previous century. In short,
the last quarter of century has almost
completely revolutionized the science of
agriculture.


We have just entered upon the last quar-
ter OF the nineteenth century, and if / re-
tain my life and health until its close, shall
expect to see vast improvements made, not
only in the cultivation Of wheat but in the
fertility of the soil and in the quantity and
quality of nearly all of our crops. I shall
sec the noble specimens of different breeds
of stock, now held by comparatively few,
scattered far and wide throughout all our
State. [ shall see the great mass of our
farmers much better educated than most of
as are to-day. / shall see homes made more
comfortable and pleasant than they are to-
day. Farmers sons will not be so anxious
to desert the farm for a clerkship or law
office, as heretofore. The books, the papers,
the music and the comforts of farmers
home will be much more pleasant to them
than the home of strangers. Fewer of them,
after having borne their parents to their
silent homes, will return to the old home
stead and sadly say: "This old place is all
run down and worn out, and will not sup





other business and other homes.'' But they
will rather say, "Father has made this
pleasant home and he kept the farm improv-
ing for years, and has SO taught us that we
can still 60 on with Improvements and maks
it still more pleasant, as well as more profit
able, than he was able to do; and so we will
stay and make the old homestead our abid-
ing place and our home.


There will be fewer pale-faced, care4worn
wives and mothers on the farm, toiling from
early morning till late bedtime, until their
daughters, warned by their mothers cease
less toll and labor, declare that they shall
never marry farmer I shall see the pro-
fession Of the farmer elevated far above what
it has ever been in the past or is now, not
only financially, but socially, morally and
intellectually. Tye aged man, as he retires
from the battle of life, may look back upon
the years, not with sadness or regret, but
thinking that he has done something for the
elevation and comfort of his race. The
young man may look forward to the profess
sion full well assured that he is in the pos
session of business which, if intelligently
and industriously pursued, will lead him,
not only to competence in his old age, but
to the front rank of influence, as well as of
distinction, among his fellow men.


FROZEN POTATOEs. in Ger
many ON frozen potatoes proves that the
freezing in no wise alters the chemical COM
position of the tubers. The change is sim