The Young Farmer: Some Things He Should KnowHunt, Thomas Forsyth
Science
The Young Farmer: Some Things He Should Know
Hunt, Thomas Forsyth
Agriculture
"This is my plan. After my son has spent a summer in a cheese factory,
I want him to come back to your school for another year. I want him to
learn, especially, all you teach about dairying. I will then build a
cheese factory on my own farm and my son will make into cheese the
milk of my own herd, and also from the herds of our neighbors. By the
time he has completed his work with you, my younger son will have
finished the high school. He has some liking for trading, and he will
sell the cheese at wholesale and deliver it to the surrounding towns
where markets are unexcelled. As for the daughter," continued this
practical man, "she will get married and that will take care of her."
What became of the daughter is not known to the writer, but the rest
of the program was carried out successfully and continued for many
years.
A German came to this country and settled in New Jersey, where he
established a large orchard. In course of time his two sons grew into
manhood. While, of course, requiring plenty of laborers, the
orchardist did not need the sons in the management of his farm. He,
therefore, established one of these sons in the commission business in
Philadelphia, thus, at least, keeping the profits on the sale of the
products of his orchard in the family. He also needed cold storage for
his fruit. The other son started a cold storage plant, which plays an
important part in the profitable management of the orchard. Thus both
sons have independent employment requiring managerial ability and the
orchard is much more profitable than it otherwise would be.
Our land laws, our traditions and our practices are based upon the
idea that a farm is to provide activity and support for but one
family. In order, therefore, that the son may marry and begin to
develop his life in his own way, it is essential to reorganize in some
manner the method of managing the farm or to enlarge or, perhaps,
specialize its activities. This may be accomplished on a simple
partnership basis, or it may be in some such line as outlined in the
illustrations which have been given. In other occupations such
co-operative effort is the rule rather than the exception. That it is
more difficult to effect satisfactory arrangements in farming must be
conceded, else they would be more common. Doubtless it will often tax
the ingenuity of father and son to devise the plans best suited to
meet their particular problem.
There still remains to consider another form of business relation as
applied to farming which has become almost universal in trade and
transportation. The following incident may illustrate and emphasize
the problem better than abstract discussion: One day a man walked into
an office and stated that a friend had a half million dollars to
invest in farming, provided that he could be convinced that the money
would be invested profitably.
"Does your friend desire to buy land in any particular locality?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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