The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., September 10, 1910, YOUNG FOLKS' SPECIAL., Page 624, Image 4

About The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920

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Our Progressive Fanner Boys
A FARMER BOY’S PROBLEMS.
I—How He Can Make His Own Money and Why He Should
Have Money of His Own.
SOME FARMER BOYS have all
the money they need for spend
ing as suits themselves, but
such boys are the exception rather
than the rule. It has not been many
years since I was myself a boy on a
farm, and from my experience then
and my observation and experience
since, I am fully convinced that
most farmer boys do not have as
much money as they really need. It
is a good thing for a boy to have
money all his own so he can buy some
of the things he particularly wishes;
and unless he can do this, the money
is not really his.
This does not mean that I believe
the boy has every time a right to
spend money as he wishes without
accounting to his parents for the way
he spends it, or letting them know
what he gets with it. In fact, it is
pretty likely to be the case that if
he is afraid or ashamed to let his
parents know what he bought when
he went to town, he bought some
thing he did not need at all. I don’t
If la a ViPJllthv stflfp. f mifld
for a boy to be suspicious of his par
ents, or to feel afraid to confide in
them. If I were a boy again, I should
take my father and mother much
more fully into my confidence than I
did. I know it is the parents’ place
to begin these confidential relations;
but it they will not do it, the boy
should. His parents are not likely
to see things as he dues always, but
he is not always right about things,
and often he misses a great deal in
many ways, just because he is too
shy to talk to them about what he
would like to have or wishes to do,
so that they never know about these
desires of his.
But all this is a long way from the
question of how the boy on the farm
is to make money; and until he has
made it, he certainly can not in
vest it.
Now, most farm boys are not going
to have a great deal of money of
their own, and I doubt if most boys
need a great deal. Neither do I be
believe that what they have should
be given them. I know that the
average boy on the farm pays his
way and more; and it would be an
entirely fair arrangement for his fa
ther to pay him a regular sum each
month for his services. Better still,
it would be for him to keep an ac
count of tho work ho does and of
what he gets and then collect any
balance due him. The great draw
back to this plan is that he and his
father are not likely to agree, in most
cases, either as to the value of the
work he does or as to the value of
what he receives.
For this reason, and also because
it puts the matter of profit or loss
squarely up to him and his own work,
I think it better for him to go into
business for himself.
I do not mean for him to leave
home or quit working on the farm or
for his parents, but for him to have
something of his own, and to get and
keep what he makes from it. He
can, at least, rent an acre of land
from his father, for a fixed sum or
a certain part of the crop, and try his
hand on that. He can buy a calf or
a pig, perhaps; and if he can buy a
good one, he has a good start right
there. He may be able to make some
money working for other folks in his
leisure hours; but I w'ould advise
that only as a beginning, unless cir
cumstances are exceptional. The
thing to do ia for him to get some
thing of his own—something that he
can work at or with that will bring
him in more money and thus help
him to get ahead.
There are now some 40,000 boys
in the South who have an acre of
corn that they are working for all it
is worth. These boys have a good
start and need only to keep on to
be able soon to do much bigger
things. There are lots of crops that
Southern boys could raise and make
a profit on. Right now any boy who
lives near a town of any size could
put out a crop of radishes or lettuce
or turnips or onions and begin mak
ing money on the first two crops in a
few weeks, on the latter two, in a
few- months. He wouldn’t likely
make very much, but he could surely
get well paid for his work.
WHEN THE BOY TALKED TO HIMSELF.
Some of the Things He Had Not Thought of Before.
By A. L. French.
THE RED-HEADED, freckled
faced boy dropped lightly down
on the end of the log that ex
tended out over the old mill pond,
tossed his cap back onto the bank,
unwound his fish
line, baited the
hook, spit on the
worm for luck,
and started in for
a little time by
himself. Pretty
quick he got a
bite, but held
steady, and when
the cork went un
A. L. FRENCH. ^ ^
time brought out a fine big "sucker;”
held him in his hand a little, while
he looked him over, then slipped him
on the willow twig he had provided,
re-baited the hook and dropped in
again, some time elapsed berore he
got another bite, and our boy feli to
talking to himself.
“That was pretty stiff talk the
‘Governor’ give me last night when
I got in. But a feller couldn’t re
sent it; the ‘Old Man’ spoke so darn
ed kind with his hand on my old red
head. I wonder why he didn’t call
me a fool and be done with it. He
wanted to mighty bad, and told me 1
was about evertlilng else. I guess
it’s the truth though, what he said
about me being the leader and the
smartest fellow in that bunch and
that I wasn’t doin£ credit to myself,
him, mother, or my bringing up, the
way I was leading those other fel
lows into all kinds of deviltry and
bad habits.
But didn’t he floor me when I
101a mm a ooy had got to have
his ‘fling,’ and he pointed out
and said: ‘There is a man, my son,
who thought just as you do, that a
boy ought to have his fling and sow a
few wild oats. Jim was a bright boy,
as smart as any in the community;
we went to school together. He sow
ed wild oats. I didn’t. I have this
fine farm, one of the best in the
county, thousands of dollars worth of
pure-bred stock, and good tools. We
have a pleasant, comfortable home,
and your mother is one of the leaders
in every good thing that is put on
foot in the community. I don’t need
to say anything about what Jim
has, as ,he has nothing in the world
but a few poor, sickly children that
Some boys may be able to make
hunting and trapping pay them this
coming winter. Lots of them, I im
agine, could make money right now,
if they knew how to do it, by select
ing seed for next spring’s planting
from the best stalks of cotton or corn
on their fathers’ farms. It wouldn’t
be the best seed in the world, in
most cases; but it would be better
than what most farmers plant, and
the boys could get an extra price for
it. Then there are peas to pick, and
nuts to gather in some sections; ap
ples to make into vinegar in other
places; lots of opportunities to go
into partnership with their mothers
in the poultry, and save her lots of
hard outdoor work, and make some
thing for themselves yes, there are
plenty of ways for a farmer boy to
make money, if he will just look
around until he sees a place and then
pitch in.
I can’t tell any boy how to do it,
for this is one the things he must de
cide for himself; but next week I am
going to talk a little bit on the possi
bilities of one pig—how a boy can
make money raising hogs with a very
little outlay to start with. M.
are examples of how the sins of the
fathers are visited unto the child
ren; a discouraged wife who prom
ised to love and honor him, and who,
poor thing, can not do it to save her
dear life, and last, a craving for whis
key and cigarettes that he thinks he
cannot control and which takes every
dollar he can lay his hands on. Tom
I’erkins owns the cabin Jim lives in
and Mrs. Peters takes in wnshing to
pay the rent and provide for the
children.'
I expect it Is the truth, too, as
he said, that I might, if I would,
get every one of these boys into
the Sunday-school and by my ex
ample, get them to attend the public
school regularly, putting them in the
wav of making better citizens. 1
bad never though of it iust ns ho tint
it, about a boy’s life not belonging to
himself alone, but to all of his line
that had gone on before and all that
would come after. And what he said
'than sin never raised a boy in his
own estimation or in the estimation
of any good man in the community,
never added any thing to his useful
ness in the world, never added a par
ticle to his manhood, never added to
his length of life, never improved his
health In any way, and never added a
dollar to his estate,’ sounds like the
truth but I hadn’t thought of It.
“The ‘Old Man’ seems to know a lot,
and every one seems to respect him.
He seems to think a lot of me, too.
I’ll be hanged if I don’t turn over a
new leaf and take a different tack
with the ‘bucks.’ i can get them
over and get ’em interested In the
way wo raise corn, show them my
fine sow and heifer, and maybe I
uau earn or mem a
lamb or pig. I'll have the ball
games up In our pasture instead of
down there at the lower end or
town where all the old toughs con
gregate, and I'll get mother to let me
have lemonade to drink and make the
fellows cut out the 'near-beer' and
cigarettes. J JuHt can't be a sneaking
fool when he Is expecting something
better of me.”
Our advertisers will do uh they
promise.
Keiffer Pears For Sale
800 bushels at 60c eer buahat.
E. R. IIAMI.IN. . VVeat Point. Mian.
[30% MORE CROPS
Our free book on cultivation ihowi tho sure
way. Think of It. you intelligent farmer*—to per
cent bigger crop*—M per cent more earning*—and
evpn better In dry seasons.
The Illustration shows our °r eow.prni, (train
or piojt io,| bt.
Hinged Shall cotton rout.
One
Drill
for general seeding and
Intensive work between
corn rows. Bows any _
seed, (independent disc*. The only riding Hmbmw
drill with shafts hinged So weight on the homo, pat- ■
rnted. Close hitch. Many other exclusive feature*. M
Writ* us for booklet *7.
The V.M, nmi CO.. SprttfleM. IB. f
Doesn't Hurt
Oar Satsamalrees
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I full Ttm t n
311 Ml |H| s,
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TRC.C BLOC RR\NT'
AW Town |»cw*tfcW m (uv«\t 4
AT 1X55 COST 1
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COVUHTM CHUVHr. **D BOUXtt V<CHWS.
CovihU, H»»t
ROCK PHOSPHATE
tiiKhmt iradr finely frtmixl T.c.nmte
Pboapbate Kork. Guarantee.! . to X) per
rent pHoet honc arid. Hold dirwt to ron
•umere at k>«r«t prie»e Prompt ehlp
men a. ;js** ;
Southern Lime fc Phosphate Co.
BIKMINUHAM. ALABAMA.
Breeder’s Cards
AND
Farmers' Exchange
W# will InMrt tdi. for oar Prmnsiln Kar
m«r and (JasaM*. raadsr* In this department
■ad In this style type at the rata at 4 rants a
word for ooa wank: two wseks. * rant* a word:
*fr" B cents; four waaka JO rants;
thraa months X) rants; sli months, tit rant*;
oparaac. BD rants. Karh arord numlar or inltiil
(including nama and address) rauntsd as a sa
parata word. Hand cash with order If ths
rat* sawn■ hlsh. rawtnlrr It would cost |i»
for poatasa slows to sand your ad by letter to
g— *° »blrh wa carry It at this low
rala. Htaapa accepted for amounts tans than IL
u a **** (*r*j Koici. Hat* Ilf own.
Mr|*ail. Ain,
o.-.. r II . • r,;,... |-. J , , w
M Ko*rr». Macn, Ml..
... *H**P"* ( ll,“ *’{£• ,lMt breeding ami feeding.
I U Jonaa, Orrvillc Ala
blJd Southdown Hama for aaie. W, Coop
«tf. \ ilia Novi. MiMliilppi.
Seven HI p*1 tap l’upa for aala. ten dollar* each.
" U Short iUrmanville. Mm.
Purebred HamhoulIM Kama, (i rehem A Mr
Corquodala, (jreham. Taxaa. *
Hne Ham Will let Hama: alao Shrupahire Ham*.
Jaa Harvey. Forkvtlle Mlaa.
wW" Kuoate-a Price
»1.&0. Mil. I)onle Moure. K. 1, Vaughan. Miaa.
Pure Appler Oata for aale. Hu cenia per buahel.
f. o b. Brandon, Mma. 8. W Ttnnln. Fannin,
311*1.
Wanted lluyera for nice, new. Pi pound Feuth
er ileda at 110.00. The Stokea Furniture Co . Bur
unirtofi. N. C.
Single tomb Khudo laland Hod Cocker. I. $1.6)
each Satlafaction guaranteed. I.. I^hmann.
Hamburg, Mina.
Heiflhterril I'ulai il China I'm.. pure Bred
Anicora Buck*. Price* to meet IU.1I Weevil con
dltiona. Jno. I- Lord. ilermanvllln. Mlaa.
» for, 1-2 mile from two depot*
Dairy and poultry farm. Kievan mile* Meridian.
<.ood ImprovemenU. Goo. C. HotfabOOOJ. Beale.
M I AM.
,,,J'or Wtde-l'our pure-bred youmr Jeraey Bulla:
-00 colon lea of Baee and I aocond band Hr.’
P- wer Pump Jack. Apply to T. W. Jackaon.
i’ralrle I’t.. Mlaa
ao! (lilt*, three month* old,
110.00 each with pedigree. A few Barred Hock
C‘*k*ru,»j «*<•»* All f. o. b. Geo. Bhaver.
lirookaville, Mlaa.