The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., December 14, 1912, ONE-HORSE FARMERS' SPECIAL., Image 1

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

Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

                
A Talk to the One-lfth'se Farmer.
. i 1 ■ • . . . ;
A ONE-HORSE Farmers’Special,’.’ some reader-may be sayiag to
himself, “and the first thing the picture of a man with a two
horse cultivator—isn’t that rather inconsistent?”
Well, it may be; but we scarcely think so. The fact is, that while
this is a special issue for
can be done in one year or two, for in some cases it may take much
longer. We do say, tho, that a great many farmers make a big mis
take in expecting the single horse they have to earn another one for
them. Brethren, that’s a hard road to travel. Let us commend to
von of Mr
| one-horse farmers, and
| largely by those who are
or have been one-horse
farmers, its purpose is
to inspire and help the
I one-horse farmers who
read it to become two
horse farmers.
Frankly, we do not
believe in one-horse
farming. There may be
cases where the man
whodoes snecialtv farm
ing on a very little land
needs only one horse;
but for the man who
raises staple crops, and
who depends upon his
farming for a living,one
horse is not enough. It
is not enough simply be
cause in that case the
farmer is out of propor
tion to his equipment.
He is frittering away his
own strength, his own
»*»l
HE IS DOING EASY AND PROFITABLE WORK-THE SORT YOU SHOULD DO
1 —— .. ..... —---a____
McNair’s on page 5:
“It is more difficult to
pay for one mule by one
mule methods than to
pay for two mules by
two-mule methods.” In
most cases that is the
solemn truth. ||
Don’t make the mis- j
take of beginning with
% a single horse if you can - r
hv Qtiv moana nKfnin I
two; and if you have
begun with one, get an
other at once if you pos
sibly can. We don’t ad- 1
vocate going in debt as
a rule but you can well
afford to stretch your
credit a little to obtain
the power and equip- j
ment necessary to do
good farming. ,
When you work one
horse, you put your own
labor against the labor
V« in V • UAO V TT U ISmAAKJ
power when he walks twice as' often as is necessary across a field to
tend it, and when he limits his crop to one half or two-thirds of what
he is fully capable of overseeing and caring for.
Some folks have thought that in cbndemning one-horse farming
we were "jumping on” the men who own only one horse. Nothing
could be farther from the facts. If we didn’t believe that this man
with one horse is capable of bigger and better things than he can
secure with such limited power: if we didn’t think that he could do
more and better work, and make more money, and so provide himself
and his family with more of the good things of life; if we didn’t feel
sure that because of a wrong idea or two he is now failing to realize
on his OWtl fAfinnrpoc onH ohilifioe nro urnnIHnho oirorlaefitirrltr ot««
ring up a racket and advising him to get two horses.
Of course, there may be men who are content with their present
conditions, who believe they are doing the very best that is possible,
| and who regard any intimation that there is a better way, as a reflec
tion upon them; but we are not writing for tyose men. We are hop
ing to reach men of the type who wrote the experience letters for us
this week—the aspiring, energetic, determined sort of farmers who
have higher ideals and enough faith in themselves to strive to attain
I those ideals.
We repeat what we have often said: The man who has health,
energy and ambition can, if he meets with no serious mischance, get
! out °f the one-horse class, and it will pay him to do it.
We don’t say that it is easy, for often it isn’t : we don’t say that it
D .. „ .. of that horse.
Brother Farmer, you are a bigger, stronger, wiser man than you
give yourself credit for, when you imagine that you cannot do better
than this. You are capable of doing better farming and of making a
better living for your family than you can do and make with one horse.
But you are not big and strong and wise enough to take one horse
and compete with men who have two or three or ten or twenty horse
power at their command. Your earning ability is limited by the
power you direct: therefore, get more power.
, FEATURES OF THIS ISSUE.
DENMARK’S USEFUL HIGH SCHOOLS— Practical Training That
Makes for Prosperity and Progress ,.
FEEDING THE HOGS THIS WINTER—The Folly of Com Alone * 16
GROUND LIMESTONE FOR ALABAMA AM) Mississippi_
Abundant Supply Right at Hand. - ,
HOW TO REDUCE THE COST OP TEAM WORK—An Article for
the Man With One Horse or Many ,
JUST A BIT OF EDEN—The Adventures of Margaret. fo
ONE-HORSE FARMING .EXPERIENCES—Letters From Men \Vlio
Have Worked With a Single Animal. « «
THE TENANT’S GARDEN—It is All a Mistake to Think That the
Small Farmer Cannot Have a Good Garden
WH*£ T° WEAN THE CALF—A Practical Talk by
WHT TOP yoiAb HAVE TWO HOBSEi_H„,v ti,.' “
YOU CAN GET OUT OF THE ONE-HORSE CLASS — A Practical 3
Talk to the Young Farmer, by Professor Massey 4