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The Boy and the Farm

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 16, 1914

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 91, No. 16.

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The Boy and the Farm

The prospects of collars and cuffs draw many a young man from a competent and profitable life on the farm to an unhappy and unsuccessful existence in the city. The superficial glitter of the town is still the magnet for scores of boys, and of young women, too, who would be far more useful as members of society if they would stay on the farm. Year after year the old preach against the trend to the city, and year after year the young folks close their ears, preferring to learn by experience.
Says Judd P. Mason, president of the Illinois State Dairymen's Association:—
"There is no reason why a young man with normal physical powers, common sense, and a willingness to do hard work, cannot settle down on a farm, make it pay, and eventually be the owner of it. It is far easier to do so now than it was thirty or forty years ago—and this applies to this part of Illinois as well as any other place where farming can be carried on.
"A generation or two ago farming was far more difficult than it is at present. Our fathers walked many miles each day to perform their work, and the tools they had to labor with were almost primitive in comparison to the farming implements of today.
"But now the farmer has every advantage that science and the machine shop can supply. Information on every phase of farming is sent him by the government, colleges, and various institutions. He walks little in doing his work, and where he formerly could hoe only one row of corn at a time he now hoes two, and, thanks to machinery, with far less exertion.
"The boy on the farm in overalls and jumper has a better chance of success than the city boy in office or factory. But, in addition to a liking for hard work and the acquiring of scientific knowledge, he must not forget the financial side. He must remember that his farm buildings and land are his fixed capital, and that his stock and tools are his working capital."—Boulder Herald.