188 liuUKAL OK FaUMKKs' INSTITUTES. 



latter, to a great extent, is dependent upon others, is in most 

 cases a tenant at will and is obliged to purchase everything he 

 needs for himself and family, the farmer employs himself at re- 

 munerative wages, is in possession of a home for himself and 

 family and produces at least one-half of the necessaries of life. 



In everything we undertake to do, in order to be successful, 

 a certain amount of intelligence combined with the necessary 

 capital and labor is always requisite. The merchant in order to 

 do a profitable business must keep constantly on hand such a 

 class of goods that pertain to his line as the wants of the public 

 from time to time require. If he buys unseasonable goods 

 at an unseasonable time they will accumulate on his hands and 

 eventually so depreciate in value that his business will prove a 

 matter of loss rather than gain, if not drive him into bankruptcy. 

 This is equally true of the farmer. He must learn to adapt him- 

 self to the conditions by which he is surrounded. While physical 

 exertion is the main factor in successful agricultural pursuits, 

 nevertheless, unless guided by an intelligent knowledge of his 

 calling, a great waste of energy will ensue. If we undertake to 

 fight against nature we will be worsted every time. It is essential 

 that the farmer should know the exact elements which are incor- 

 porated in the soil he undertakes to cultivate, to the end that he 

 may adapt his crops to it; and should they be of such a nature 

 that he does not desire to raise them, he must manipulate the 

 soil to bring it into a condition adapted to raise the ones most 

 desirable. When the hand and the brain work in unison together 

 the highest type of successful farm labor is reached, and under 

 no other conditions. 



At a recent farmers' meeting the question was asked: "Why 

 are not farmers more prosperous? " The consensus of opinion 

 of those present appeared to be that their calling would not 

 permit of their accumulating wealth as fast as business men do, 

 nor as fast as their labor entitled them to, that their reward was 

 not proportionate to their labor. While this is undoubtedly true, 

 it is an erroneous idea to suppose that true prosperity consists 

 altogether in the accumulation of wealth when, all things con- 



