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ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ' Off. Doc. 



QUALIFICATIONS KSSKNTIAL TO THK SUC- 

 CESSFUL FARMER. 



nv I). A. KNUrPENBURG, Lake Carey, Wvominij Coxinty. 



I am jusl as proud to stand up anywhere, and say ''J am a farmer," 

 as ever David Hill was to say "I am a Democrat.'' 



And T am equally proud of tbe fact that I am a farmer in the ranks, 

 one whose time is spent in doing and in direcdng the labor of the 

 farm. It is not that I am a teacher of teachers, an. instructor, or a 

 representative of any of the learned professions that I owe my invi- 

 tation to be present with you to-day; but because I come from the 

 working ranks of Tennsylvania's farmers, and 1 shall attempt to 

 give you briefly my idea of those qualities necessary to make a suc- 

 cessful farmer. 



Qualification, is a word that means much. We undersL^nd by it 

 any natural endowment or acquirement which fits a person for a 

 place, ofiice or employme'ot; or enables him to sustain any character 

 with success. 



And first, the farmer must love the pursuit of his chosen occupa- 

 tion; for if it is distasteful and void of pleasure, that will be a clog 

 to the wheels of progress, that will be a hindrance and a burden. 

 The man becomes discontented, sour and irritated, and those in- 

 fluences are soon communicated and felt by every person, by every 

 animal and by all with whom he comes m contact. 



To be successful, I saj-, he must first, love his occupation, for "bet- 

 ter is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred 

 therewith." It is a truth, the importance of wliich can hardly be 

 over estimated, that nearly every successful member of any profes- 

 sion owes his success largely to the fact, that he pursues it, not for 

 The slavish hunger after emoluments, but from a genuine love for 

 it, and a satisfaction in discharging its duties efficiently and well. 

 If the mason enjoys seeing his work stand the test of plumb-line 

 and spirit-level, so the would-be successful farmer should feel the 

 thrill of satisfaction as his eye passes down the furrows evenly and 

 systematically run. So, on this point, I would say, love it. or leave 

 it. 



The art of husbandry dates back thousands of years, and millions 

 of men have made dismal failures of the business, others have made 



