338 STATE BOARD OF AGEICULTUEE. 



money. This will foster a spirit of iudependence and habits of industry, and 

 the money thus obtained will be enjoyed ten times as much as though it has 

 been given by or begged from their parents. 



These matters, however, should be managed at odd times, and by no means 

 be allowed to interfere with the regular routine of farm work ; for I consider it 

 a lesson of paramount importance to be impressed early on the mind of every 

 farmer's boy that farming is a regular business; that its calls for labor are 

 continuous and exacting, and that it cannot be successfully carried on by 

 *' spurts." The results of such a system would soon satisfy him as to the 

 question whether farming was a paying business, and would teach him the 

 value of order, method, and precision. So the routine of the farm operations 

 should ever move on with clock-work regularity, and only rare and exceptional 

 events should be allowed to break in upon it. A slipshod method of manage- 

 ment in farming, as in everything else, is almost sure to be followed by dis- 

 astrous results, and I firmly believe that more bright, intelligent boys have 

 become disgusted with farming and have abandoned it through witnessing this 

 sort of thing than from any other cause. If every farmer would institute a 

 system of book-keeping (not one in fifty does it), carrying an account with 

 every field and every important department of his farm, he would not only 

 increase his chances for successful results, but would open a most valuable, 

 practical business school for his boys; for he should make them his clerks as 

 soon as they can wield the pen. I think such a system, thoroughly carried out, 

 would tend to inspire respect for farming, and advance it one long stride at 

 least toward the dignity of a profession. 



Great pains should also be taken to teach your boys the best methods of 

 handling farm tools and performing the various operations that require 

 manual dexterity. If you once get them interested in doing their work a little 

 better and quicker than their neighbors you have them about won over; give 

 them good tools. Nothing will breed a spirit of discontent sooner than to be 

 put into the field with a wretched implement and expected to keep up with 

 other hands. Make them early your confidants in the business of the farm ; 

 explain to them your plans, and when they get old enough to think encourage 

 them to throw o^t suggestions which should always be carefully considered ; 

 and always let it be remembered that " come, boys," sounds far pleasanter to 

 youthful ears than "go, boys." At a reasonably early age, even at the risk of 

 a little loss sometimes, put your boys forward into responsible places and trust 

 them with the execution of important business. This requires the exercise of 

 some judgment, of course ; but I have known farmers who went to the extreme 

 of never trusting such matters as required any brain work out of their own 

 hands. All bargaining or dealing, even common marketing, anything that 

 required teaming away from the farm, must be done by themselves, while the 

 boys were at home working out a "stent." As a consequence the latter grew 

 up with no more idea of business than a Digger Indian, and the process of 

 "cutting their eye teeth," as the saying is, was rather expensive and unsatisfac- 

 tory when they got to doing business on their own account. 



No farmer can afford to be without a pretty fair set of the more common 

 carpenter's tools, with bench and screw, and if he is no carpenter himself it 

 would pay him to hire one to give his boys some lessons, whenever ho has occasion 

 to do any building. The advantage of having a rough practical knowledge of 

 the first principles of the carpenter trade will be of great use through life, 

 and will soon show in the improved appearance of the fences, gates, and sheds 



