334 STATE BOARD OP AGEICULTUKE. 



an agent appointed by themselves. Granges have been organized in many 

 places, and I understand some of them have paid well, especially in the older 

 portion of the State. Those, however, that were at one time running in Tus- 

 cola county, have either gone down, or exist only in name, all for want of con- 

 fidence, and a knowledge of its true interests. The result is that he has to 

 feed and clothe the world, without receiving enough to pay him but a very 

 small profit for his produce. Whatever is bought, is on credit; his debts 

 accumulate, until his anxiety becomes akin to misery. Under such circum- 

 stances, it is impossible for him to be cheerful, happy, or even social. He 

 feels that he is going down hill becomes discouraged, neglects his business, or 

 makes another venture, which may either help him out, or get him further 

 down. This hapha/>ard way of doing things, is the way too many of our 

 farmers go to work ; then they call it luck, good or bad, depending on liow the 

 venture turns out. We see this more particularly in the purchase and hand- 

 ling of thoroughbred stock by men who are novices in the business. They 

 conclude to purchase a particular kind of cattle, because they are popular ; 

 others have succeeded, and why cannot they ? He goes to some one who adver- 

 tises their stock, and not being posted, is no great judge, and the individual 

 who has the animals to sell, praises their good qualities, but never mentions 

 their poor ones, for very few breeders will sell their best animals. The result 

 is he has bought this man's culls. Now, they possess all the defects of the 

 breed. When he comes to breed from them, he may get now and then a fine 

 representative of the race, but the chances of success are against him, and he 

 makes up his mind that raising high priced cattle don't pay. 



He now concludes, after having found on the wrong side of the balance 

 sheet several hundred dollars, to try a wheat crop. He goes to work, and fits 

 his ground and puts in his crop; he never, or seldom knows what it has cost 

 him ; it comes up in due time, has a good color, and he begins to think that 

 he has struck oil. And at harvest time he feels that thirty bushels per acre 

 isn't to large. He cuts it, puts it into the barn, and threshes it; he takes it to 

 the market and gets ninety-three cents per bushel for it, he goes home, pays 

 his help, and borrows the money to pay his thresh bill. He now thinks the 

 fates are against him, and so they are and always will be until he makes up 

 his mind to become acquainted with the business he wishes to pursue, and I 

 think the best way would be for them to organize a grange, or some other pro- 

 tection, take some good agricultural paper, buy some work or works treating 

 upon the subject, read up, become posted. Until he does so, lie will hardly 

 succeed, for life is too short, and most farmers have too little capital at their 

 command to learn by experimenting alone. He concludes to sell the farm and 

 move into town, and in too many instances a few years finds them without a 

 dollar, discouraged, and but a wreck of his former self. During this time the 

 the wife and mother has acted a very important part; she has worked and 

 made a slave of herself, until broken down in health, and she too is but a 

 wreck, while comparatively young in years. She has worked for her girls 

 while they were reading some popular novel, or examining the latest fashion 

 plate. She has wept, and prayed for her boys, who left their homes before 

 the farm was given up, some of whom are in the far west, while the where- 

 abouts of the others are unknown. 



This dear, good mother thinks it is her duty to do all the work and wait 

 upon her darlings, that they may have time to read and store their minds with 

 knowledge. Indeed, if it was useful knowledge then that good mother would 

 not have worked in vain, for I believe it to be man's highest duty to acquire 



