262 HOW TO LIVE IN THE COUNTRY 



credulity of poor people who have let loose of their 

 small capital for a piece of property adjacent to 

 swamps, if not itself under water. 



From the letters which I have quoted I want you 

 to gather one thing. Every one must have some 

 capital when going to the country, unless it be when 

 settling in the suburbs of a town where strawberries 

 and fowls will bring in a quick return. There is 

 this other exception, where a young man is possessed 

 of good health and muscle and without bad habits 

 is willing to commit himself to an honest experi- 

 ment. Running in debt is not advisable, unless you 

 have carefully gone over the conditions so as to be 

 sure that there will be a balance in your favor each 

 year. And then you must keep a bank account as 

 soon as possible. Nothing so stimulates industry 

 as having a deposit showing that industry is profit- 

 able. 



Have your outgo and your income down in figures. 

 I like the idea of drawing up a budget. Every man 

 should have a budget, that is, he should look ahead 

 and determine as nearly as possible what his outgo 

 and income are likely to be during the coming twelve 

 months. Then he should compel his expenditures 

 to tally with this forward looking. Always know 

 which way you are facing toward prosperity or 

 bankruptcy. 



Gardening as a rule is the easiest hold for ordinary 

 city people. There are not so many secrets about 

 growing beets, carrots, potatoes, and beans as there 



