CHAPTER V 



THE PKOFITS OF THE BUSINESS OF FAKMISTG 



AS a general proposition, does farming pay? 

 There can be but one answer to this ques- 

 tion and that is "Yes." He who answers "No" 

 overlooks the farmer's living. The vast majority 

 of mercantile and other businesses do not pay 

 more than a living to their owners, and the same 

 is true of the business of farming. But a busi- 

 ness that does not pay more than a living is not 

 to be despised or looked upon with disfavor. 



We have said that much is to be learned and 

 much comfort is to be obtained by comparisons. 

 When you are in distress think of your neighbor 

 who is in greater distress. If your business is not 

 paying what it should, think of your competitor 

 who has been thrown into bankruptcy. A business 

 that pays a living to its owner can be made to pay 

 a surplus. No immense fortunes were ever made 

 out of the business of farming, yet a vast number 

 of moderate fortunes have been won from the soil, 

 and we should not forget that the net income of 

 the average farmer is greater than the net income 

 of the average city man. A business, therefore, 

 that will yield a greater average income to those 

 engaged in it than any other business, is to be 

 coveted. 



The struggle for existence by a large portion 



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