THE FARMER 107 



of men as a group and label the lot as possessing 

 the same good or bad qualities, whether they be 

 farmers, landowners, or tradesmen. The class 

 may have some points in common which dis- 

 tinguish them from other classes, but these are 

 generally few. Each man has his own peculiarities 

 of character, and he will not alter them merely by 

 becoming a farmer or a grocer. Taking them as 

 a whole, I should say farmers are a very straight- 

 forward body of men, but to say there are no 

 exceptions would be as ridiculous as saying all 

 tradesmen were dishonest, because one was found 

 guilty of putting sand in his sugar. One farmer 

 may sell you hay as good, which you find is quite 

 unfit to give horses, but that is no reason why you 

 should never purchase forage from other farmers. 

 Of course, if you pit your knowledge against his 

 and drive a bargain, you have only yourself to 

 thank, if you get the worst of the deal. 



In the matter of poultry-claims, I am sorry to 

 say there are some farmers dishonest enough to 

 send in bills for fowls which they have killed 

 themselves or even never possessed. Because 

 there are black sheep in the fold, there is no reason 

 you should look on every claim with suspicion. 



