ESSENTIALS OF SUCCESS 



farming, in some ways, the most uncertain as 

 well as the most fascinating occupation 

 known to man. The fact that the farmer 

 is dealing with living things puts his occu- 

 pation in a class by itself for a number of 

 reasons, one of which is germane to the sub- 

 ject of this chapter. 



In most occupations a larger part of the 

 knowledge necessary to success can be 

 acquired by doing than is the case in farm- 

 ing. Locomotive engineers are trained for 

 their responsible duty while firing the 

 engine. The brakeman becomes a conduc- 

 tor by assisting the latter. A bank cashier 

 is usually a promoted bank clerk. Each 

 obtained the knowledge essential to success 

 largely by oft-repeated performance. 



While, of course, there is much the 

 farmer can learn only by experience, there 

 are many things essential to his success that 

 the mere performance of the necessary 

 farm operations will not teach him. Spread- 

 ing manure will never teach him that stable 

 manure should be supplemented with phos- 

 phoric acid in order to get the best results. 



7 



