r Our Farm Department \ Devoted to the Interest of Those Who W Till the Soil f f CONDUCTED BY J. M BEATY | Why Not SUy on the F?rm7 Without much doubt many of our readers will at thie time of the year be thinking seriously over the question of whether they will stay on the farm or move to town. We have not much doubt that it would be wis dom for some of them to make the change. There comes a time in the life of the farmer when it becomes necessary for him to take things easy, perhaps to educate his children, and when this can be done best by renting or selling the farm and moving to town. We are quite as well convinced, however, that the majority of farmers who make this change make a mistake, and if their real thoughts could be read they realize that they have made a mistake and regret that they did not stay on the farm. Farming is about the only business that we know of in the United States that enables a man to retire when but little past middle age and live in some sort of way on bis income. Where one business man retires there are twenty farmers who do so. It will not always be so; it has not always been so in the oast: but the phenomenal rise of laud, due to the development of trans portation and to the increased value of the dollar, has enabled thousands of farmers to retire and live in ease and comfort. So long as a man is able to do a half day's work on the farm, so long as he is not qualified to engage in some new business in competition with men who have been at it all their lives, we are satisfied that he will have more real comfort and more real hap finess if he will stay on tbefurm. t is not necessary that he should have full charge of the farm. We do not approve of the plan which some farmers fol low of retaining full charge of every detail, requiring their sons to follow their methods, reliev ing them of all responsibility, and thus driving them uwav from the farm if they have any real capacity. When the farm boy comes to man's estate he must be trained not merely to execute orders but to take re sponsibility, and much of the buying, planning and manage ment of the farm should be left to him. This is necessary for his development and training, not merely as a farmer but as a man. it will not cost any more to build a neat, comfortable house on the farm tban it will to build one in town. It will not coot nearly as much to live in com fort on the farm an it will in towu. It will not compel the farmer to form new associates, an he will be compelled to do to a certain extent if he moves to town. He will usually Hud the company of a favorite pony, a pure bred cow, or pure bred chickens and tur keys in the country better for bim than the company of some disgruntled and discontented and disappointed fellow farmers who have moved to town and realize that they have made a mistake. If he lives on his farm, takes care of a few acres, or engages in some specialty in farming, such as breeding corn or developing new varieties of grain, or breed ing some pet live stock in a small way, he will have better physical health and better mental devel opment than if he cuts loose from the past and adopts a dif ferent mode of life. To be either healthy or happy one must think and work as well as eat and sleep. There is plenty on every farm, or even a few acres of it, to occupy the mind and hands of the farmer who is not able to undertake the heayy work of the farm as he did in the past. Chauge of employment and change of location is often in jurious to the health of those past middle life. We have not the slightest doubt that many farmers die earlier than they would have done had they re mained on the farm instead of moving to town. It is objected that the country schools do not furnish equal op portunities for education with those in the towns. This is to some extent true, but not nearly to such an extent as many peo ple imagine; nor is it necessarily true to any extent at all. If farmers will insist on raisins the standard by which the teacner is measured in the country schools, raise salaries of teachers propor tionately, and do their best to develop the school life in the neighborhood, the evils of which they complain may be remedied to a very great extent. (Ho long as farmers give the school teach ers no higher wages than they could earn as hired girls in the city they should not complain of poor country schools.) We have noticed that these boys and girls from even ordinary country schools prove themselves to be, at least the equals and in many cases the superiors of tbe young men and women of the same age who acquired the first elements of their education in the graded schools. This, wa think, is the evidence given by almost every graded school teacher with whom we have ever conversed. If farm ers will take the same pride in their country schools that they do in their live stock they can demand a superior class of teach ers and furnish a much better education than they now do to those who must stay inthecoun try. Another objection offered is the condition of the roads. We have not much patience with this ob jection, since it has been demon strated that by the intelligent use of the road drag country roads can be kept in compara tively good condition nearly all the year around, at an expense that does not exceed the ordina ry poll tax in a country town ship. Still another objection is that the farmers do not have the same church privileges as those in town. This, too, is largely their own fault. The waj to make good country churches and eucourage country preachers is to attend church,pay the preach er, take an interest In every good work that is going on, if not in your own denomination then in some one most nearly akiu to it. Farmers do not realize how much good can be obtaiued out of the country church untd they enter into its work with the proper spirit and with the intention of making the community better to the full extent of their power, even if they do not become mem bers When farmers realize the pos sibilities there are in country life this tendency to move to town will diminish. V\ ith the rural delivery, rural telephones, better roads, aud increasing comforts, there is no reason why life in the country should not be superior in every respect to the life of the city or the ordinary county seat or village.?Wallace's Farmer. The Immigration Problem. There is need of more thrifty people in North Carolina it) every department of industry. Thous ands of acres ires \ by the terms of the offer itself on January isi, 1907. < We would not consider giving presents to one with- ? out giving presents to all, for tags that reach us after our offer has expired, and for this reason we will not consider any cause whatever for delay in delivery of tags, and we will positively refuse to give presents for any tags that reach Winston-Salem, N. C., after Tuesday, January 1st, 1907, which is the full extent of time as heretofore stipulated in our offer. No employee has authority to change or modify this or any notice or offer made by us. LR. J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO CO.. WINSTON-SALEMa^N..C. i, < li 1 SPIERS 3 * Iff |? We are dailv a d d i ri ir new goods to our present Ug ! MA large stock of Dr* G<>ods. Shoes, Notions, Milli- \*m nerv and House Furnishing Goods VVe strive to r2 | W keep only good material and keep our stock sup- W ! Xj plied to accomoiodate ihe needs of our customers. ? Jfl You take no chances huving of us. We guarantee X m everything we sell unless we inform you othei wise. yj | Spiers Bros., | Jfj Smithfield, North Carolina '?_% INSURANCE! Home People!! v Home Company!! The North State Fire Insurance Co., of Greensboro, N. C., is backed and managed by North Carolinians, ? with? ASHLEY HORNE. President. A policy in this home company is a guarntee of Protec tion. *iLet me insure four property at once in this strong, conservative company. Sam T. Honeycutt. __ THE JOHN A. McKAY MFG. COMPANY Dunn. N. C. Founders and Machinists Machinery and Mill Supplies One and Two Horse Stalk Cutters. Best made. Sold by W. M. Sanders, Smithlleld, N. C.