Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13
What Is the Trouble with that Field of
COrn2

Mr.. EDITOR:-I think you have a hard
er row to hoe edit0riaIly than you do even
In that weedy piece of small, poor corn,
and you have my most hearty sympathy.
Iapprehend that most agricultural ed
itors deal only with theories, and of course
have no trouble; but you, as II practical
farmer, are constantly running against
actual results and facts, which, as an
honest man, you must face and try to ex
plain. Now that is often big lob, and
is where the hard work comes in If Won
want an easy time as an editor, 90 on anu
write at ttGttanl about the best way t.
raise big crop of corn, but do not go and
try to do the thing yourself.
know what the trouble is with youl
corn, but am not going to tell, because
if | should you would have score Of
letters next week from better farmers than
am, demonstrating both by theory and
their own experience that my notions are
all wrong, and thus the balance of testi-
mony and the verdict would be against
me, and you perhaps no wiser for next
years work.
Given two fields of equal quality of soil,
one producing seventy-tive or eighty
bushels of good corn per acre, and the
other only twenty-five or thirty bushels,
and it would seem that it ought not to be
a difficult question to solve as to what
caused the difference; and yet we see such
differences on adjoining farms right along
from year te year, and suppose we shall
continue to for long years to come, al
though the farmer who raises the good
crop makes no secret of his methods, and
is willing to inform his less successful
neighbor if asked.
Ii one neighbor beats us in any crop,
we ought 10 60 at once and find how he
did it; and then, throwing all our previous
notions and theories to the winds, 20 and
do il ourselves.
A half-hour's quiet chat with a farmer
who is making success ia any particular
line of his business will put one in pos.
session of oil the facts as 10 bis method OF
doing it.
like your way. when you make fail
ure, of telling of it, and shall expect 10
hear that y"ur corn field next year is sat
isfaclory; because, with your inquring
state of mind, you will find before thai
limo what the trouble is.
FARMER.
Farmer" has our hearty thanks for
his sympathy and complimentary remarks,
but he has fallen into one or two errors,
which we must correct. First, as to "ed-
iting vt is the easiest thing in the world,
except no work. Were the end sought in
the work that of impressing the readers
with an idea Of the editor infinite wisdom
and knowledge and his infallib'e indg-
ment, the work would be much more diff
cult generally, and in some cases probably
well nigh impossible.
We have not placed 80 much stress on
theories unsupported by facts, INFESTED by
experience, as perhaps many do, and when
fact comes in our way, or bit of expe-
rience seems to contra ict what we before
held as truth, and makes patent our igno.
rance. we have to console ourselves with
the knowledge that there are stores of il
yet undiscovered, and that above all per-
sonal feelings and considerations, The
truth and the greatest general good should
stand clear and prominent, the ultimate
object and end.
So no personal conceit OR ambition to
support or make reputation for great
knowledge enters TO embarrass us in our
work; but we do aim for reputation.
editorial as well as personal, for truth
and veracity." let it cut where it will. So
much for that.
Next and the more important, comes
the matter of the corn; and here comes
in Farmers second error, in speaking Of
1t as that "weedy piece" 1t is small
enough and poor enough, but it is not, nor
has 1t at any time been allowed to become
weedy. That, had it been the case, would
to our mind, have been sufficient cause
TO have accounted for differences observed.
and Farmers letter would have been more
satisfactory if he had told us what is the
matter with the corn, and let us take the
consequences. as perhaps he may vel do.
A neighbor noticed the corn and said
You ought TO have put q little more
manure under that corn" Perhaps go,
but here are tho facts, and we will state
them again: The field contains little less
than two acres. OF this. about half was
plowed in July, '7S, and SO wed with India
wheat. The remainder was broken up
this spring Gall plowed tho same time).
and all received an equal dressing of
manure. After planting it came up even
ly and equally we'll; when quite small the
frost came, and some portions OF the field