Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-07-02
READING UP,
Knowing Matters Relating to the Farm
and Herds.

Il
Knowing Matters Relating to the Farm
| and Herds.
Most farmers pride themselves upon
being practical men, to the exclusion.
as they wish it to be understood, of all
| semblance to theory, and emphatica1ly
stripped of all leaning toward science.
1t is not duly considered that the re-
suits. under the hand of the so-called
practical man. are identicallv the same
upon growing and maturing crops, so
far as an opportunity is given, as
though manipulated by a farm scientist.
The outside limit of given farm to
carry stock. to be fed entirely upon the
products of its own surface. is now and
then reached by men who have care
fully studied Natures book-always
| open-through an extended term of
years. But it should be borne
in mind that men who are suc-
cessful in the manner stated are
always possessed of close powers of
observation, and that rare faculty
called good Judgment. The opinion
has been long deeply ingrained into the
m nds of farmers in general, that there
is degree of antagonism between
science and practice. That the former
tended to the elbowing aside of the
latter; in other words, that practical
views were to be ignored the moment
that science took hand in the man
agement. The use of a new machine,
changing seed, or the procuring of a
new variety. are operations carried on
by the so-called strictly practical man,
yet as fully based upon scientific prin-
ciples as upon mere practice. The
daily routine work of the most unpre-
tending farmer brings out illustrations
of the most complex scientific charac-
ter. and whenever he leaves the old
beaten path so long trodden by the
fathers. and ventures SO far upon new
ground as to ask himself if there may
not possibly be a better way than ira
dltion has taught him to follow, he is
on the verge of theorizing.
Breeders of improved farm stock
would be in sorry plight if they neg
lected to keep abreast of the times by
reading up in the literature of breed
ing. No wise men, only those wise in
their own conceit, ever attempt to get
together, breed and market valuable
ANIMALS. about which there is an ac-
cred ted literature, without keeping
fully informed as to what this ltera-
ture unfolds from week to week. and
from month to month. The collection
of important facts, bearing upon the
bus ness of the breeder. benefits no one
but him who follows up the reading CT
these with care. OF others, it is not
saving too much of them that they are
cropping their way in the dark. The
breeding of the higher classes of farm
stock is not stationary, non-progres-
sive business; once looked up, perhaps
through the herd-book alone, then to
be dropped out of sight, so far as fol-
lowing up the news and reading up on
the details of the art are concerned.
The breeder, or even the herdsman. who
omits to keep track of events transporting
from day to day, and neglects to fol-
low up such details as get into print
will find h mself very much at a loss
when thrown into the company of men
who keep abreast of the times. With
surplus stock on hand to dispose of, the
man who is thoroughly read up is. all
things being equal. infinitely the bet
ter salesman of the two, for the reason
that he is able to point out any minute
advantage an animal may have in its
breed ng. as the fashion of the hour
may REQUIRE. as well as to give such
wholesale advice to inexperienced buy
ers as the intrcacies of the business de-
mand. These intricate details are not
to be guessed at, neither learned by
tradition. This is not an age when
progress is made by cropping, plodding
or guessing, but only by close study
and active enterprise. Those who re-
ly upon tradition and hearsay infiu-
ences are left far in the rear, and the
breeder who justly comes under these
criticisms may as well go back to the
pillow and consider himself mere clod-
hopper. for, whether he will it so or
not. he will be rated as such.-Natio1al
Lice Stock Journal.