Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-09-13
Tasttt xHeetests,
Benefits From Agricultural Papers,
Cor. Country Gentleman.

think the reading OF g0Ou papers
is doing more for the farmers than
many are aware of. The most OBJ
stinate man can hardly read paper
a year and not be influenced for the
better. Mr.. Hoard, President of the
Northwestern Dairyman's Assoclaa
ton, says we must have a lot of fu'
nerals before we can make much pro-
gress; but have less faith in that
remedy; the young people will be in
fluenced by their surroundings and be
"chips of the old block" you know,
Two or three good papers in the
house, exerting their silent influence
every week, will knock the old fogy
out more thoroughly and at less ex>
pense than a funeral.
Farmers institutes, clubs and
oranges are doing good work in the
same direction, and doing it the bet.
ter, in that they bring the farmers to.
gether and give them that social in.
tercourse which they so much need;
but the men who read the best agri-
cultural papers are those who attend
our institutes, as rule. Occasional>
ly farmer strays in who doesn't
take a paper, sneers at "book larn-
in'," and expresses contempt tor ag-
ricultural professors and education
generally-a fellow who plants his
potatoes and kills his hogs "when
the moon is right" Such a one was
enticed into an institute not long
since, where the writer was. Here is
his picture: Hair long and tangled
never saw the inside of a barber shop;
blue overalls tucked into heavy cow>
hide boots on which were several
coats of COW manure; a long brown
blouse with strap around the waist;
in his hand a savage whip, and in
his mouth quid of tobacco. Some
Of the s'boysp called him up to tell
how he cured his cattle of bloat; he
used vinegar, which prevented the
gas from "degenerating" in their
Stomachs! .'
After ain institute, lately, 1 went
home with farmer-a reader of the
Country Gentleman, as usual-and
what l saw there made me think a
good deal about the value of a paper.
There was fine large house, elegant.
ly furnished, and mammoth barn,
filled with stock and feed; fields tile.
drained or the draining being done
as fast as the owner could get to it
all surroundings neat and tasteful
and the improvements were of a sub
stantal character. Fine stone walks
from the house to all the out-build,
ings and the street, particularly took
my fancy.
"These must have cost you a gOoC
deal of money!" 1 said.
"Well," he replied" 81 presume
there is little less money in thu
bank, but there is a mighty sigh
more comfort around home!"
This man is surrounded by neigh
bors who do not believe in improve
ments in farming, and not one o
them for some distance around take
an agricultural paper. When m!
friend built his new barn, they said
"What does the fool want of such
great barn? He never will half fiji
it." But the owner expressed regre
to me that he did not build it 80 pc
larger, as his crops had already out
grown it, as the result of his under
draining and better tillage and bette
farming generally, for which he feel
largely indebted to your valuabl
paper:
1 listened for an hour, with inter
est, to his reports of successes whe
his ignorant neighbors made failures
Not one of those neighbors attende
the institute, which was only tw
miles away. The old-fashione
straightforward harrow was goo
enough for them, they said; they ha
no occasion to pay $50 or $40 for
new-fangled arrangement. The
would work all day sowing gra'
seed by hand, rather than pay So fC
nice little machine that would Ell
able them to SOW as much befol
breakfast and sow it better. 1 hav
only pity for such men. Why wi
they not learn the full, broad NEAR
ing of the law, Gas man sows, S
shall he reap?" 81.
Ny friend told me when one of h
sons became old enough to go ava
and begin farming for himself, h
made him a wedding present ola sui
scription to your paper, "and," h