The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-19
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES AND
CLASSIC EDUCATION NOT ES-
SENTIAL TO SUCCESS IN
FARMING,

! To the Editor OF the Eagle.
Our country is not suffering for lack Of
agricultural literature. Many college
trained writers are laboring, apparently,
with much zeal and earnestness to con
vert farmers to a doctrine of new dis
pensation which they have discovered
within the curriculum, whereby all may
sail with unerring safety and success IN
the financial stream of uninterrupted
prosperity, and by having an accurate
scientific knowledge of the constitutional
particles of the sol and atmosphere and
fertilizers, and the component parts Of
cereal plants and vegetables, and the
quantity and quality may be doubled
and quadrupled.
This certainly is a grand ChimeriCal
theory to promulgate from agricultural
experiment stations by salaried officials
in gloved hands, whose support Is de-
rived from a direct tax upon the people,
and of no earthly benefit to the farmer.
The history of agriculture dates long
step backward. Grandfather Adam and
his stalwart boys must have had some
experience in farming. Cain, being a
craftsman. undoubtedly made plows,
hoes and spades for the use of his kind
red in cultivating the ground. conse-
Quently during the past 5000 and more
years the fertile bosom of mother
earth has been titled with various
implements to induce her to yield
sustenance to man, and within all that
long range of farming, connected with
an accumulated store Of scientific knowl-
edge, the average annual yield in crops
has not materially changed. BY con-
slant cropping exhaustion of the soil is
natural 8, quence, and either rest or re-
Punishment with manur- or some other
fertilizer is absolutely essential to main
tain a yearly maximum in yield. This
principle is SO patent to the observing
that an eXegetic Interpretation is of no
cons Quence to the prosperous farmer;
he cares but little for the iteration of
learned disquisition5 on farm
management. He Is a stu
dent OF nature, his practical
knowledge is derived more from inspira-
ton than books: their books are composed
Of level head, strong arms, prancing
teams and FURNISHED implements. not
that they ignore a higher grade of
scholastic attachments, but simply be-
cause they have no use for 1t In the
stable. the field and the grain stack-a
very desirable thing however, TO have
when out visiting or attending political
campaign rumpus.
There are very many who fail to have
an intuitive knowledge sufficient to Sc
cure the best results in farming, The
bump of pluck and energy for doing all
things well and at the right time is de-
tiCient, and right here we would
mention the fact that there are
perhaps hundreds of farmers within
ii radius of five miles of Wichita. an Il
mine of golden wealth within their grasp
as vet undeveloped: we will give the Sc
Cret away and only wish that we were
within that radius. Thousands upon
thousands of loads of the very best man
IRE are dumped on the islands and in the
river every year from stables and hos
telrles that should be hauled out OF the
city onto farms. 1t will not do 10 say
that river bottom land is strong enough
without it: Kansas soil is quick 10 re-
sUond to little kind treatment. and
those farmers could well afford 70 cult
vate one-third less land and make
more money by the increased
yield Everybody will admit this to be
a fact Sometimes facts are stubborn
what a dociIe one this would be
if courted little: it would not only in
crease greatly the number Of dollars
derived form the soil but also enhance
the value of the land.
Profit comes in mainly through super
Tor management Of the farm, and this is
not in any sense obtained from so-called
agricultural colleges and experiment
stations: they are only political ex-
fastened upon our statutes by
the leaseing influence OF uncsrupulous
5emUgouCes. Reformation from wrong
doing should begin at home. the peop.e
should unite in taking an advance step
in this direction and give the pilfering
an eternal bounce.
II. ". BROCKWAY.