The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-05-26
FARMERS, ATTENTION.
A Plan of Cooperation for Improveme1
in Farming Methods, Etc.

in Farming Methods, Etc.
| One great aim of the Alliance organ
ization is improvement at home. No
other Improvement can be made as fal
reaching, as productive of such bene
fetal results as the permanent i'm
prOvement Of the soils and the adOpi
tion of improved methods in order to-
retain this fertility after it is once i'm
proved In other words improvement
at home is synonymous with better
financial condition, with better crops,
with more easy, comfortable living.
No improvement can be made at once
all reforms take time. But it can
we'll be said that the sooner these re
forms are commenced in a rational
thoughtful way, the sooner will they
be productive Of permanent, useful re-
suits.
The n. @. Agricultural Experiment
Station seeks to aid in this improve
ment at home by offering to the farm
ers all the assistance afforded by any
of it's various divisions in agricultural
work
The Station has been doing this from
the moment of it's organization in 1877
up to the present time. 1t has assisted
individuals in every part Of the State.
We want now to offer assistance to
communities instead of Individuals
and no better plan can be adopted than
to cooperate with organizations al
ready established. The Alliance is
strong in numbers in every county Of
the State, and with the active erer-
getic spirit constantly manifested by
all of it's members, 1t would seem that
there could be no better means afforded
by which the farmers could collective
ly cooperate with the Station and util-
ize whatever advantages it has to af-
ford And the Station is willing and
anxious to begin.
1t may just as well be said at once
that the Station derives it's support
from the United States and no one
need be apprehensive of any cost to
themselves or the State The first
clause in the famous Hatch act which
appropriates this money to an expert
ment station in every State and Terri
tory, is as follows
That in order to aid in acquiring
and dltfusing among the people of the
United States useful and practical in
formation on subjects connected with
agriculture, and to promote scientific
investigation and experiment, etc"
It can thus be seen that one of the
cardinal principles for which the APP
preparation was made by the United
States is to diffuse practical and useful
information among the farmers as well
as also to learn new agricultural
truths. In this the Station and the
farmers must work together The
Station for its part must place before
the farmers such knowledge as itself
can discover from experiments under
taken, or else the result Of similar
work done elsewhere or knowledge se-
cured which would be advantageous to
know. 1t is one thing to reach results
through any investigation-itis is entire
ly another thing to place them in the
hands and in the heads of farmers who
should use them. A man might work
half-dOzen life times, and discover
truths Of great value every minute of
his time, yet his time will be totally
wasted unless he places before others
the result Of his work To be of the
greatest value, the work Of the Expe-
riment Station must be carefully con
sidered by every farmer in the State.
The farmers of the State on their
part should be always alert to take ad-
vantage Of anything that is offered
by the Experiment Station, to ask it's
aid whenever it is possible for the
Station to give it, and to adopt such
methods as have been proven valuable
by actual trial. They should join
forces with the Station, and not only
derive as much benefit as possible from
it, but also TO take a lively interest in
it and seek to aid it as far as can be
done
To increase this cooperation the fol
lowing plan has been outlined and is
now in progress. Briefly, as follows:
The election by each Sub-Alliance in
every county of a committee Of three
to be known as the " Experiment com
mittee" whose chairman will report at
each meeting Cf the Alliance. This
committee will keep in constant com
munication with the Experiment Sta
tion and will in turn give the mem
bers Of the Alliance the benefit of such