Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-29
ADVICE TO FARMERS.

In several articles of yours appearing in
THE GAZETTE you say you don't make
business of offering advice to farmers, pre-
ferring to lay facts before them and leave
them TO act for themselves on such facts. l
much like that idea. Our agricultural pub
locations are too full of advice, by half,
especially when it is d fact apparent to
every sensible farmer that half the advice,
if followed, would lead to bankruptcy the
first year. Many agricultural writers seem
to think that unless they are offering ad-
vice they are not doing much in their line,
and the advice might be all we'll enough were
the adviser able to make it appear that he
really knows as much about the things he
is advising on as do the parties advised A
city curbstOne- hopper, who never so much
as walked across a farm, advises the clod-
hopper as to what he must do to be saved
This is the kind of thing that makes agri-
cultural literature generally unpopular, and
| am extremely glad to find that there is
nothing of the kino in the agricultural de-
partment of the Fort Worth GAZETTE.
send you clipping from the Peoples
Economist which, in my opinion, about
covers this matter of advice to farmers
rendered by city editors who couldn't tell a
pumpkin from watermelon until they had
compared the two by tasting. | am glad to
know that you are practical farmer, as
shown by yourself in a recent article.
though l have felt sure of it all along. The
clipping will therefore be accepted as having
no kind OF reference to you.
ENocH Brown.
Miller county, Ark.
Following is the clipping referred to by
our correspondent. 1t is headed "a
Georgian's Advice:''
/ have no advice to give the farmer l
leave that to the average editor who knows
all about farming though he never turned
furrow in his life, and probably never saw
any farming going on other than what ap-
peared within the range Of his vision, far
out in the field, as he hastily drove through
some long lane in his buggy. "Wise men
need no advice, fools won't take it, If a
man that has been born, raised. drilled and
educated to farm don't know his business
better than man in some other occupation,
he'd better so off and soak his head in soap
suds. For the editication of the hayseed
brethren in general. give little extract
below from the Enterprise: The
steady decline in the prices of Gotten re-
sulting from over-production and the in
crease in the price of bacon and corn should
stimulate the farmers to diversity their
crops and keep at home the money spent
for supplies CT meat, ETC." Now, III bet the
Times-Enterprise don't know that the
finest country meat can be bought in SOs-
ton at 6 to cents, and other supplies in
about the same proportion. A Western
city editor would advise about thusiy:
Now. Hayseeds. you had better not Plat
TOO much grain this year; you know that
meat and lard is mighty low, and while
corn is little uppish this year. Is or 20
cents is about ali YOU can count on, and so
you had better diversity, ETC. etc" And
so | am going to be in the fashion and give
some advice, too. Farmers of Thomas
county. if you don't know what is best,
I'm sure ] don't. You know your abilities,
capacities and opportunities. Plant what
you please and as much as ysu please
t'ertilize all you are able, and just naturally