The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1892-02-26
raeGarsssvE FARMING

Following 10 IN address by g. II.
Schmidt, Of Albany, delivered ut the
Farmers Institute held In tho Court
House at Corvallis, under the auspices Of
the Corvallis Grange, Feb. 1s.l0th:
Progressive agriculture IL as yet In its
infancy throughout the farming world,
although fully recognized as one Of the
corner stones In advanced civilization.
| Progress In agriculture as in every yoca-
| tion OF life IL the direct result Of pro-
gressiye men and women, and we ean
therefore In general way accept the
saying, that success In farming depends
more upon tho man than II does upon
| the land.
We have ali with deep regret read In
the papers about the famine stricken
Russiane and we ask what IL the cause 2
answer, II u lack Of progress, II ID ignor
ancc, IL is, iadies and gen tlemeD, the abb
sencc Of good schools and good teachers
planted eycrywhere,it Ii The lack Of good
example aud good homes. the lack Of
agricultural education, the lack Of tree
education applied In its broadcast sense.
Wonderful are the gifts we have from
progressive men during the last century !;
| the weary mother can talk with her boy
however thousands OF miles apart. Great
things have been accomplished In the
| large cities nearly all over the civilized
world. Colleges, schools OF art, technical
schools, academies, ,seminariea and vast
number OF splendid institutions have
sprung up aud have a powerful mission !;
these institutions have been The birth
place OF untold noble impulses and con-
sequences. But while we pay very
high tribute 10 these institutions We
deeply regret that large part OF the
rural population has rs yet not been pro-
yided for adequately. There are over
two hundred millions Of men engaged
daily In agricultural work rs their voca-
tion Of life. Reflect on Ii o moment, how
many Of this vast number do you think
are engaged In progressive agriculture?
A very small per cent and why7 Largely
because Of the lack Of opportunities for
the young men and women on the farms.
What 10 progressive agriculture? IL Ii
manufacture applied 70 farming and
keeping up the soils fertility. II We take
away from some field thousand dollars
worth of wheat we have reduced the fer
tility Of that field t24 and we must COM
with fruit; II We take away 400 In fruit
fertility II must be replaced or We are at
least drawing a check which our children
must pay. We are shipping away FROM
the farms In the Willamette Valley
yearly about two million dollars worth OF
fertility and we are doing but very little
70 pay the land back, yet the land how
ever a very considerate and easy creditor
demands paw No state OF no country
ever succeeded IN borrowing anything
from ihe land without being Obliged 10
pay IL back. and the soil demands full
compensation, an old debt must be paid
and with compound interest, and II We
do not do Il our children aud grand
children will have 10 do IL.
The farm a. n mandatory. Why 10
II that farming In the old way las we
term III does not pay7 We will briefly
examine into the cause. We find then
that farming In the old way 10 mainly
producing raw products, raw materials.
This kind oi farming is described In three
words, plow, SOW and reap. Our fathers
and foreiaihera were mostly engaged In
Ii. and today, and hundred Of years from
now probably, We will have the same
state OF affairs. When will Russia
through educational advantages elevate
her rural population 30 that they can
produce more than raw materIals2 When
will China and half hundred other
countries aud states have an intelligent
farming class? when will Oregon do Il 2
Will Oregon expend few thousand dol
lars year II she can get million back
There are now states which appropriate
5000 year and hold hundred farm