The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-10-28
AGRICULTURALHINT
THE AMERICAN FARMER.
Why His Future Looks More PROMISING
Than Ever Before.

sh6 Hm6htSHN FRhm6H.
Why His Future LOOKS More PromIs.n.
Than Ever Before.
At no time in the history Of the conn
try has the future of agriculture been
more promising. There was a time, not
long ago, when the soil and the farmer
were not on friendly terms, when there
Was a conflict between them. But that
time is past, or is passing with the pro-
gressive farmer.
he has learned, is learning every day.
that b fault was with him and not
the land. The soil, lacking certain in
gradients. could not produce good re-
suits The horse cannot be expected
to work at the pillow all day, MANY days,
If fed only Of dry hay.
To-day the farmer is coaxing his land
very much as he does his stock, or he is
providing food for his plants with al
most as much care as he feeds his ami
mails, if he expects to be successful.
The farmer tests his land for himself;
he does not wait for the chemist, or
prefers to be his own chemist in his
way. Ifpotash, nitrogen or phosphoric
acid are wanted, he adds them, and he
has come to the stage of independence
when he mixes his own fertilizers, and
knows exactly with what he has to
work. That's progress Commercial
fertilizers are the farmers aids, but the
government analysis and inspection
has opened his eyes, and he sees now
tina he may prepare his own fertilizers
and save money.
The farmer no longer plants haphaz-
ard: he has begun to see that agricul-
ture is an art, a science more intricate
than any other; that to be successful in
its prosecution he must know several
sciences. No longer does he merely
drop a potato in the earth, cover it up.
keep down the weeds and dig the in
crease in the fall. He studies the soil
and the fertilizer and then the potato.
Shall he plant large or small potatoes,
cut or uncut. one eye or more. the stem
end or the seed end?
Thus throughout the range of agri-
culture every step is thought out and
practically made in advance. There are
many croakers about agriculture, some
editorial croakers in newspaper offices
who, possibly, might be able to tell a
hay-cutter from a grindstone. who rise
up periodically to say with loud voice
(more or less, according 20 their circu-
~lation) that agriculture has u black
eye: that it is limping along on one leg,
and not a very strong leg at that, and
that the whole fabric of agriculture,
like the sheep. is going to the dogs.
II these croakers had attended some
of the winter meetings" that have
been held in the different states last
winter and seen the interest and enthu-
siasm, seen the men-aye, the women,
too, assembled and spent two or three
days in asking each other questions and
comparing notes, the agricultural pessi-
mist would admit. if honest, hat there
Is a force behind agriculture that will
not let it stand still. Let every farmer
keep his shoulder to the wheel. 1t
turns easier than it did, and does not
nave to be helped out of so many ruts
and quagmires as it did. Let every
farmer be proud of his calling, stick to
it, dignity it and swear by it mot pro-
fanely).
Why. it is not long ago when the
at gatherings of any kind took
a back seat: it was rare to see n farmer
on the platform. All the speeches were
made by the lawyer. the clergyman
and the good talker" of no calling or
profession. That has changed. The
got nearer and nearer to the
platform, and now, forsooth, he is on
it and doing the talking. and taking no
odds of any a This is not idle talk;
is fact. Agriculture is alive. -Georeo
Appleton, in Farm and Fireside.