The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1893-10-26
AGRtCULTURALH HINTS,
THE AMERICAN FARMER.



why Ills Future taaks Moro Promising
thAh Ever Ieforc.
AT NO time in the history of the coun-
Try has the future of agriculture been
more promising. There was timc,no
long ago, when the soil and the farmer
were not on friendly terms, when there
was n conflict between them. hut That
time is past, OF Is rnssing with the pro-
gressicc farmer.
l1o has learned, Is learning every day.
that the fault was with him and not
the land. The soil, lacking rsf,eia Iii.
gradients, could nct pfedNre good re-
suits, The hossS cannot be expected
TO work al The plow all day, many days,
II fel only on dry hay.
To-day the farmer is conxing his land
very much as he docs his stock, W he "A
providing food for his blShlS with al
most MS muph raio As he feeds his ami
mala u he expects to be successful.
Thc farmer tests his land for himself;
he does not wait for the chemist, or
prefers to be his W thn,uist In his
way. lfpotash, nitrogen or p~hosphoric
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
Frrt. That's progress. Commercial
fertilizers nrc tho farrr.'e aids, but the
government anNlNsts and inspection
has "''Nnea his eyes, and he secs now
'hNt hc may prepare his fertilizers
and save money.
The farmer no longer plants haphaz.
hrd; he has begun to see that ugricul'
turc is an art, n science more intricate
than any uthcri that to be successful in
its persecution he must know several
sciences. No longer docs he merely
drop a potato in the earth, cover Vt up,
keep down the weeds and dig the In.
crease in the full. It's studies the soil
and tho fertilizer and then the potato.
Shalt ht 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 croukers in newspaper offices
who, possibly, might be able to tell n
hay-cuttcr from u grindstonc, who rise
up periodically to say with u loud voice
Cmnrr or less, according 20 their circu.
lutiunl that agriculture has Il hlack
eye; that it is limping along on one leg,
aud nol Il very strong leg at that, and
THAT the whole fabric of agriculture,
like the sheep, is going to the dogs.
If these croalscrs had attended soane
of the "wintcr meetings that have
been held in the different states last
winter and seen the interest and enthu-
/. siaSm, seen the mrp-nyc, the women
too, assembled and spent two or three
days in asking each other questions and
comparing notes, the agricultural pcssi-
mist would admit, If honest, that there
IL 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
have to be helped ont of so many ruts
and quagmircs as it did. Let every
farmer be proud of his calling, stick to
it. dignity it and swear by it mot pro.
fauclyD.
Why, it is not long ago when the
farmer at gatherings of nny kind took
Il back seat; it wa rare to see n farmer
VIZ NiN piill'Ilh' an INC NpcctItS were
made 10y the lawyer, the clergyman
and ia" ''guod tnlkct" Of no calling or
profession That has changed. The
farmer got nearer and nearer to the
platform, and now, forsooth, lie is or
1t and doing the talking, and taking ne
odds of any man. This is not idle talk
it is fact. Agriculture is alive. -Geors,
Appleton, in Farm and Firesidc.