The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-04-16

coed CROPS, feed to fine stock, dispose
of them at the proper time, and you
are bound to make money, even at
present prices.
A dairy farm increas s in fertility,
because the amount of fertility sold off
from the farm in the form of milk,
and butter is very small, and
because nearly everything eaten by the
cow is returned to the farm.
Now, what we need on the farm is
men with good judgment, skill, good
powers of observation and plenty of
practical experience and common
sense, or, in common parlance, 'horse
SENSE"
We must have good judgment to be
able to decide on matters that come up
every day, able to observe what our
neighbors are doing and follow their
example if they are succeeding; do
work intelligently Or skillfully, taking
no more time than possible, and doing
it 50 well that it will eve have to be
done over again. This calls, of course,
for practical experience. You had just
as well try to run a wagon without
greasing it as to try to run a farm
without cemmon-sense. 1t is the lubri-
Gator that makes things run easy.
You may be familiar with with all the
known theories extant about certain
farm operations, but unless you have
practical experience you. will make
shipwreck at farming. Theories are
fine things in their place, but unless
they can go hand in hand with practice
they are worthless. Theories after all
should only be regarded as experience
crys5aliz9d into words.
For instance, it is often a perplexing
question when to use a commercial
fertilizer, a manure or a renovating
crop. Now, we may have many theo-
ries telling US to uss this or that, but
unless we have had practical expe-
rience, we may select just the one least
adopted to the case. You will read
in agricultural journals from n writer
that the salvation of the farmer lies in
using plenty of commercial fertilizers,
and probably in the same paper s0me
other writer will be condemning the
us9of same in language equally strong.
Both may be right, looking at the
matter from their respective stand
points. Some will condemn one style
of farming and laud another to the
skies. The truth is, we ought to do the
one and not leave the other undone.
There is a time when it would be
more economical to use a commercial
fertilizer than a manure. Then again,
it might be more economical to use a
renovating crop than either one.
Whereas rotation of crops in o
nection with a good system of drain
age and deep blowing for heavy soils
and proper cultivation might take the
place of all the rest.
Although all crops are made up of
the same elements, still they take up
different proportions and grow at diff
ferent times of the year, and require
different cultivation hence, where you
rotate, the land is really resting. Deep
blowing is beneficial inasmuch as it
deepens the seed bed, holds more of
the rainfall, let's in air, exposes the
inert part of the soil to the disinte-
grating effect. of the air and frost,
and makes the soil loose and porous, so
that the roots can penetrate deeper.
Though drainage is beneficial, be-
cause it removes an excess of water
from the soil, thereby allowing it to
warm up earlier in the spring, thus
enabling the farmer to ploW s0oner.
A well drained soil absorbs practically
all the rain that falls on it, and erd
tracts from it all the fe~rtilizirf SIX
ments that are brought Eeeda4ng ele
rain; gives the pIs paYip'down by thu
.r~anGn1rlS9es tGolleelant roots a wider
whige,' delAdune frost in the fall, anC
bridges over a drouth, etc.
Now, the question naturally arises
How is a boy to know when and how
to do all these things9 Can he learr
them on the farm9 No one doubts
that he can, but it will take him a long
time and he will certainly not be able
to get a general education along witt
his work,
Then what should he do9 I would
suggest that he go to an agricultural
| college where he can learn farmin,
along with his mathematics, English
: history, chemistry, etc In othe
words, if farming is to be his life worl
why should a man not study it in al
/ of its phas S, just as much as b
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