The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-11-09
Jonathan Periam Tells the Farmer and
the Farmers Wife and the Farmers
Boys and Girls What they Should
Know.
ITH the first of
September the fair
season is fairly
opened. Citizens
generally within
reasonable d s.
tances make it a
point to attend for
general sight see
ing and as a pleasur-
able outing. Farm
erS. year bV wear.

S1o, yedI NY yodA /,
are giving both county and state fairs
more and more careful attention and
consideration in respect to implements,
farm products and stock, with view to
improve their knowledge of what so in
timately interests them. It is wise so
to do.
There is no place where comparisons
can so easily and accurately be made
between the better and the best Of the
productions, whether of the work.
shops, the fields or the stables; for if
the farmer is not an adept in what is
of the farm, who should be? And yet,
what proportion of the working farmer
really is an adept? Very few, compared
to the whole, really are. The many in
vegetables and fruits look more to size
than to quality; in machinery and i'm
PIGMENTS many look to cheapness
rather than excellence: in cattle and
hogs to overgrown specimens rather
than to what proportion of valuable
meat they carry; in horses, to the fat
they tremble under rather than to bone,
muscle and stamina; and in fowls, few
farmers who have never seen the bet
ter breed, dressed, have little idea OF
the vast difference between the most
excellent and the general ruck of fowls
that have the run Of the average farm.
There is no reason why any farmer
should not be able to pick out every
valuable breed of poultry by their dis
tlnctive coloring of feathers, shanks
and head: of well-bred horses by their
distinguished action and other charac.
teristics of the several breeds; of cat
tie and hogs by their color and consti-
tutional conformity-of each, in fine
by their several points of excellence
as laid down in the standards.
The farmer should know why farm
stock are good, ordinary or Inferior
He should know something more than
that certain samples of grain are SIM
ply wheat, rye, barely, oats, corn, flax
seed, sorghum, etc. He should know
conclusively by examination what va
rieties they really are; and most GER
tainly should be able to determine
definitely whether they are fit for seed.
and of varieties adapted to his soil.
He should be able accurately to name
the principal vegetables and fruits on
exhibition. If not, there is no time
better than at our county and state
fairs this autumn to educate himself.
The exhibitors certainly do know, and
are generally willing to impart the
knowledge they have carefully gained
There is one lesson that must be
learned at home-that is: to produce as
good, or nearly so, at least, by giving
the proper soil, conditions and cultiva-
ton.
1t is especially necessary that the
growing up and the grown children
should earnestly listen, examine and
compare various samples. Get them
we'll fixed in the mind Then when
you go home you will have something
valuable for reflection, and the news
papers and books you will naturally
read on the several subjects will easily
become most valuable aids toward per-
fecting the understanding to the higher
points of excellence. The time has
come when ultimate profit must be
reached by careful study of a practical
means to the end sought The time has
passed when money can be made by
slack farming. There has always been
room at the top. There is yet plenty
of room there, and it is practical edu.
cation that leads thereto
Jonathan Periam.