The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-14

FARM PkE'gERg AND TIE FAR NTIcGs-
The work that is being accomplished
7 by farm papers in uplifting the agricul-
ture Of TIE country can never be told
q in words. tt cannot be computed by
numbers. The hidden silver veins in
& Idaho and the gold in the mines and
streams of California are not sufficient
4 to represent its value. Silently their
e teaching falls into rhe soil and we be-
hold the harvest in the better returns
that are reape9 in the fields and gath
cred in the stalls And so mighty is
The influence of this teaching that It is
= gradually uplifting defective practice
3 from the realm of subnergence. 1t is
enabling the farmer to place the foun-
dations OF mis- methods on the bed rock
OF correct principles. Il is shedding
new light ard new interest around
his work which too frequently in the
past Ty1s looked upon as cherries
drudgely. 1t is transferring the bur-
zen of back-breaBlng labor to the horse
N and the machine or implement which
he draws. And it is bringing to him
greater gains than he could possibly
have secured without the influence of
4 such teaching.
The benefits are great, but the price
paid for them is small. Fellow farmers,
we complain of depression and low
NJ we get DO profit on our products. But
4 do we ever ston to reflect that the
publisher Of the agricultural paper sell
4 dom gets any profit from the subscrip-
ton revenues OF his paper? 1t usually
costs him more than Che subscription
price. His profits come rather from
the advertising pages than from the
subscription lists. Let us think of these
things as we enjoy the luxury of the
farm paper that comes 10 us from
Neel TO week or from month to month
as the case may be. And as we think
of them let us try and do something
60 help the men who are giving US
goods below cost.
Take an ordinary issue of an aver
age farm paper. Look over its pages
and what DO we find? We see there in
formation on it's every page that would
have rejoiced the hearts of the readers
OF a hundred years ago. We are almost
sure to find in it something bearing
upon our life work that is worth far
more than the subscription price of the
paper for a year. 1t keeps us so in
formed as TO agricultural discovery
that in our work We can keep abreast
OF the times. 1t summarizes knowledge
in many instances and thereby saves
an immense amount of labor on our
part to get at the conclusions reached.
And in a single article it frequently
gives us the cream of the results of
the labors OF a life time spent in some
Il special work. And all this we get for
the sum of so cents { 81 per year.
Farmers, are we not under some obi
cations TO the agricultural press? Have
we no DUTY to perform b. way of help
ing on the good work other than that
Of renting the subscription price at
stated times?
And the help brought by the agricul-
aT7T~o TO- 49,
I've solely upon revenues obtained from
the farm. Farm papers have probably
helped none so much as the teachers of
agrlcultlre. The agricultural teaching
OF tooay is not based upon knowledge
obtained from standard works These
as a rule are yet to be written 1t is
rather based first, upon the expert
3 ences CLEANED on the old farm at home:
second, upon the experiences of men
eminently successful in their respective
/, lines of work. And third. upon infor-
NATION CLEARED from the agricultural
press and the last mentioned is the
most prolific source Of such informa-
ticn. At least it has proved so to the
writer. Go on then, publishers Of farm
papers. Weary not in the good work.
You are building better than you
know
Take away ali agricultural papers
from the progressive farmer and where
would ne be? He would so feel the de-
privation that he would appear like one
dazed and lost. In thought he would
wander about in dry places seeking
some precious thing that had been
taken away. His agricultural firma-
ment would be overcast with thick
clouds. He would no more hear the
rumble of the wheels Of agricultural
discovery anc progress which in former
times brought gladneSS to his heart.
And in spite of heroic efforts he would
be left n the race.
Fellow farmers. It is a fact that per-
haps nine oct Of every ten farmers in,
the land do net take an agricultural
paper at all. They do not take it be-
cause they do not know its value
Think Of the great disadvantages
under which they labor Is there no
duty that we owe to these our breth-
rem? Have we ever tried to persuade
them to take an agricultural paper?
The sable Africans could sing Let US
pity the white man who came and sat
under our tree He has no mother to
bring him milk, no wife to grind his
corn" They could sing thus about a
man who belonged to another country
shall we have less regard for those Of
our countrymen who pursue the same
calling and yet they are cropping in the
darkness where the light of a farm
paper never comes. Shall we not Svm-
ence to bring them TO better frame
Of mind?
The old year is dead and gone and a
new year has arisen from its ashes.
And as we step across its portals we
are doubtless resolving to be more true
TO life. that is to be more helpful to our
fellows than we have ever been. And
IN carrying out these good resolves. let
us remember our duty to our fellow
farmers who take no agricultural pa
per Tell your neighbor the worth OF
such a paper. for he does not know its
value. and persuade him to take it,
You do him 4 greater kindness than if
you gave him gold. This article has
been penned in the hope that many
FARMERS will thus be aided by those
who can render such assistance Farm
ers, will you not give such aid2 One
new name added by every subscriber
See what it would mean to the publish
ers, ana think of what it would mean
TO farmers and farming.
THOMAS SHAW,
University Experiment Farm, st. An
thony Park, MINI.