The Van Buren press., 1897-12-04
FARMER AND PLANTER.
STARTING OFF RIGHT.
Ono of the Essentials of Successful Farm
ing is to begin Right


chicks because he thought the hen gave
enough milk for them, the merchant
who complained to his seed dealer that
his potato vines had no potatos on
them, and the German housewife who
boiled her coffee with pork, Just rs she
would other beans, are each and all
creatures OF the Imagination. But be
that as 1t may, the writer knows gem
tleman who had just retired from husi-
ness, having bought nice little farm,
and one of his first preparations was
to buy a bushel OF roasted peanuts for
! planting. II any reader doubts this
statement, or is inclined to class 1t un-
der the reportorial jokes first men ton
ed, let it go that way. We shall not
bother about the proof The doubter
has no advantage over MS in the mat
ter, anyway, for if he were the narra-
tor we would promptly take his place
as doubter. But whether fact or tic-
tion, we may all agree that these are
fair illustrations of the need of eduea-
ton in practical affairs. Examples OF
extreme ignorance may be used legiti-
mately for such purpose. There are
men who would ridicule tue parson,
the saerehant and the German woman
whose errors are just as misehievous
as theirs They may not be So palpa-
bly, absurd, but they are equally there
suit of ignorance. Farming is a sci
enee that admits of every degree of
| proficiency, from utter failure TO the
most conspicuous success. Ne man
can in a lifetime learn all there is
of il by experience. Practice don't
make perfect" This old saying is
not even founded on facts. and
has nothing To commend il but
age. Just rs in any and every
science, one needs 10 be well grounded
in the elementary principles. Mathe-
matieal reasoning Is nonsense u one
who has no knowledge of the dehni-
tions and axioms. To attempt 10 ae-
quire scientific knowledge without
first learning the simple elements is
like trying to build a house by COM
mencing at the top. This is why many
industrial schools fail to meet the eX-
pectations of their friends. They turn
out industrious laborers, but not mas
ter mechanics; most admirable plow-
men and hoe hands, but not successful
farmers. Special knowledge is neees-
sary to special skill Bestow the
theoretical knowledge irst-prac-
tce can be had whenever occa-
sion requires. But we started
out to write agricultural educa-
tion. Learning to plow and plant
and gather in the harvest is not agrl-
culture; it is probable that many igno-
rant Africans can do these things bet
ter. To be farmer worthy of the
name-the kind of farmers the country
needs-one must know the soil, its
chemical constituents, its deficiencies,
and how to remedy them; its redun
daneies, and how to mitigate their eff
fects. He must have some acquaintance
with the laws of plant and animal
growth. For lack of these we see intel
lgent stockmen purchasing grade and
eross-bed males for breeding purposes,
farmers selecting their seed from bulk
ed grain, and planting varieties in jux-
taposition; feeding milch cows heavily
with corn and cotton seed. Because
these are good feed stuffs they conclude
they are good for any purpose. To be
a good farmer one must have practi-
cal knowledge of agricultural chem
istry. botany, veterinary medicine,
comparative anatomy, entomology, the
chemistry of food stuffs, physics, the
principles of breeding and the laws of
animal and vegetable growth. 1t is
not necessary to begin with that he be
expert in any or all these sciences, but
if he has imbibed the elementary prin-
ciples he knows where to go for any
further knowledge he may require.
There are two distinct classes of
knowledge, that which we know and
that which we know how, when and
where to obtain. One is as useful as
the other. Ii is like a merchant who
has more goods than his shelves will
contain. lie fills his shelveswith that
which he thinks will be first needed,
ali properly classified and labeled with
cost and selling prices. The rest he
stores IN warehouse. Then when his
business requires something not in the
saleSrOom he knows where to go Tor
it The man is fortunate who knows
where to go for any Information he
may require in his business. The time
is rapldly approaching when in all agri-
cultural ana horticultural operations
only those best equipped will be able
to remain near the top. All Others will
be mere unsuccessful drudges laboriug
diligently Tor a oare subsistence under
a load of debt they can never dis
charge. 1he branches most useful TO
the farmer are equally necessary to d
liberal educauon, 50 mat il one never
farms he Is gamer 10y having learned
anu comprehended the eleiuents OF the
sciences involved in agriculture. All
should be taught these scIences-they
are necessary to general intelligence.
The agricultural anu mechanical coli
leges OF the American states aud terri
tories are especially charged wi:h
teaching the branches of natural
science involved in agricultural and
mechanical operations This duty IS
made compulsory 10y the general gov
ernmenL which largely endows them.
They are regularly inspected by an
agent Of the national government ami
their condition aud efficiency official Y
reported Inc faculties of these insli-
tutions embrace many teachers of BE- "a
scientific attainments and national
regulations, and the revolution IN azrl-
| cultural aud horticultural practices
which has characterized recent years
is largely tue result Of their la5ors-
Our Texas arricul tural and mechanical