The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-19
Science In Farming.

The most common mistake in modern
farming is entire compliance with what
used TO be the universal rule for farming
successfully, says the American Cultiva-
tor. The advice to beginners was always
to watch the farm methods of those more
experienced and to copy them implicitly
without change. That was, indeed, the
way in which farming was almost univer-
sally done. There was regular rotation
of crops, each field following in its order
These crops were always planted and
grown la the same way. Thus farming
became with most a mere round of rou-
tine work, varying only as the differing
seasons provided different tasks. He who
could rise early, work most effectively
and latest made the greatest success.
Thus farming became what no occupation
ever ought to be, a life of monotonous
and severe toll, unrelieved by the hope of
much Improvement, except as failures of
crops in other sections, or foreign wars,
Increased the prices of farm products, and
made them profitable
The successful farmers of the present
day still have some crops grown after the
old methods, and which it is supposed that
anybody can grow. So they can, but in
those universally grown because easily
grown crops there is seldom if ever any
| than bare living have done so by getting
out of the ruts far enough to take some
speciality and make it a success. This can
only be done by such close study of this
specially that the farmer is enabled to
produce it of better quality or more cheap
~ than can anybody else. 1t is a common
saying of the much-overcrowded profess
sions of law and medicine that there is
room at the top" The same is true in
farming, with the advantage to the far
mer that there are a great many more
chances for his success, working as he
does with nature, than there is for the sue
cess of those who must win it by sharp
competition with their fellowmen. The de-
mand for the farmers product is univer-
sal One mans success does not, there
fore, imply the failure of anybody else
With each farmer devoted mainly to the
production of one speciality, they may all
succeed, for since the world began the
food products that the farm has produc-
ed have never been more bountiful than
the world has required. The usual sur
plus of food carried over from year to year
is commonly only enough to supply the
worlds needs for a few weeks, so that
should single harvest fail all over the
world, mankind would be very quickly
confronted by famine.
The practical question what specially
each farmer shall adapt himself to must
| be determined by locality and circum-
stances. Usually each locality is by soil,
climate or nearness to market adapted to
producing something better than can be
produced anywf re else. Thus, when the
skill and study of one man makes d great
success of anything most of his neighbors
viii soon be found following him. 1t is
thus that the possibilities of cranberry
growing have been developed on marshy
lands easily overfiown that were formerly
thought of little value, but are now held
| At oh in
land are found to be especially adapted to
grape growing, and others still to varie-
! ties of the small fruits or to the growing
of apples, pears, peaches or plums. The
| low, mucky lands near Kalamazoo Mich.
were believed by shrewd farmer to be
| especially adapted to growing celery. Ex-
! perience since has proved this fact. 1t
requires much knowledge of the best con-
! ditions for growing crops to decide what
can most probably be grown successfully.
But when the crop has been tried, and has
proven adapted to the location, the value
of all the land in the neighborhood is at
| once raised. What one man had done,
others may do. In this way the extern
| sive cultivation of a certain article in one
| locality attracts to it buyers from all the
world, and that in far created numbers
| than II only the originator of the specially
were allowed to grow il. There can be
no monopolies in farming. 1t would do
| nobody any good If there were. Land
can be bought by anybody who has the
knowledge how to make it more profitable
than can anybody else. Thus the thorough
mastery of some speciality in farming or
| fruit growing becomes more valuable cap
| ital to whoever has 1t than would large
amounts of land with buildings and all the
means for cultivating 1t without the spe-
| cial knowledge how to make the best use
/ of IL. There is no kind of practical knowI
edge about farming that cannot be made
valuable to the thinking and energetic
| farmer. 1t Will save him from the mis-
| takes which many men make in farming
because they rely wholly on the expensive
method Of experience in the knowledge OF
| their business that is essential