The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-14
AGRICULTURAL FADs.
Their Prevalence Recalls . Mark
Twain Story.
Kansas City Journal.

Kansas City Journal.
Did it ever strike you" said a Western
man to Topics yesterday, that Kansas
was the greatest place on earth for agri-
cultural fads? Well, it is. l do not mean
that the farmers themselves go cropping
after every wild-eyed theory proposed by
the people who couldn't tell hay-rick
from a potato mound, but the press. the
learned agricultural editors, are continual
ly springing something which is destined
to make every farmer rich without much
sweating of the brow. A few years ago
castor bean culture was the fad; then came
hemp, ana cotton ana tobacco, and alfalfa,
which, by the way, is again on the boards.
For one period of three years the press
of Kansas was laden with long editorials
on siloS and ensilage, and this in turn gave
way to Jerusalem corn, and then came a
lot of other fads-each promising to make
farm life one grand round Of pleasure and
profit. A couple of years ago the agri-
cultural papers and the country press were
teeming with articles about irrigation and
sub-soiling, and the farmer who was pro-
ceeding right along in the good old way
of planting potatoes in the light of the
moon was scoffed at an unscientific
cuss who needed a guardian. Some of the
eastern Kansas papers solemnly informed
the western Kansas farmers that their
only salvation was sub-soiling, when, as a
matter of fact, the less stirring the west
ern Kansas soil gets the better the crop
it produces. / know an Ellis county farm
er who followed the directions of one of
the sub-Soiling editors, and the result was
that the gentle winds picked up his farm
and deposited it over in the next township.
] never read one of these scientific articles
on Kansas farming without becoming re-
minded of the letter in which Mark Twain
accepted the place of agricultural writer
on the New York Galaxy, and it goes in this
fashion:
My Dear Mr. Church-My own paper the
Buffalo Express, does not occupy my entire
time, and, therefore, | accept your offer, and
from the present time forward will edit and
conduct a Department or Agriculture in
the Galaxy Magazine. thank you for leav-
ing to me the selection of a department, and
in choosing that of agriculture / feel that my
judgment has answered your highest expec-
tations.
| have not made this choice at haphazard.
After a careful survey of the ground saw
that the subject of agriculture had been
wholly overlooked by the magazines of the
day a sensational topic, and all that was
necessary for us to do was to enter in and
seize this rich opportunity. Fortune is as
sured to US. Nothing can prevent suen a
contamination. In this virgin soil i Will IN
sert a reaping hook that shall blossom IKE
the rose; upon this sailless desert / VIII
launch a triumphant barge; In TINS deep
mine of influence ] will plant sturdy tree
of prosperity whose fragrance snail sake
the hunger of the naked and whose shelter
ing branches shall stretch abroad until they
wash the shores of the most distant lands
Il never can touch the subject OF agrlcul-
ture without growing excited, but you I'M
derstand what | mean.) Under the head OF
"Memoranda' / shall take hold OF this neg
farming and grazing articles or plood-eurd-
ling interest will proceed 10 hit the subject
resnecta hility MAX TWAIN.
p. S.-I have no practical knowledge of
agriculture but that need not interfere You
NAV have noticed that the less know about
a subject the more confidence l have and
the more new light / throw on it.