Arizona republican., 1899-10-04

farming is without parallel in the his
tory of any other nation. He sees
clearly that if his boy is to understand
the principles Of law, of medicine, of
mechanics, or of banking, he must
look into books and read there the rec
ord of experience and judgment that
have gone before him. That boys in
tei1ect must be trained to discern a
principle on the printed page and then.
by practice, learn how to apply that
principle to produce material results.
The difference between successful
and unsuccessful men in all callings is
net luck, but rather judgment and en-
ergy. Good judgment is an act of the
mind, and one must have a mind we'll
stored with sound knowledge, and we'll
trained to use it, in order to exercise
the best judgment l see a ray of hope
in the fact that this great body CT ma
tiOnal farmers have come to see the
tremendous Importance of this quas-
ton. 1 hope you will include it every
year in your programmes until discus
y
the nation. Ideas govern. Wrong
ideas or lack of right ideas govern just
as rigidly as the best of ideas. Good
sound thought, correct ideas of theory
and practice, must take the place Of
unsound ones, or there can be no i'm
provement in the productiveness and
profit of our soil or animals. When we
see a man farming in a wasteful way.
or with animals untitled to his pur-
pose, we know conclusively that thai
man lacks right ideas of his business.
The outcome CT the labor of his hands
will depend net on the strength of the
hands, but upon the soundness of the
ideas which govern the hands.
COOPERATION
The vast extent to which the organ
ization of trusts has attained, means !
simply that the men who represent |
these varied interests have learned o |
cooperate for mutual benefit. Like !
every other social power and privilege !,
il can be carried to an extent where it /
to a conspiracy against the |
general welfare. When that time comes
the people will cope with it success
fully. The American people have new
er been enslaved and they never will
be. But there is q hint in all this COM
oining that is going on, that the farm
srs should take to heart. Except in
iairying, and to a small extent in fruit
this great lesson is utterly
lnheeded. Every creamery and cheese
actory could easily be made the means
If a larger and more beneficial use of
cooperative economics. In France
over 100000 farmers are members OF
supply associations through which
hey buy fertilizers, implements, blood
ID stock and sell their produce. Co
lperation for the farmer does not mean
he formation of some gigantic stock
oncern which will end in a game of
'freeze-out." Every instinct of rea-
on and experience bids US avoid such
chemes as we would the plague But
n the broader sense and logic of their
necessities, and not the necessity CT
ONE promoter, farmers should study
PRESERVATION OF THE FARM
AS farmers we need to be constantly
gitated from the standpoint of main
aiming the fertility of our soil by the
7isest administration of the forces at
ur command. 1t has been stated, with
ow much accuracy 1 cannot say, that
he decline in the values of farm lands
4 the last thirty years in the state of
lew York alone, has reached the enor
nous sum CT over one billion of dol
lrs. The same condition applies to the
arming lands, in greater or less pro-
ortion, from Indiana eastward to the
1Ial wealth to the nation, arising
rom this condition, is almost beyond I
alculation. The only increase in
ither population or wealth, in the ter
itory named, has been in the cities S
nd villages. In the country there has i
cen manifest decline in the produc- a
witty of the farm, and the pride and U
mbitiOn of the farmer. Two causes, z
l my opinion, have conspired to this a
result. % The drainage n
} the city of the best mental element i
the farm. Mind always goes before s
latter. (2) A corresponding and con- [;
equential drainage in the same direc- q
on Of the productive element of the c
lrm. Fertility has been sold cut of '
lie soil by the bushel and by the ton. g {
i the great middle west a different v
)ndition exists, which, up to the pres Il
Mt time, has arrested this great cur A
INT of waste and destruction to a :
reat extent. AS fast as the sons of
merican born farmers have aban-
oned the old farm there has come in
lrmer from Germany or other coun-
les in Europe. This European farm
anSs:,SsnS t...,a "a l.r,. III, tra itS Of