The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-10-24
No. 81

Tor mathematics and is sent to school.
the professor does not put mathematics
into his brain but simply aids him in
developing what nature has endowed
him with. If he loves nature and
takes delight in growing crops, is
pleased to work with and care for cat.
tie, and loves farm life in general, then
let him be farmer. Now il he has
gone to an agricultural college he will
be better posted, generally speaking, in
the use of improved machinery, varie-
ties OF plants and breeds of stock. All
these will tend to tighten lite's burdens,
cause the bank account to balance up
the right way, and make farm life
more pleasant.
Who would not take pleasure in
growing so bushels Of corn per acre in.
stead Of ten, four tons of hay instead
OF one9 Who would prefer a so pound
or back hog to 800 pound Poland
China9 Or scrub COW to a Jerseyl
1t is true if you mean to let your
stock shift for themselves, then I will
admit that the razor, back hog and the
scru coware better suited to your style
Of farming for of all things, deliver
me from good stock which had been
neglected and allowed to degenerate.
They remind me Of some Of our broken.
down arissocEacy. They have a good
pedigree, but their hope for the future
is limited.
An educated farmer knows how to
treat his stock when sick, he knows
how to kill the insects which intest his
fields and orchards, he should be able
to reason from cause to effect and from
effect back to cause If anything goes
wrong he should be able to diagnose
the case and get up remedy for the
evil. Doubtless you have noticed that
doctors make good farmers: they have
been drilled in that one thing, to dag.
nose and get at the case and then apply
the remedy.
Merchants often make good farmers
by proxy, because in the fiest place,
they have learned to be good judges of
human nature and have selected a good
man to run their farm and they mau-
age the man and apply these business
principles to him that they use so sue.
cessfully with their employees in the
5ore, They succeed because they are
systematic and apply business prin-
ciples.
Now claim that our college educa-
ton in whatever line towards the close
specially should be more practical. If
a man is to be doctor let him go into
the diesecting room and into the hos
pital as much as possible. If his at
tention is to be turned to the law, let
him frequent the courts and study the
profession in as practical a way as pos
sible while pursuing the course, And,
it he is to be farmer, let him attend
the agricultural college by all means,
and get practical instruction along
this line. The college should have in
connection a model farm, run for the
benefit of the students.
Let each one who takes q course be
required to work so many hours each
week to keep thoroughly in touch with
farm life. Let this be called practice
work and let it be considered a part of
the course. In addition give the de.
serving and needy student extra work
for which he draws pay.
In occurring to students about the
mixing Of cotton meal, kainit and acid
phosphate in certain proportions, be
sure that they understand by letting
them work out the formulas and mix
the ingredients for themselves. Then
we are convinced that they understand
the subject in hand.
In the same way let him milk, run
the separator and churn, in the dairy
let him SOW the grass seed, NOW the
hay, run the reaper and binder, and
in fact do everything to be done on the
farm and then you will be sure that he
knows how. There is no success like
succeeding, and there is no better way
TO learn than in the actual perform
ance.
Factories Of all kinds are a great
blessing in any community and par
ii i,ularly to the farmer though is not
always appreciated as such. These
offer good home market for products.
Such men as Mr.. D. A. Tompkins,
Charlotte, N. @, the Fries family, Of
Salem, and the Holts, Dukes, and Gen.
J.S Carr and many others too numer-
GUS to mention; such men, I say, are
blessing not only to the State in general,
but to the farmer in particular. These
men make the home market possible,
not only for our cotton and tobacco,