The Forrest City times., 1899-05-12

'hem. Many of them do. Thev me.
 ,he horse or engine in the place of tbe
 human muscle. Tn considering whether we shall ,,a
 any particular machine. we must frs,
 siy ourselves that it will do the
 "ork It claims to do. Then we must
 consider the cost of doing this work as
 compared with the cost of doing in.
 same by human labor or with a cheap-
 CT machine. Then we must settle in,
 4"esuoh or our skill in using 1t. Very
 many excellent machines require a | hlgher degree of skill than the ayeraos
 farm hand has. Hence there is oft.n
 oisappointment and loss, the fault be. | ing Tn the laborer, and not in the inn | plement
 Alter considering all these uues-
 tons, we are still often puzzled to de.
 clde which to do-use human muscle
 and cheap tools or more machinery
 and less muscle.
 | This question is largely one of econ-
 omy. Which can do the work cheaperf
 As general proposition, machinery is
 cheaper. Particularly is this true
 where large crops of anyone kind are considered. Machines do not eat: they
 need no clothes or expensive houses.
 while not at work they do not cost
 anything. Human muscle and animal
 muscle require to be kept up by con-
 stant food and care. Improved ma
 chinery does more work, and general | ly better work, and often cheaper work.
 | We do not hesitate to use up-to-date
 gins and presses. The cotton-planter
 has almost entirely substituted hand
 planting. The oil-mill has become a necessity. The travelling thresher and cleaner are everywhere recognized and welcomed. Little by little machinery asserts its claims. The question real
 ly is not shall we use machinery? but how much shall we use it? | This is the age of improved machin-
 cry. Inventive genius is active and constantly offering new implements. he up-to-date farmer must use up- l to-date tools. The extensive use of hay presses would revolutionize south ern farming. The horse-rake and mower can hardly be done without. Manufacturers, railroad men and every other branch of industry keep right up with every new improvement in their respective lines.
 1 Farmers must do the same l The successful use of improved inn ] plements requires a higher order of intelligence than the average farm la- borer has.
 | Sc wherever we look W efind the farmer needs more education. He
 needs to know something of many | things, and much of one thing. He needs special education about farming. The schools should give him the | groundwork and the colleges the
 higher training. We need educated meE on the farms all over the south. We should see that the coming genar- alton are better prepared than the | present.
 l As those now running the farms can not go to school, the best they can do is to learn by reading and by coop | erative organizations.
 Farmers institutes should be or | ganized in every community. | By reading a southern farm journal l of high order you can keep up with | the rapid improvements in agricul- | tural lines of all sorts. We say south | ern journal because you need home paper. Much that is good in northern | publications for that section is not at all suited to southern farms. We should try to find out what will | help us to make our farms pay better. | Experience compared with experience | is very helpful in this matter. Get to- | gether in the institutes and compare | plans and discuss methods. Find out the best and pursue these.
 In every community there are some 1 successful men. Almost every man succeeds in some one thing. Talking over these things together will be q good schooling.
 When the seasons are so different | from the ordinary, we need to think and to study and to change our plans to suit the changed conditions. Where we have been blowing deep, we must now blow very shallow. Instead of the l two-horse blow and subsoiler, we need | now use the harrow. Light, swift cul- 1 tivation will be in order this spring. 1 Repeated harrowings will hasten the growth of the crops which have start ed so late and need to be pushed for ward.-Southern Cultivator.