The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1900-04-14
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE FARMERS GOLDEN ERA.
Scientific Investigation Has Laid
Dare Many Truths Valuable to
the Farmer.

nave Io lump ny Which, W ShiuC my
feet but the lamp of experience" The
magic power of this brief statement
has given it wide circulation. 1t has
been received as terse statement of
great truth. Many have not stopped
to question or analyze it. They have
concluded that experience was the
only reliable guide. They have for
gotten that experience itself must
have guide. Experience is gradual.
not instantaneous, but still there must
have been starting point where there
was no experience to form lamp.
In the realm of politics and state
craft, this very lamp of experience,
meant the experience of others, not OF
the speaker. In the great experiment
he was advocating he had no expert
ence. He was entirely dependent upon
the records of past experiments.
But whatever of force there may
have been in this maxim then, it is
not at all applicable to the farmer OF
to-day. We have The lamp of expert.
ence in full blaze, throwing all its IL
Eliminating rays upon our pathway.
But along with this we have the lamp
of science and the lamp of progress,
| both of which shed a benign radiance
upon our pathway. We are not left to
work out the problems of success for
ourselves. We need not await the
tedious process of filling and light
ing our own lamp.
Scientific investigation has found
ont many valuable truths for us
truths which make our calling less
| doubtful and less irksome. They
| teach US the nature and habits OF
soils and plants, their mutual adapta-
| ton to each other, and how we may
assist in working out the union of
these adaptations.
Science tells us what our soils are
and how TO handle them SO as to get
| the greatest pay for the least labor
and expense. Science teaches us the
| mature and uses of manllres and chem
icals and how to apply these to the
crops SO as to greatly increase the
yield and the profits. She shows us
how we may economic labor and
time and at the same time increase the
yield and quality of our crops.
| Science also teaches us the nature
and habits of the plants we are grow
| ing.
Science makes all the nations OF the
earth one family. German brain
| marks out the line of investigation
and ferrets out the results of natures
hidden arcanum. French scholarship
| pursues the investigation and throws
a food-tide of practical light along the
farmers pathway. British study and
practice prove all things and hold fast
to that which is good.
| Thus we behold these great nations
bitter enemies in politics and state
| craft all working side by side unfold
! ing the secrets of power and progress
to help the toiling masses till the
| mother Garth.
| Young and vigorous America comes
in the day of opportunity. lays tribute
upon each and all these sources of in
| formation and offers American far
mers lamp shedding food of light
upon our pathway, which no former
age or country ever possessed. We can
now do what was impossible until the
latter days of the nineteenth century.
| We hold the key to the food and
raiment supplies of the world.
In all the lines of progress thus
tage. BY reading and study we can
avail ourselves of all that has been
| found out. The flood tide of all the
! illumination of the ages is focused
| upon us. In addition to all this we
have climatic and soil advantages be-
yond all Others. Holding as We do the
| key to the greatest clothing supply
| crop of the world, we can have no
| successful rivals.
As long as we can hold this mo-
| nopoly we have only to call to our aid
the scientific possibilities in manufac-
| ture and commerce and we can sur
| PASS any nation or any section in the
accumulation of wealth.
| But we have other equally inviting
| fields. Our climate enables us to sup
| ply the market with fruit ana vegeta-
bles earlier than others and thus get
the cream of prices. In a thousand
ways the intelligent southern farmer
occupies vantage ground.
| What he needs above everything else
is information, but this is attainable;
he can get il. Our schools, expert
ment stations and agricultural publ
cations offer him the opportunity.
The young farmer of to-day need
not spend years and dollars in learn
ing costly lessons by experience. He
can learn from the experience of 9TH
ers. By using this and the light of
science he can avoid the path of I'M