The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-09-11

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and when to apply, methods of de-
termining best fertilizers for a given
soil, etc. These articles should be of
connected and continuous nature.
The first should deal with founda-
tlon principles, and then in succeed
ing issues build up in systematic
manner, being careful always to have
the articles simple, clear and short.
would suggest that instead of each
author getting up his own articles
that better results could be obtained
by having committee appointed by
this Association, who shall be en-
powered to get up these articles and
then each State publish them as oc-
casion arises. Thus bringing about
more uniformity throughout the
States, and by the united efforts of
the committee produce better results
than by each acting separately.
/ think by the publication of a
we'll selected series of articles in our
bulletins we can accomplish as much,
or more than by any other means.
Our bulletins have wide circula-
ton, and if there was an article of
interest and of value in each, the
bulletins would be more highly
priced and farmers would pay more
attention to them and study them
better, and would refer more fre-
quently to the analytical data, thus
becoming better acquainted with it,
and be put in a position to reap the
benefits from it, The bulletins would
thus accomplish the object of their
creation.
This plan is entirely feasible and
will cost practically nothing, and I
think will be of great benefit to the
farmers. l intend to put such
plan into operation, starting with
our next bulletin, and would like
to have the CO operation of the States
embraced in this Association.
3rd. Reading Courses A bulletin
entitled Farmers Reading Courses"
was issued by the Department of
Agriculture, at Washington, last
year (1899), which gives a synopsis
of the work done and being done by
different States towards educating
the farmers by means of reading
courses. New Hampshire, New York.
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michi-
gan, South Dakota and Connecticut
all have reading courses in success
full operation. Several other States
have undertaken them on a small
scale, but suspended after several
years trial, either from lack of funds
or from lack of interest taken by the
farmers. The above mentioned
States, however, have successful
courses in operation, 8 notably New
York and Pennsylvania. Last year
(1899) Pennsylvania had 3,416 en-
rolled in her course. In New York
the course was started in 1877, when
/, 500 readers we're enrolled. In 1898
there were 5000, while in 1899 the
number had increased to 8,6Q5. In
a letter recently received from L. FL.
Bailey, Director of the New York
reading course, he says, 1.-The read
ing course in this State has been
very successful. We have in round
numbers nearly 10000 people who
are reading"
I think it worth while for this As
sociation to appoint a committee to
investigate the merits of reading
course with reference to it's adop-
ton, not by single Southern State,
but by this Association of States.
The reading course should be con-
Quoted by this Association through
the Departments of the different
States. No one State would prob
ably have sufficient means to con-
dr1ct a course alone, but by cOmbin-
ing we could get our literature much
cheaper on account of getting it in
large quantities. Thus each could
have a course, whereas, separately
thev could not undertake it for lack
of funds. This work when started
would be in charge of a committee
appointed by this Association. The
same committee who has this in
charge would be the one to prepare
the articles for the fertilizer bulle-
tins before mentioned and thus make
each help the other.
OF course the reading course would
include more than the subject of fer
tilizers, but fertilizers and fertiliza-
ton would be q very important part
of the course. IF we can find means
of putting such a course into prac-
tical operation, I think it would be
of great value to the farmers, as we