The Atlanta constitution., 1900-07-30
Scientific Farming.


II has been very frequently remarked
that practical farmers object 10 what is
called scientific farming" and the rea-
son therefor has been ascribed to pre-
tudice based on ignorance. All classes
and conditions of men who are sup
posed To have the ear OF the public have
rallied against il. Editors who have
the knack Of firing the popular heart"
have written miles Of leading articles
about il. but the farmer continues TO
do business in his own way. He is
ignorant" he is 'pTejudiced." he is
everything except scientific in his
methods.
We are led 20 refer TO the matter by
the confessions recently made TO The
New Orleans Times-DemOcrat by a
gentleman who has had a somewhat sad
experience in an effort TO carry on
truck farming according to scientific
rules. He informs our contemporary
that there is something very mysteri-
Gus about scientific truck farming"
Theoretically. and on paper. il is sim
ply perfection There is not a flaw
to be found in il. Il can take a piece
OF paper said this gentleman. ''and
figure enough profit Out OF a five-acre
patch 20 make me rich beyond the
dreams Of avarice; yet when YOU at
tempt TO put that same calcu alton
into practical execution. you will land
in the pOOrhOuse with a velocity that
IS simply sickening"
The mystery is very easily ex-
plained. Real science is n collection
OF cold. hard facts. the result of expert
ment and experience. The farmer who
N hae- hnI
The opportunities that experience bring
10 all IS more scientific in his meth
Osis and will therefore accomplish
more important results than all the
theorists in the world. The truth is.
every man considers himself a good
farmer until he finds il necessary to
get between the handles Of plow. He
may have read all the agricultural
rOrks 10 be found. and he may come
- his work with thousands OF irresist-
Ihle theories: vet when he comes TO
put them in practice they go to pieces
one by one and he is eft helpless.
One % the most successful "scien-
tific" farmers the country has ever
seen was Horace Greeley. His cab
beges cost him $3.50 apiece. and he
never ate a radish n his own table thai
cost less than - cents. Now Horace
Greeley could afford 10 indulge in sci
entific" farming. but the average farm
e. IS not 50 fortunately situated. He
must address himself to facts and
must be prepared To meet the ever
varying conditions presented by the
seasons
The gentleman who WIS complaining
20 orr New Orleans contemporary said
he knew several unscientific farmers
who were doing we'll. whereas a friend
OF his lost $4,000 in an effort 70 oper-
ate q truck farm on a scientific basis.
and is now keeping books ut Sl2 a
week
The explanation is very simpe: there
Is no mystery about II whatever. What
is popularity known as scientific farm
ing bears not the smallest relation 20
real scientific farming II Is made
M % q great variety ~ whims. theo-
RS. d&ructi0ns and assumptions Real
scienc. i ~ iles,imable value TO a
fsrmel, and its importance cannot he
overrae~i: hut because this is so IL
bv no means follows that the theories
which are put forth from time 70 time
and urged upon the farmer are really
scientific
Such is the fecundity ~ the printing
press that any little man-jack is able
TO present his surmiSes. theories and
deductions TO the public as scientific"
and such is the glamour the term car
ries with IL that a large part OF the
public is inclined 20 welcome anything
even the veriest nOnsense-that bears
the label OF science
The truth is that 4 farmer OF or
dinarv intelligence who farms with
any degree Of system. or who has av-
erage success. IS carrying on his busi-
ness scientifically. He may Annw
nothing OF science. as such; he may
have never heard OF The technical terms
that are applied D the various cOnstit-
uents OF the SOL. or 10 the elements
and agencies that give value TO fer
tfIizers: hut this does not render his
methods less scientific. He has dis
covered by experience that certain
crops can be grown more prOfitably
than others on certain soils. and that
the vigor OF his land may he main
tained by rotating crops. He discOv-
cred this by experiment long before the
scientists did.
The old woman who cures \ severe
surafu OF the ankle with pOultice ot
red clay and vinegar produces results
inst as scientific as the doctor who ap-
niles a different remedy. The point
We desire to make is that while real
science is Of extreme Importance, the
thousand aud one vagaries and hum
hugs that are falsely called scientific
arc not only foolish but frequently
dangerous. They are especially dan
rerous when the various charlatans
who call themselves scientists go out
~ their own proper field to account
for events and results which science
can never hope to explain