The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-02
FOR BETTER FARMING
STRONG PLEA MADE BY PREsI-
DENT EGAN OF THE CENTRAL.
GIVE UP MAKESHIFT METHODS
HIS ADVICE TO UNSUCCESSFUL
FARMERS EMPLOYING THEM.

Iishment of an object Lesson at
the State Fair-COntrast Between
Right Farming and Wrong Farm
tions as to How the Plan Should
BE Worked Out.
Few men in Georgia, not financially
Interested in farming, feel or display
the interest in it that marks Presi-
dent John NJ. Egan of the Central
Railway as a friend of the farmers of
the South. Although MIR. Egan is in
the railway business, he yet has ideas
upon agriculture that are valuable.
His discussion of the subject is not
purely theoretical, either, for he was
brought up on a farm, and plowing
was one of the accomplishments of his
youth. Before he turned his attention
TO raliroading he spent many a day,
from dawn to dusk, pulling the bell
cord over a mule"
The success that has distinguished
Mr. Egan's railway career would prob
ably have attended any that he might
have adopted. His friends think that
and the pleas that he makes for the
better ordering of farms in the South
would certainly seem to indicate that
his ideal would have been lands cult
waited upon the very best plan possible,
with the most modern and effectual
implements and the very best results
ever in mind.
ell ha tba
education of the farmers of the South"
said Mr.. Egan yesterday. "Of course
there are many who could serve as in
structors, and for whom this is not in
tended, but there are also a great
many who could greatly improve their
condition and the condition of the coun-
try by the simple use of common sense
in the ordering of their affairs, and by
forsaking idle, ,shiftless and unremuner-
ative methods for those that would give
results that would astonish them.
1T has occurred to me that it would
be an excellent plan for the State Fair,
should it be held in Savannah next
year, to undertake this task of in
struction The Fair Association would
then reap a dual advantage. One
would be purely altruistic, that of the
education of the agricultural classes,
but the other would be financial in
that an attraction would be added to
the Fair and more visitors would be
secured
"A facsimile of one of the ram
shackle farmhouses and surroundings
could be established at the Fair
grounds, and it would serve as an OBJ
ject lesson. Farmers could be taught
that it was something to be avoided.
A mere glance at the thing would show
them the utter absurdity of toiling
for no other end than securing such
a home. Possibly 1 should not saw
toiling, for toll, if not offset by less
honest practice, would never result in
so poor home as the model would
suggest.
For mere song the Fair Associa-
tion could patch up such a shack as l
have seen on hundreds of places in
the South, affording a home for the
farmers families. Attach a little gar
den to the house, with a scrawny cab
bage here and there, two or three
struggling turnips, a few hills of poor
potatoes. weeds nearly everywhere,
half a dozen mean fowls scattered
about four or five half-starved hounds,
lean, spawned mule, a foundered
horse, the flimsiest excuse for a barn
or crib, no well on the place and a
fence that would keep nothing out Ur
nothing in and there will be 4 correct
in the South.
ITO go further, let something of the
foolish, shiftless methods that are fol-
lowed be shown. Let the poor mule
be hooked to a plow that could
scratch about as deep as one of the
mean hens on the place, and let an
illustration of methods be shown. In
that and in other respects, let the visit
ing farmers be shown what should not
be done.
Then the other side of the picture
should be presented. A model farm
house should be established, where a
contrast could be shown. At the mean
hovel could be shown everything that
should be avoided, while at the model
farm house could be shown methods
that should be followed by all farmers.
A nice. cosy home could be built at
small cost for purposes of illustration,
and it could be suitably furnished and
supplied. Thoroughly modern ap-
pliances should be put in, and the
kitchen should shine by comparison
with that of the ramshackle farm,
where the farmers wife is forced to
resort to all manner Of makeshifts in
her household work, even going herself
or sending child to the spring, a quar-
ter of a mile away for a bucket of wa
ter.
several fine Durhams, Jerseys or Here
fords, as many Poland China, Berk-
shire or Essex hogs, fine poultry, a
well-ordered garden, no dogs, a good
morse or two, and two
or three good mules should be
shown at the model, besides
the very best farm implements. 1t
pays to buy the best and farmers
should keep abreast of the times to
secure the latest improvements. There
Is always a cry about the trouble in
securing good labor. The farmers say
they can't get negroes to do the work.
me trouble Is often with themselves.
They talk about ten-mule or twen-
ty-mule farm, and what do they mean?
Why, one that runs that many ploughs.
That means any sort of a plough, any
sort of a mule to drag It along the
surface, and any sort of a negro 10
run the mule and plough. The slower
the mule the better the negro is suit
ca They should get the very best
sulky plow that is on the market and
mitch two good mules or horses to IT,
one man could run Il. and the work
OF two or more OF the ordinary ploughs
could be equalled and the expense cut
DOWN. The same thing applies to other
IaDor-saving implements. / used to
follow a mule, barefoot, barking my
shins on corn stalks and having an
Otherwise pleasant time OF Il. Then
'hey began talking about sulky
ploughs. They said they wouldn't
work but they were on our place In
side Of a wear and then I sat nm and