The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-03-06
NEEDS OF FARMERS
DIR. FITZ-MATHEW'S ESSAY IN TRI.
BUNE-FARMER CONTEST
Knowledge Of the Principles Of Agricuit-
uFe. Love Of the Business, Practice of
Rural Economy, Common Scnse and
Cooperation.

which, though one of the newest, is one
of the most instructive and entertain
ing papers for farmers and their fam
lilies published in the United States,
recently closed prize essay contest
which haa developed much Interest
among its readers. Three prizes were
offered for the best essays on the SUBJ
ject "What Farmers Need Most"
There were several hundred manu-
scripts offered and while the awards
have not yet been anpounced several
of the essays have been published. and
among the CONTESTANTS so honored is
DR.. Jas. Fitz-Mathew, of West Sound,
whose essay was given prominent
place in the February 18th issue of the
great farm journal, and from it we
quote the following extracts:
"The answer to this question is,
think, "A thorough knowledge of the
principles of agriculture and the prac-
tice of rural economy implanted upon
subsol of common sense-the more
the better.' He should also have a
love Of his business, without WHICH n
man will not obtain any large measure
of success in any business, as he will
lack the energy to master all its details.
AS to the subsoil of common sense,
comparativelyifew of us start out in life
with much stock of 1t, but We get it to
a greater or less extent as we rub
along generally at a high price. BY
rural economy / mean system of
saving the waste of the farm and in
every way, which, in the aggregate,
amounts to an astonishing sum. /
have always noticed when inspecting
tile premises of a thrifty farmer that
rural economy was seduloHsly prac-
tised. Every dollar saved in this way
can be placed to credit In the accounts.
The farmer needs also sufficient busi-
ness training to keep comprehensive
set of accounts.
"Another, of the things the farmer
needs is capital enough to farm given
acreage. If he has only capital enough
to farm 100 acres he will find ii los
ing game in the end to attempt to
manage $50 or 200 acres. He also needs
Il knowledge of the markets, rs con-
trolled by the law of supply aud de-
rnand. Many farmers rush their pro
duce to a glutted market, and others
hold back too long. Now, it is not es-
sential that man should even know
how to hold and manipulate plough
himself to be successful in al agricult-
ural enterprise, provided he knows
how it should be done, and has the
capital and executive ability to select
the right men to do the work. = =
If, instead of working himself from
daylight till dark. in the manual labor
of the farm. he will set apart portion
of his time for reading and thinking,
he will soon find it more profitable to
hire some farm laborer to do part of his
work, while he uses his brains. There
are still, in spite of all that has been
written about exhausted farms, thou
sands of tons of manure wasted by lack
of proper storage, and thousands of
tons carted onto the farms which are
hardly worth the hauling. And thou
sands of tons of straw in burned an
nually which might be utilized for ma
nure by forming q stock.yard on 1t, or
hauling it into the farm-yards and
spreading 1t about. This is a common
practice in the old country.
GAS an example Of the value Of agri-
cultural education, a farmer in Della
ware had struggled for years on farm
there, not making 1t pay, but he man.
aged to send his son to al agricultural
college In illinois, and when the young
man came back and took charge of the
farm there was transformation, and
it was made to pay well. There il no
country in the world in which so much
valuable instruction is offered to the
farmer, either without cost or at mere
,orninal price. So
"Governor Hoard, of Wisconsin,
,nce said. when trying to introduce
reform In dairy management, Some
,eople are 30 rock-rooted In their preiu.