The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-05-26
Farmers Soaking Information.
~
BY HARViE JORDAN.

always numerous ueStlOnS to be asked
| by those seeking information, and men
who study and think most are generally
the ones best euipped to 6 i've the plainest
and most satisfactory answers. The time
was when the student In agriculture was
regarded IN the light of book worm
and book farmers were held in disrepute
/ by the average cutivator OF the soil But
the evolution of time the wide diSsemina-
ton of agricultural Literature principally
through the medium of the farm paper
has wrought a Wondrous change, and
neari yell farmers are now seeking sue
cess and making STRENUOUS efforts to get
all the information possible through some
medium of thought ana research. F'ramers
now are glad Of an opportunity to come
| together to listen 10 lectures by the best
| educated agrlcuturlsts OF the country,
and have no hesitancy in seeking inform
alton on al topics from such sources.
Farmers are rapidly realizing that they
are engaged in business which reuires
more brain ability to work out problems
than is reuired III any other profession
or business IN the world. Farming is not
a speciality as is other lines of business and
professions. The successful farmer, and
the man who IS ambitions 10 make the
soils yield up all of its hidden wealth.
should represent the highest type of edu-
cational ability, both from the practical
and scientific standpoint, that the country
can produce
LACK OF EDUCATION
1t is this lack OF education among far
mers and their aversion for thought and
study which gives the commercial world
the power OF control over our products
and loses to the business world that re
spect and proper consideration Which
| the farmers of the country should COM
mand and receive. The merchants and
bankers rack their brains to devise meth
FOds for securing our crops on the oasis
of the highest profit to themselves While
0 the producers appear only interested lii
e labOring to make the crops to be sacrl-
r feed at about the cost of production
t Hence, while agriculture is making pro
e gress, largely because of the magnificent
III climate and soils with which the South
r IS blest. our towns and cities are making
: greater progress because the larger part
:, of the profit from our products is an
f nually divided out among the busina $
n men of these communities. Thousands ct
t farmers have heretofore figured only
d in making both ends meet ut the close OF
n racking their brains ltif soffmF votC-12
y of the years work. Business men arc
racking their brains to see how great
= dividend they can declare then
!, investment Of capital at the end o
i each year As the farmer becomes more
/, highly educated along the lines CT Lusi
"a ness enterprise, he also will begin K
v figure on the dividend side If his books
Il and every man who gives thought anC
- study to the money features Of his af
eo fairs will introduce better methods THAI
II exist at the present time. In converse
- tion recently with one of the largest an
most successful farmers in Georgia,
= was informed By this gentleman tina
when he first began farming he figure
as to whether ne could raise cotton to tn
ne exclusion Of fcod supplies and max
a. money BY the most careful and pains
or taking investigation upon .he most ece
e. nomical system he could pursue, h
as found that the all cotton system woul
ar annually bring him out in debt, or lcav
M him where he started at the begnnln
Ii of the year. He then determined To star
III right and raise all the grain, forage al
ds meat reuired not only for his family bl
h for his wage hands and stock He hcsa
ce business with two hundred acres OF lar
in mad during the past thirty years of h
ess farming career he has never bought
d.; pound OF meat or grain OF corn and h;
ns bought and paid for than $500
in worth of land. Here is presented an obje
an lesson of a close calculator upon busine
X lines, and giving the practical results
.rs such system. Southern farmers ha
re- brain and energy in abundance, but the
are have not used the former as they have t.