Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1903-08-06
THE FARMERS NEED.
A Little More Science In His Method
Of Tilling His Land.
REMARKS By SECRETARY WILSON.
The Old Style Manner Of Farming Nearly
Worn Out and Giving Way to the Wis
dom Of science-Need of the Agri-
cultural Colleges.


Washington, Aug. Alike the In
sdian, the old-fashioned farmer ID
doomed. Hon. James Wilson, secre-
.tary of agriculture, says his methods
are worn out. They must give way
to the wisdom Of science. The farmer
.of to-day is the scientific agricultur-
list Of tomorrow. People, he said,
might call these new-fangled ideas II
they wanted to, but they were Ws-
tanned by facts. The farmer mast
learn to make his ground yield the
most. This knowledge he would never
gain unless he familiarized himself
with the science of the soil.
In the plant propagating house on
the department grounds is the scene
Of one Of the most deeply scientific and
progressive of many investigations now
being conducted by the institution un-
der Secretary Wilson. The investiga-
tion consists of important experiments
to show the comparative values of
soils, or earth, gathered from all over
the United States The great practical
utility derived is In the farmer being
able to discover, even In small meas
ure, the preference of any particular
vegetation for any one or class of Soils
Science is doing great deal In the
farmers interest. Mr.. Wilson says:
1T has learned secret that has given
new impetus to the beet sugar indus
try, and this means that we are going
to make great deal more beet sugar.
It means also that the United States
government is quietly adopting a new
and more vigorous policy In agricul-
tural science.
There's new era In store for the
farmer Of the United States, and those
of New York and the Mississippi val
Icy In particular. 1t will be the new
fashioned farmer who will bring 1t
about. He is the Moses Of modern
agriculture.
"Tte farmer Of the future" said Mr..
Wilson, must be practical scientist.
The man who does not understand the
science of the soil has no business on |
the farm. If the boy wants to be a
farmer 1t is Just as necessary that he |
take course at an agricultural COL
lege as 1t is to the boy who wants to be
a lawyer, doctor or preacher to
have university education.
"The great need of the agricultural
college has been instructors who could
instruct. Why, out in Iowa we could
send to Chicago and get carload OF
chemists, If we wanted to put UP the
money for them, but we could not find
q man who could teach the student the
science Of making butter and cheese.
The government can endow agricul-
tural colleges, the more that is done
the better, but 1t cannot furnish in
structors, because there have not been
any. We are going to give few young
men a chance at the department to
learn the scientific features of instruc-
lion In agriculture, but we can only
help few. The only way that these
instructors can be made is through the
agricultural colleges. We don't want
he student taught the theory, but we
want the practical facts put before
heir eyes.
There is no place that the farmer
reeds to apply scientific methods than
nut west where they irrigate their
and. am going to have the matter
ooked into. Hundreds Of acres Of fine
and are being ruined because the men
vho irrigate them do not understand
he scientific facts about 1t. They let
90 much water run on the. land, this
rings the alkali to the surface and the
esult is that there is no use trying
D grow anything. Now, What should
. done is to study the science of the
oil so as to know how to aDpIy the