The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-11

Farmers are constantly being urged
to study their business more than they
do. to buy and read books and papers
devoted to the subjects that specially
concern them. OF course this is good
advice. There is no reason why a.
farmer of common sense should be in
jured in any way by following 1t. 1t
is quite true farmer might read to
Ills disadvantage many things that
would come to him in books or papers
If he read without due discrimination
This is especially true when he came to
read many of the advertisements that
appear in agricultural journals of to-
day. The reader of these, If not alert,
may easily be imposed upon. And in
the reading columns of the same papers
there is much that would lead the far
mer to loss if he allowed himself to be
influenced by it-not only loss of money
but loss of spirit, loss of confidence
ultimately.
A farmer, and by farmer" is meant
any one who tills the soil and sells its
products, can be greatly helped by
written matter if it emanates from a
practical source-if it is written by
men of practical mind and experience
who have gone ahead of us and are
really capable of giving the facts rera-
tive TO the subject matter that we seek
" hAACN- hNAC ID a PtoNE 4OA lliCOAy.
1t is the starting point. II proceeds
practice or established fact. The latter
is what the farmer needs and seeks
The practical man can acquire the
facts without having had anything TO
do with the theory. Theory is chiefly
for the thinkers. II must be passed on
TO the practical man to be proved. The
farmer is nothing if not practical
What he wants is what comes from the
practical man. (It is the same in med
icine, we want the practical doctor).
An agricultural journal conducted by
a practical editor disseminating the
written words of practical men, pre-
senting practical suggestions from
month to month or week to week, must
be Of value to the practical farmer able
to discriminate. One good, helpful sug-
Restion once a month makes such a
publication well worth it's subscription
price and well worthy OF the farmers
patronage. We are quite sure a farmer
can be greatly helped by reading, If he
reads wisely; but he must know now
TO winnow the chaff from the wheat.
There will be much to reject as more
than worthless, to him, at least The
man who hates bees, as John Randolph
did sheep, is not likely to be helped or
entertained by the most elaborte, prac-
tical essay on bee keeping. The corn
and cotton specialist would care little
for the best advice relative to tobacco
or rice culture, and vice versa and so
on.
The farmer of to-day has need for
knowing much that the farmer of if
ty or twenty-five years ago had little
call TO know. 1t was much easier for
the untutored farmer OF 1850 to make
a success of farming than It is now
for even the more intelligent and fair
ly read farmer. Fifty years ago many
thousands or farmers grew rich, and
they could neither read nor write
They might do the same now If the
land was as rich and labor condi-
tons as good. Then the farmer had
no use for any knowledge of plant
diseases, Of insects and how to con-
tend with them; Of manures and how
to buy and use most advantageously.
The old-time farmer here in the South
had little need to know of humus and
its necessity and how to restore II.
His soil had plenty Of this then. Now
there is little soil that is not starving
for It.
Now nearly every plant Of value has