The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1904-11-23
The Lexington Dispatch,
Wednesday, November 23. 1904.
Extensive and Intensive

Farming in the United States.
To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
What we mean by extensive farm
ing in the United States is that We
need more and better farmers, and
By intensive farming is meant bet
ter preparation of lands already uu
der cultivation, an enrichiog of the
soil, 30 that it will produce more sno
better utilities.
Y'ss as has been the progress of
the Uaited states in rnabufac5 uring,
in commerce, in invention aud th-
like, there is perhaps no branch of
our national life which has shown
more immense advancement in the
last forty years as agriculture. A.
the twentieth century advances agrl
culture is rising from the obscurity
of the years. It is, entering more
broadly upon scientific Career.
The-e was tim.-lt ia vi h'p the
memory of many DOW Ilving-whep
the only essentials in agriculture
were that the farmer should plant
his seed, till the soil and reap h,-
harvest. Indetd, there are wide
regions yet where tiilers Of the solI
still labor under the oeluslcn that
man who has tsiled IN all other hues
of business may be successful IL
agriculture, thss it rqusres no edu-
cation, no preparation, no kno Wedge
Of c,snce to be 90 :csssful farmer.
The fact that the greater portion
Of the Uaited States has been bless
ed with soil of productveness has
led men to place no coD6delce in
anything but the soils fertl'ty, to
accept failures of crops as unavoid-
able visitations OF Providence, to lg
more the aid which science stard-
ready to give al! who will accept it.
But the patient, ignorant farmer,
who planted wheat aud oats year IN
aud year out, on lands that had be-
come exhausted, who tried to raise
corn on land that was never intend
ed for it, who planted cotton on land
which contained no cnemlcsls to
make it open with long and feecy
staple, who never gave thought to
the rotation Of crops other than to
laugh 1T the suggestion, who went
steadily forward through asuccessiou
of failures with tenscity which
would have been heroic were lt not
80 pltsbly stupid, this farmer is pass
ing out and IN bis place comes the
man who has learned that to be
successful farmer IN the broaG sense.
he must have education, be must
rely npon science, he must fit him
self for his occupation.
There have been some instances
where men, densely ignorant of the
rudimeptsl elements OF far ming, h-ve
been suc ,essful, but that can be vecy
easily accounted for by the generosity
Of the solI which they cultivated.
We now have quite number OF
agricultural colleges in the United
States which are impressing upon
the minds of their students the ,m-
portance and value of extensive and
intensive farming.
The education to be given young
man from q farm should be such
tt at be would be able to 60 back to
the farm fitted to take up the actual
work of the farm, from the stand
point of an enlightened educated
scientific workman. Nothing should
be taught with view Of leading him
to forsake the farm at graduation,
but that every possible Influence
should be brought to bear to cause
his return to the farm as preferred
place for his life work.
A studious and cioee observing
young man can acquire u knowledge
of scientific agriculture at almost
any college in the land # be 30 de-
slice, for there are extended courees
of study embracing investigation in
almost every science in the curricu-
lum. In most of the colleges the
experimental work of all the sciences
is carried to large, practical and
q commercially satisfactory conclu-
sion: Especially is this true in the
college with which this writer is
connected.
There are great many people in
this country leaving the farm, Saying
that they can no longer make living
on the fslm, that they are obliged to
seek sone occupation for livelihood;
no doubt this Is true, but the reason
why Of this is: Their lands have be.
come exhausted, they are uneducated,
thsy do not understand how to ill.,
tensify their farms, and the conse
quences are as they say "compelled
to leave the farm because their lands
WI not y;e.d them support
fs1..a ouo ksHorn ar1