The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-08-05
The Farmer or tho seaso,7

The late DIR. Sttirtevant. one of the
most noted Of the recent agricultural
writer's. in preparing a volume 70 his
essays for publication wrote on one
of the back leaves the following: Tho,
season is much. the farmer more.
Crops follow judgment more than
weather"
There is something in his for the
farmer to think about. 1t is net posi-
BILE by any human skin to get the
maximum crop from a farm OF a field
in an ~unfavorable season. 1t Is pos
sible. however, provided he is the
right kind of a farmer. 2 farmer who
has good judgment and has his farm
operations thoroughly in hand, to pro-
cure a crop hat viii surprise the
~neighbors. Corn. for example, is short
and late this year over almost the en-
tire corn growing country. In the
latitude of Des Moines the best corn
should be waist high the Fourth Of
July. Very little of it will be much
over nee high and much of it not,
knee high on the Fourth; and yet any
person who travels the road, whetheri
railroad or ~wagonroad. may notice two
fields Side by side. one os which Is
knee high as We write (June 22) and
the other not more than half knee
nigh; n with a fairly good stand.
fag TWO and Ee-hal stalks to
the hill. the other a poor stand, from
one and one-half to two stocks.
Whatever difference there ia. ia,
attributable not to the land or the,
season. but to the farmer. h owner,
or the farmer of the one may have,
had the foresight years ago to adopt,
a rotation and stick to it 50 far as cir
cumstances and seasons would permit,
He has kept his land in good heart NOT
merely by rotation but by providing
manure by keeping live stock and COM
scientiously hauling it out. The
farmer is entitled for the credit or
this.
on one field the farmer has been
very careful OF his seed. He has
tested his corn thoroughly. perhaps
tested every ear, II therefore has a
good stand, If ne has not made the
mistake of planting it too early and,
too deep, which is the cause of much
good seed this year failing 10 grow,
The other perhaps bought seed from,
a distance, shelled, did not test it, de-
pending on his own judgment OH what
corn to grow without testing Ca weak
ers), and as a result he has no stand.
This was not due to the season. hur
his own fault.
The seed bed on one field has been
properly prepared. the cultivation has
been thorough and complete, the FARM
~ HOS 'iiiS Iihil!S lllDTS IMAM ne could
reasonably expect to get through with.
In the other perhaps the ground was
plowed too wet, the harrow did nor
Immediately follow the pillow, If the
ground was heavy, especially if it was
gummy, clods formed In three or four
hours If the day happened to be dry
and q south win blowing. which could
noe be pulrerized until soaked up by
rain. and sometimes not then. Thus
IN the one case a thorough seed bed
was prepared. while in the other the
farmer Is really using only from one
of a deficient seed bed. This. again,
was not due to the season but to the
farmer. 49,
Given the right kind of a farmer on
land of which he has had control for
thfee or four years, no matter what
fairly good crop of corn wheat, or
anything else; while the farmer who
is not fully qualified for his work. NOT
efficient in his business, will fail to
make first-class crop even on the best
OF land and in the best of 'seasons.
The seasons are ordered by an
Almighty Power. He gives us raw
material in the shape of heat and
moisture and electric currents; and
the dltference between the good farmer
and the Indifferent one is simply that
the former makes full use OF this raw
iideetiai' whether IL be supplied in
abundance or not, while the man who
is not thoroughly up to his business
fails to make full use of it, no matter
how abundant it may be. Therefore.
let US not lay the fault Of bad crops
altogether to bad seasons. The man
who is thoroughly master of his work
VIII not fall down in any season. He
may have less or more, ,,non
the season, except intscases where the
crop is destroyed by hail or blown
down by wind or overlooked from
some stream, or destroyed by hot
winds or some new or newly dis
covered insect. Nc man, however in
telligent, can guard against calamitye
of this kind; but. speaking generally.
Dr.. ~Sturtevant was right when ne said:
The season is much. the farmer more.
Crops follow judgment rather thar
weather."-Wallaces' Farmer.