The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-03-29

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found that il paid to ask questions by
correspondence a. 10 fertilizers and crops
and along other lines The reports oi
the experimenters have given most valu.
able information as to the character ol
local soils, the ordinary forest growth
and the best local rotations. One oi the
chief values OF cooperative effort in the
South il the proper renovation OF worn
out soils. although many other subjects
have been and are being developed by
this means. What more important sub
jeet for this locality? DR.. crosby, who
IL present AT this sconyention is the author
of a report on farmers institutes OF the
United States, and can give expert testi.
mOny as TO what has been accomplished
by this agency. For.Irar he has not the
data at hand, have brought down one
OF his reports and will bri' iiy reler TO 1t.
The farmer is cons quently growing ln
appreciation of practical education lie
has seen IL demonstrated that n small
patch Of ground we'll cultivated will pro-
duce much larger income than an i'm
mense farm worked 10 the old time way
From the very nature Of his Investment
and employ ment the farmer neeis the
most practical education and be has
really the best way Of obtaining II. Tie
follows the original occupation given
man by the Creator. His environments
are favorable. for he lives with nature;
while his sons 20 to school or college for
an educAtion, be lives ia the rural home,
but he gets more pure air and suushine
Many OF the brightest men Of the world
| L ha 20 kaN V4
worked out their own cOncusi Jnr. unOb
structed by views aud opinions ot"thers.
and free from the hum and excitement OF
the city. And while some OF Our greatest
men have come from the fasm and have
become prominent IN the country, many
of the meanest and most narIoS men
have still followed the plOw. Farmers
Institutes are of the most value To the
latter class but they are the haLL est to
get 10 attend As a rule. the man who
stays ON the farm has not read widely
enough or broadly enough lie has
taken his county paper. p,rha's now
and then bought some new book. u ben
pushed very hard by an agent, but only
recently has be commenced TO appreci
ate his opportunity and iriiuence.
At one OF the meetings held in Pe1nsyl
vania last year il was stated that a
farmer, few years ago, read an item OF
lees than ten lines in an agricultural pa
per and that IL was worth more than
s. 200 TO him inside Of ak months A
dry season had ruined the hay crop in
his section. A subscriber to the same
paper residing 10 Missouri in reporting
the agricultural conditions, stated that
| they had n0 abundant hay crop, and
that prices were low. The man in Penn.
sylvanis had learned TO think as we'll a.
read. He wrote 10 the Missouri farmer
and eo-operated with him, with result
that he netted neat lot Of money and
helped the Missouri man TO get rid Of his
crop AT better price than he could OBJ
tain at home, and many others were
benefited because they got what they
wanted cheaper than they could have oh
tained it in any other way.
Another farmer, a couple OF years ago.
was feeding bunch OF good cattle. Buy
ers were trying To get them at the market
price, which was then low. tie was a
reader. He had enterprise enough TO
take good market paper. lie noticed
that cattle were scarce 10 the cattle pro
ducing States. He had faith in the
future and 10 the opinion OF men who
ought TO understand the situation. As
a result. short time afterward be sold
his cattle at an advance that netted him
between three and four hundred dollars.
A common, everyday farmer in Ohio, q
few years ago was feeding bunch OF
hogs, Up to that time hog prices had
been low, country prices varying frUm
81 to 81 30 perewt. Prices began To go
up. His neighbOrs jumped at the first
offer OF s. per cwt but our friend had
been reading. He knew that hogs were
scarce in the West Instead of selling
what he had he bought more. Result: A
clean profit OF 81, l25 within a year and
90 harm done. The evidence in regard
20 these specific circumstances can bc
produced II necessary. There are thou
sands OF other cases like them all over
the country.
II Men who read like these men Iced not
worry much about the classics and high
er mathematics so far as their business is
concerned. They have practical educa
ton II all other branches have been
buried, but we must not forget that
there are other kinds OF readers Some
lack the common sense necessary TO size
40 a situation, or worse still, tbry fJrm
the wrong opinion. Such things are
dangerous They not only lead To a
waste OF time and money, but they are
discouraging.
As an example: A farmer living in
western PennsJ lyanis may read of the
big profit made on the fertile farms in
Lancaster county in raising tpbaceo.
He Jumps at the conclusion that he can
do the same thing. lie tries il, fsils, and
oays for his folly OF not using bi, brain
as well as his eyes lie may rea these
reports, but he lacks goOd judgment
Again, some men are preiudiced " ben they
read. They only remember tba things
that sBit their own ideas and forget all
else. They set down all writ.rs az
. fools who do not say things the way
they think they ought to be. Such
men need training 10 the art of reading.
, They generally get IL and pay dearly for it.
That is " ny 80 many men are poor and
don't know why They are slwsyspay-
. ing for mistakes that they never knew
they had made.
Bot it isn't the reading OF books or
, papers alone that educates a man. Some
very successful farmers never learned
their alphabet They never had an OPP
. portunity to learn to read They got
their education from the hard school OF
experience. They learned by hard knocks
and bitter trials what wouiI work and
what would not. The secret Of success
, with such men, as we'll as with men who
could read, lies in the fact that they are
exceptional thinkers. They are the kind
that see sermons 10 stones, books In
the running brooks, and good in every.
thing"
Farmers institutes have always de
yeloped the fact that writing seems to
: be a lost art TO many farmers They
have not time for It. Look at the mag.
nificant penmsnship Of George Washing.
ton, who managed his business interests
{ with such sagacity. Even the ordinary
business man 10 these days as rule does
4 4 L a 4.