The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-08-04
The Farmer or The se,so,o

The late DR.. Stlirteyant, one Of M.
most noted OF the recent agricpltur,t
writer's, in preparing a volume TO M.
essays for publication wrote on or4
Of the back leaves the following: 9TH,
season is much. the farmer NOR
Crops follow Judgment more tia,
weather"
There is something in this for th.|
farmer TO think about. 1t is not posi-.
bic by any human skill to get te
maximum crop from a farm or a field
IN an unfaForable season Its pos,
sibie. however, provided he is til.
right kind of a farmer, a farmer who.
has good judgment and has his farm
operations thoroughly in hand, 10 pro.
cure a crop that will 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 1Ioines the best corn
should be waist high the Fourth 0.
july. Very little OF 1t will be much
Dver knee high and much of it mol,
knee high on the Fourth; and yet any
person who travels the road, whether
railroad or wagOnyoad, may notice two
fields side by side, one of which "a
knee high as we write Dune 22) and
the other not more than half knee
nigh; one with n fairly good stand.
averaging two an! one-haIf stalks 10
the hill, the other a poor stand, from
n and one-half to Two stocks.
Whatever difference there Is, Il.
attributable not to the land or the
season, but to the farmer. The owne.
or the farmer Of the one may hays.
had the foresight years ago 10 adopt
a rotation and stick TO it 50 far as cir.
cumstances and seasons would permit.
He has kept his land In good heart mol,
merely by rotation bat bv providing
manure by keeping live stock and con-
sCientiously hauling It out, TIE
farmer is entitled for the credit Of
this.
On one field the farmer has been.
very careful OF his seed. He has
tested his corn thoroughlv, perhaps
tested every ear, and therefore has q
good stand. If lie has not made the
mistake of nIanting + TOO aarIv and
too deep, which is the cause Of much
good seed this year falling TO grow.
The other perhaps bought seed from
distance, she!ied, did not test ut, de.
pending on his WI judgment on what
corn 10 grow without testing Ga weak
ness, by the way, of a good many farm
ers), and as a result he has no stand
This wa3 not due to the season, but
his own fault.
The seed bed on n field has been
properly prepared, the cultivation has
been thorough and complete, the farm.
err not undertaking more than he could
reasonably expect to get through with.
In the other perhaps the ground was
plowed too wet. the harrow did not
Immediately follow the pillow, if the
ground was heavy, especially il it was
gummy, clods formed in three or four
hours If the day happened to be dry
and o. south wind blowing, which could
noe be ~puIveriZed until soaked UP by
rain, and sometimes not then. THUS
in the one case a thorough seed bed
prepared, while in the other the
farmer is really using only from one
half to two-thirds OF his land, because
of a deficient seed bed This, again
not due to the season but to the
farmer.
Given the right kind OF a farmer on
of which he has had control for
three or four years, no matter what
the season may be, he will produce .
good crop of corn, wheat, or
anything else: while the farmer Wno
Is not fully qualified for his work, noI
efficient in his business. will fail 70