Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1904-08-05
The Farmer Or the SEASON.


The late DR.. S~turtevant. 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: 'The
season is much. the farmer more.
Crops follow judgment more than
weather"
There is something in this for the
farmer TO think about. 1t Is not possi-t
BILE by any human skill to get thel
maximum crop from a farm or a field
In an unfavorable season, 1t is posi-
sible, however, provided he is the
right kind of a farmer, a farmer who
has. good Judgment n has his farm
operations thoroughly in hand. to 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 thel
latitude of pes Moines the best cornl
should be waist high the Fourth Of
July. Very little of it will be much
over knee high and much of 1t mott
knee high on the Fourth: and yet any
person who travels the road, whethert
railroad or w~agonroad, may notice two
fields side by side, one of which Isl
knee high as We write dune 22) and
the other not more than half knee
high; n with a fairly good stand.
averaging two and one-half stalks to-
the hill, the other a poor stand, from
one and one-half to two stocks.
Whatever difference there Is, Isl
attributable not to the land or the
season, u to the farmer. The owner
or the farmer of the one may have
had the foresight ears ago to adopt
a rotation andSstick to it SO far as cir
cumstances and seasons would permit.
He has kQnf his land in zrnn1 hoa ri Nnrl
merely by rotation but by providing
manure by keeping live stock and con-
scientiously hauling it out. The
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 thoroughly. perhaps
tested every ear, n therefore has a
good stand, if he has not made the
mistake Of planting ii too early and
cc ni,ii is ifie cause of much
good seed this year falling to grow.
The other perhaps bought seed from
a distance, sheIled. did not test ii, de-
pending on his own judgment on what
corn to grow without testing Ca weak
ness, by the way, OF a good many farm
ers), and as a esult he has no stand.
This was not due to the season, but
his own fault.
The seed bed on one field has been
y \ 10 49, tAAV NtaN 1tiOtl u Us
been thorough and complete, the farln-
er 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 plow, liz the
ground was heavy, especially IL it was
gumnny, clods formed in three or four
III II the day happened to be dry
and a south wind blowing, which could
noe be pulverized until soaked up by
rain. and sometimes not then. Thus
in the one case a thorough seed bed
was prepared, hile in the other he
farmer Is really using only from one-
half TO two-th1rds of his land, because
OF a deficient seed bed. This. again.
was not due TO the season but to he
farmer
Given the right kind OF a farmer on
land OF which ne has had control for
three or four years., no matter what
the season may be, he will produce a
fairiy good crop of corn, wheat. or
anything else; while the farmer who
is not gully qualified for his work. not
efficient In his business, will fail to
make a 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 difference between the good farmer
and the indifferent one Is simply thar
the former makes full use Oh this raw
material, whether IT 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 mater
how abundant IL may be. Therefore.
Let US not lay the fault OF bad crops
altoeether to bad seasons. The man
who ts thoroughly master Of his work
VIII not fall down In y season. He
may have less or more, depending upon
the season, xcept in cases where h
crop is destroyed by hail or blown
down BY wind or overflowed from
some stream, or destroyed by hot
covered Insect No man however N
tellgents can guard against caIamitles
OF this kind; but, speaking generally.
Or. Strrtevant was right when he said.
8 season y much, tise farmer more.
acknowledgements, Ec<rnnr