The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-31

ts,s5f.s OVAO TAe Farmers Vacation and the Insti-
 tute at Auburn.
 Vacation Is 90 nearly unknown among rood farmers that the topic at the head of this article will excite . smile. Those of other classes who may incline to judge the farmer harshiy may say that CT more vacation than he wants CT needs. This is true only of those, who have not sufficient forethought to pro- vide suitable work for the intertms be- tween the busy seasons. One of the best standards by. which to judge whether a certain man is . good farm CT is by ascertaining whether he so plans that he and his hands and teams can find continuous, profitable employ ment.
 The best farmers keep busy. The trouble is often that they keep too busy, or rather too continuously busy with hand work and detail duties to keep themselves posted as to how oth- CTS are managing their farms. In farming no man 10 sufficient unto him. self, the worship of personal experi- ence" to the contrary notwithstanding. No life is SO long that one may not work out for himself the best ways of performing all the new operations and of working all the new plans demanded OI U kOO0 IdIH9T Dy MoucTn d8TICuA- tural conditions.
 The point for which l here contend is that 1t may be profitable as well as pleasant for the farmer occasionally to tear himself from his work with a view to making himself a better man and a better farmer. Hcw can this be done? That depends on many circumstances. one of the chief factors being the time available. The best employment for a few hours.may be the reading of a good agricultural paper, or book, or bulletin. There was time when there was some foundation for the prejudice against book farming by reason of the few and unsatisfactory books on agriculture. Now that condition no longer exists. tions and of the National Department of Agriculture have touched on. nearly every subdivision of agriculture. Based on the work of the stations. a number of books on agriculture and its princi- pal Nramifications have been written. Woefully inadequate and antiquated as are now the older books on agriculture, I can say with entire sincerity that Of the large number of agricultural books that l have read, not one written dur ing the last ten years but is worth as a business investment many times its cost. No farmer can afford to be with- out at least a few agricultural books anu osa.e's anu papers,. Iney anord profitable occupation for hours that otherwise might have been wasted.
 But the reading of agricultural nt- erature is not the kind of vacation that have chiefly in mind in writing this article. change of scene and of ex- perience is needed. If this change can be matter of great distance. SO much the better for those who can afford 1t. But there are nearby trips that will very satisfactorily answer the purpose. Good may result even if the trip cannot extend beyond Q visit to the farm of some netghbor who has been succ ,ss- ful- in some special line or who has some new varfsty of crop or some new machine. Change of scene and ex- change of views and experience and a new outlook are the main essentials of q satisfactory vacation.
 Where cau these ends be better at- tained in Alabama than by a trip to the summer farmers institute now in session at the Ale bama Polytechnic In- stitute at Auburn? Instructive and in- terestinS lectures and demonstration as will be give1 in nearly every branch or agriculture. In the fields, barns, or- chards. and laboratories of the Experi- ment station may be seen many things of interest which may suggest import ant practical lessons. On the date when this appears in The Daily Ad- vertiser Mondays issue) there will stiil be time for few days to be thus spent. can testify that the most sat- isfactory way to spend a vacation is in the pursuit of knowledge and to the further fact that study and practice az riculture as we may. there is still an infinite amount for each of us to learn.
 J. F. D.
 Paris Green for Both CaterptIIars and
 Boil Worms. t behooves every cotton farmer to nave on hand at this season of the year at least small supply of Paris