The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1906-12-19
FARMERS COOPERATIVE DEMON
sSTRATION WORK STATEMENT.

DDrSSAA. Knapp of the Department
Abf Agriculture, whose work against
the boil weevil has attracted national
attention, has issued the following
statement as to the Farmers Co
operative Demonstration Work:
There has been some misapprehen-
sion among farmers in regard to the
FARMERS Cooperative Demonstration
Work. Many have supposed that the
Instructions all come from Washing
ton. and were not adapted to Sogth-
! ern conditions. This is nOt correct
The instructions given out for this
work are made upon the follOwiEe
plan: First a compilation of all the
experiments. relating to a given crop.
} by the Experiment Stations iu the
| cotton States, is carefully made. Fen
example: all the experiments in eela-
ition to the preparation of the soil,
the, planting and the cultivation of
cotton are compiled. Then the eX-
/ perience in planting, of a large ugum-
Der of the best cotton farmers IN the
I South along the same lines of Eork
in cOttOn>is carefully noted. In addi-
Ition to this the observation aud en-
perience of all the Travelling Agents
of this Department are brought tp
bear upon the instructions. to correct
any defect that may he, in tsem.
Thus our instructions have the fol-
lowing ~elenleHts of perfection: First.
what the Department at Washington
knows from its vast stores of in,
formation about cotton: secondly.
what the; State Experiment S;atiDms in.
the South, have demonstrated to be
the most advantageous: thirdly, what,
the best farmers in the South hswel
tested andproven the most successful
Iupon:t the farm: fourth. the knowledge
obtained, by the Travelling Agents of
Demonstration Work, who eSpec-
iaNy visit and have personal knog1l
edge of eseryportiOn of the States in.
which they are stationed. Even then
our instructions are along lines of
correct principles. leaving many de-
lis to 1.-The good judgment OF the
In this Cooperative Work great
sire IS is laid upon a more thorough
of the soil in the fall, be-
cause in Our Southern climate. the
do not penetrate the soils suf-y
to open them and admit airs
mnst, therefore do by blowing in
fall. and by some winter cnltiva-
what nature does in the colder
In the richest soils there is
INT little food ready prepared for the
plant and natures pplan is, that this
food shall be prepared more or less
saily by the action of the air, the
mOisturei in the soils. and by the sun.
I these three active farces make ready
tAe food sot the plant a be properly
This cannot be done with
out plowipg. and Guilt waiting to admit
.he air, and the earlier this work is
commenced i'm the fall the greater the
ter it will have upon the crop of the
following SEASON.
The effect of using good seed is
1Ot sufficiently appreciated, nor perl
maps il is understood 5ast what makes
good seed. Il must be the best va
,iety, carefully selected early in the
ALI, ana sstorei in IA day place. This
in passing throughthe States of
Alabama and MiSsissipp;, we found
rery littl. of TIN corn fit 9Qr seed. be-
the two or three weeks rain after
he great storm had wates.soaked the
,ob. and In iured the germs. In many
Eases 1T had even caused decay in a
of iGhe kennel. Thisaould have
,een prevented, lhadthe seed. corn been
.athered IN August. Our reasons for
-ery frequent cultivation have been eX-