The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-02-02
The Farmer IN Winter.

In us lies Exchange.
The Farmer IN Winter.
(BJ Andrew NJ Soule. Dean College Of Agricul.
ture and Director Virginia Experiment
Station. Backsburg. Virginia.
One Of the best ways for the farmer
to employ his spare time during the
winter months is in reading. The
American Farmer must be student.
Few countries i'm the world have such
an excellent agricultural press as is
found in the United States, and this
is one reason why our farmers are no.
ted the world over for theirprogressiye
methods and their high average in
tellgence. No farmer can afford to
be without good agricultural paper
for it brings TO his home each week
the latest and best information about
farming which is at best a complicated
subject There is a great body Of sci
entists at work in this country study
ing the problems Of chief concern TO
the farmer, and how shall he know
the results Of their efforts except
except through the information
brought to his door by his agricultu-
raj paper.
\ large experience IN institute work
confirms the wnterin theOpiniOn that
the most progressive and up-to-date
farmers, and likewise those that are
most successful from a purely finan-
cial standpoint are those who read
and study and think intelligently.
II is quite a simple matter to control
many Of our worst insect and fungOus
pests if the work is undertaken intel
ligently. Yet we lose millions Of dol
lars annually from various causes
which are practically under the con-
troll Of the farmers. 1t is naturally
surprising that such should be the
case in this day Of modern and sue
cessfu journalism, and yet it is sur
prising TO know how comparatively
few Of our farmers take an agricultu-
raj paper and read it and profit by
the instructions contained therein.
The farmer should also read the
bulletins Of his State Experiment Sta.
ton for they contain much informa-
ton Of value to him and cost him
nothing, and during the long winter
evenings there is plenty Of time TO
gleam much information that can be
put to practical and profitable use in
every day life on the farm during the
busy hours Of summer when labor
and time are both at premium.
The farmer should devote a part of
his winter leisure to mapping out his
farm and planning ont suitable crop
rotations, which will enable him TO
preserve and increase the amount Of
plant food in the soil. BY a judicious
system Of crop rotation fertility is con-
served because one crop supplements
another. A deep roofing leguminous |
crop should follow the more exhaustive |
crops like corn, cotton and tobacco.
The land should be given a rest by
seeding it down to grass for at least
two out Of every five. The legumes
should be made to supply humus and
nitrogen TO the soil at a minimum
cost.
The farmer TO be successful must
first Of all understand that business
principles have as definite a relation
to financial success on the farm as in
any other vocation. He should there
fore study over his farm accounts
carefully during the year and see
which crops were the most profitable
II is not a very difficult matter to
Keep an account with each field, and
{ is safe to say that if we realized
more frequently the cost of making a
pound Of cotton or tobacco that differ
mt methods Of culture would be pur-
ued and an entirely different system
# crop rotation and fertilization prac-
ICED. There are some crops OH the \
arm that pay a larger profit than
.thers, and the farmer must keep
looks In order 10 eliminate those
which are Improbable and change his
ractice so as TO increase his profits
rom the desirable ones. A study Of
rOilt and loss is considered essential
D every business except that Of farm
~. The great business houses strike
trial balance every once in while
, see how they stand; yet farming
admitted by al TO be at best a COM q
lex problem, aud how can the farm 1
+ hope TO succeed who keeps no re- Z
'rd of his various transactions. The
ict that he does not account for the
rye number Of men who barely make
living from the soil. In the long
inter months there is ample oppOr-
nifty for those who are so minded 10
udy the financial problems involved
their operations carefully and learn
isdom from the failure and success
Of the year.
NEWPORT NEWS Press: The esteem-