The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-06-21

in 800 days makes 1t quite an ltem moi cOusluereu
by Theory when the fresh eggs we now sell for
II cents are bought at 40 cents, the potatoes,
bread, pork, fresh vegetables and fruit we often
do not take into consideration when counting the
profit or loss the old farm must be paid for
at the retail price. Short days, true, but more OF
them. A weeks vacation when the employer sets
the time and that week will be spent on the old
farm if cash enough has been saved to justify it.
| When we think of the long day on the farm let
practice investigate; 10 hours for 800 days. 5000
hours. Now where is there a man who works
that many hours year on the farm? Count it as
you may, the farmer works fewer hours in year
than any other laboring man, whether he be in
the store office or by the sweat of his brow
Theory tells the ambitious man In the country,
fee to the city. Practice tells him, if you are
making a comfortable living. educating your
family and either improving your farm or saving
a little money, count we'll the cost before making
the change. Are you aware the same conflict is
going on in the mind OF the city man? He reads
all over 6 cents bushel for potatoes and % for
wheat are profit, milk butter and egg are all
profit as the animals improve the ground. He
reads Prof. Roberts, "Ten Acres Enough" and
becomes wild, when he reads that S,72O worth of
pears were sold from one tree in New York in 20
| ,
bushel when he pays 25 cents for Il peck; $215
from % rods of ground in strawberry 800 per
acre. $500 from an acre of tomatoes besides having
many bushels to feed the hogs; or by having
Strawberries raspberries and peaches on the same
/! ground any one of which W ould return a hand
some profit, as the only work is picking and SELL
! ing. Do you wonder our city friend or our hard
working farmer friend either becomes discon-
| tented when reading this book and many such
articles written under similar conditions? When
1 read such articles do not deny or attempt to
contradict them for they are true, and the Theory
| is all right but practically only one in thousand
| can obtain such results We all should be en-
| Unused by such results and endeavOr to make
| our land more productive and raise such crops as
we can market most proftably, making any
| change thoughtiully and gradually, as franklin
| said "hoding with the left hand while the
| right finds something else to do" 1t doubtless
seems strange after advocating the study OF
scientific agriculture and the placing of books on
agriculture in our school libraries in place of so
many books of light fiction and romance that
should write thus on Theory and Practice. This
| view is when taken separately. Theory and
Practice in farming should go hand and hand
Theory is the knowledge. Practice is making use
OF it There may be dozen Theories advanced
and Practice must prove them of value or worth
less. There are many correct Theories that if
certain allowances were not underworld be of no
| practical use.
In physics we are told cannon ball should
describe parabola is correct Theory in regard
to gravity and the laws of motion, but allowance
must be made for the resistance of the atmos-
| phere or the Theory would seem incorrect and
| disappointing. In fact there Is so much allow
ance to be made in Practice that some say Theory
is opposed to Practice. but this is wrong. They
must work together the scientist in his labratory
sets forth certain Theories in regard to soil and
crops that art correct but when applied to the
open field, the wet weather. the cold, the heat or
the wind may prove them of no practical value
| Now, when we farmers unite Practice with Theory
of the scientist We will be doing just what the
| Department of Agriculture at Washington and
our Experimental Stations have been working
out for years Now, why not have portion of
our County farm set apart as an experimental
farm to try different kinds of grain and the effect
OF different treatments and fertilizers? have no
doubt the Experiment Station would gladly ad
wise and direct by letter any experiment not
understood by the farmer in charge. The Depart
ment at Washington is in hearty sympathy
with our Agricultural school and believe would
gladly aid in experimenting on our County farm
When individual farmers wish to prove certain
Theory by Practice they come against that hard
problem, help or rather no help; that we must
let go many things we would like to try and
really believe would be of profit. We believe the
Theory but Practice says we can not test 1t.
Prof Norton told the Horticultural society, "A
good rule is to get all the advice you can on any
subject from any available source, and then do
1
cations, Theory and Practice must go hand in
hand and it is no safer in farming than any
other occupation to make a sudden change from
the old Theories that Practice have proven to be
correct, nor is it wise to discard new Theory be-
cause it differs from our old ideas Times change,
new Theories as well as new machinery are con-
with the times. While it is we'll to follow Pope's
rule,
"Do not be the first by which the new is tried,
i Nor yet the last to lay the old aside"
in our general farm work. yet it is well for us to
prove the value of new Theories on a small scale
where the expense is SMALL reporting failures as
well as success. 1t is an old Theory that know
ledge is power" But it is only correct when it
is put into practical use. This we believe can be
done by having our boys educated near home,
Obtaining the Theory at our Agricultural school
and Practice at home. Now, in conclusion
Theory and Practice were illustrated at the ie-
cent smoker. Theory suggested to our host it
would look more social to go In company; Practice
proved to ]. T. it is better to take your team
if you do not wish to walk home.
| Quite an interesting discussion
followed the reading of this ex.
cellent essay and the subject of re,
, presentation without taxation
brought forth the opinion from Mr..
Scarborough that a "citizenship"
tax should be levied on all male
residents of this county over 81
years Of age. Some objected that
it would be unconstitutional, as the
song containing the words "the