The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1908-08-20

time when the blue-riDbon new
farmer was the man who grew wheat
in the Red River Valley, He was the
arlstocrat Of the West. His years
work was no more than a few weeks
of plowlng and sowing, and few
days OF harvesting. Even this was
done easily, sitting on the seat OF
machine and driving a team Of splen-
did horses. After harvest he cashed
In, carried a big check to the bank,
and settled down for long "loaf "
or a trip TO the old homestead in the
East.
But 1t was the bad year of 1898
that first put American farmers on
the road to afiuenCe, Up to that time
1t was their usual policy to depend on
a single crop. One farmer planted
nothing but wheat; another planted
nothing but corn; third nothing but
cotton, and 80 on But in 1898 the
prices OF wheat, corn and cotton fell
so low that the farmers profits we're
wiped out This disaster set the
farmers thinking. and in four years
they had changed over to the new
policy Of diversified farming.
Instead of putting all their work
upon one crop. they planted from
three to dozen crops each year.
They manufactured their corn into
cattle; they gave the soil square
deal in the matter of fertilization;
they learned to plant better seed and
to pay attention to the Weather Blu
reau; they studied the market re-
ports, and, best Of all, they swung
over from muscle to machinery, until
to-day the value OF the machinery on
American farms is fully a thousand
millions.
The Adoption of Scientific Methods.
All this amazing progress that ]
have been describing Is by no means
the best that the new farmer will do.
1t is merely what he has done by the
aid OF machinery. What he will do
by the aid-of science remains to be
seen.
Scientific agriculture is young. 1t
has had to wait until machinery pre-
pared the way, by giving the farmers
time to think and money to spend.
The first scientist who took notice of
farming was the Frenchman La
voisier. He found out the compost
ton Of water, in 1888, and was in the
midst of many discoveries, When a
Paris mob hustled him to the guillo-
tine. The famous Leibig next APP
peared and founded the first agrlcul-
tural experiment station. Then came
Berthelot, the father Of synthetic
chemistry, with his sensational an
nouncement, "The soil is alive
To-day the new farmer finds him
self touched by science on all sides.
He knows that there are more living
things in one pinch of rich soil than
there are people on the whole globe.
He knows that he can take halk-
dozen handouts of earth from differ
ent parts of his farm, mix them to-
gether, send one thimbleful to a
chemist, ana find out exactly the kind
of crop that will give him the best
harvest. And more, now that science
has given him a peep into natures
factory, he can even feel a sense of
kinship between himself and his
acres, because he knows that the
same elements that redden his blood
are painting the green hues on his
fields and forests.
There are now 10 900 new farmers
who have graduated from agricul-
tursl colleges; and since the late Pro-
fessor w. o. Atwater opened the first
American experiment station, in
1875, fifty others have sprung into
vigorous life. There is also at Wash
ington an Agricultural Department,
which has become the greatest aggre-
cation of farm scientists in the world.
To maintain this department Uncle
Sam pays grudgingly s11,O00,OOO a
year. He pays much more than ,'lis
to give food and blankets to hosde
of lazy Indians, or for the building Of
two or three warships But Il is at
least more than is being spent on the
new far;g3r in any other country
Step by step farming is becoming
q sure and scientific profession. The
risks and uncertainties that formerly
tossed the farmer back and forth be-
tween hope and despair are being
mastered The Weather Bureau.
which sent half a million warnings
last year 70 the farmers, has already
become so skiiful that six-sevenths OF
its predictions come true. In Kansas
wheat growing has become 50 sure
that there has been no failure for
thirteen years And In the vast South
west the trick OF irrigation is chang