The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-09-17
CO ToWOnk FOR MODEL FARMS
Build Eggicuiturs! Schools and Good
Roads All Over ihe State.
DEMONSTRATION FERNS Are NEEDED.
tW. F. Massey, in Progressive Fa-mer.)

we nave p!enLy CI tSSt 1dfIlS,
experimental farms, but If every
county had a model farm, a money
making farm conducted On the best
business plan, it would teach the sur
rounding farmers that farm car
make money while building itself up
to a more and more productive char
acter. Such demonstration farms
are needed. The demonstrations
carried on by the Department of
Agriculture are all right go far as
they 60. But we need farm in
every county that Is al demonstra-
ton, in every field and with every
crop, demonstrating, not what can
be done with heavy fertilization. but
what can be accomplished without
heavy expenditures. but through
making the farm build itself up to a
high state of productiveness while
paying a profit all the time. 1t is
easy for millionaire TO improve a
farm by a liberal expenditure re-
gardless Of cost. But that does not
teach the farmer whC has not the
means to initiate it, and who wants
crops that cost good deal less than
they will sell for every year from
the start.
1t cannot be done as rapidly as
the millionaire would do it, perhaps.
but that it can be done has been
shown by the experience Of many
WAC have worked up On a poor farm
from poverty to independence. Such
a farm would. Of cou,se, accept the
proved results Of the eXperinenters,
bat would Iigilly avoid experiment
tation in unknown lines, leaving the
unsolved problems to the Expert
ment Stations, while having for its
aim the development Of productivity
of that soil the year after, while eve
ry year paying profit on every crop,
disasters of the season only excepted.
Such ia, m could be made the post
graduate school for young men who
have studied the sciences connected
with farming, and WHO would need
the practical work of farm hand to
round out their study and make
them real farmers.
1t is characteristic of the North
Carolina people to consider long ard
thoroughly any new proposal. ard
when once convinced cf its value to
go ahead ard do it thoroughly. And
they are becoming convinced of the
importance of teaching elementary
agriculture in the rural schools and
the establishment of district high
schools of agriculture, and they de-
termined to have these. and will have
them. And once convince the peo-
pie Of North Carolina that they can
have a profitable, not a public ex-
pense, moGel-farm in each county,
and they will have them in spite of
any obstacle. All over the State
they became convinced that they
needed better school-houses and
graded schools, and they have built
them all over the State, and will
build more.
They are becoming more and more
convinced that they must have good
roads, and they are getting them as
fast as any State in the country. ard
we hope that our Good Road Spe-
cial" will help push the movement
along. Maryland has appropriated
five million dollars for State road
through every county. North Care
lima should take steps toward a gen
ereal main system Of State roads
gradually connecting with the roads
the counties are building, SO that in
stead of the short series radiating
out from the chief towns, there will
be a net work of hard and we'll grad
ed roads from tie western mountain
| line Of the State to the sea, over
| which every farmer can haul his
produce with case to the shipping
point. Most parts Of the State are
we'll supplied with railroads, but to
thousands they are of far less value
than they should be on account OF
the difficulty in hauling over the
roads leading to the stations. 1t is E
big thing, but it is only a matter OF
time when or people will get there
Already the people in other States
are talking about the way Nortl
Carolina is building good roads, ane
while plunging through the mud ant
over the rocks in Pennsylvania las
winter, l tod them how Mecklen
burg county is bdilding macadamiz
ed roads, and they seemed to think i
a fairy tale. The had some fin
turn-pikes up there built by corpor
alton to which every one must pa,
toll, but the macadamized pub!i
roads are few and far between, eH
| -: tho ,,a;Jhhnrnond of th,