The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-16

telephones. churches, libraries. i'm
proved small facilities, and a social
eiVlronmen which is impossible
where farms are so big that homes are
Ia removed from one another.
farm School for Every County.
l country has from the begin
fnng esta blished and maintained a
common school system on the sound
prlnclple that education is essential
to a right discharge Of the duties of
citizenship. Another element must
De into the educational
system. To direct the minds Of the
young to work upon the land as an
honorale and desirable career. and to
for them work when they re
turn there by suitable instruction. is
70 prOmote good citizenship and ma
tlonal security. To raise the oroduc-
tlv1ty of u soil SO per cent would be
an increase greater in value than the
entire VOlumn of our foreign trade.
These results can be brought about
only by a general understanding and
practice Of agriculture as modern
science and experiment would explain
1t; by such instruction as we now give
IN our technical schools and institutes
for the trades.
IF I could have my way, I should
bulld a couple Of wal ships a year
less. Perhaps one would do. l would
take that $4,000 or $4,000, 900 a
year and start at least 1000 agricul-
tural schools in the United States at
$4,000 a year each, in the shape of
model farms. This model farm would
De simply q tract Of land conforming
IN size. soil treatment, crop selection
and rotation, and methods Of cultiva-
ton to modern agricultural methods.
It's would be to furnish to
all its neighborhood a working model
for m instruction. C~ultivating
perhaps, from forty to sixty acres, it
could exhibit on hat area the
advantage tillage which the small farm
makes possible; Of seed specially
chosen and tested by experiment at
agricultural college FARMS; Of proper
fertilization, stock raising, alienation
of crops, and the whole scientific and
improved system Of cultivation, seed
ing. harvesting, and marketing. The
arner Of a county could see, must
see, as they passed it's borders now
their daily labors might bring in
creased n improved results.
The example could not fail to i'm
press itself upon ~ industry becOm-
ing each yea more conscious of its
defects and its needs. AS fast as It
was followed, it would improve farm
conditions, make this a form Of en-
terprise more attractive to the young
and the intelligent, and add enormou
ly to the colume of farm products
which constitutes iur enduring ma
tional wealth.
1t IS as Wen assured as any future
event can be be that the population Of
the United States will be 200, 900, 900
by about the middle of the present
century or in less than fifty years.
Millions Of persons now living Will see
the 100000, 600 people here,-and the
first question is: o are tn ey to be
fed? There will be many grave
problems accompanying such a human
growth, but we may for tue time be-
ing dismiss all the others until we
have considered the primary one of
the bare maintenance Of life. Where
and how are we to obtain lOaVeS
enough to feed these coming millions?
THE average yearly consumption
of wheat per capita varies consider
ably with seasons and prices, but it
rises steadily with our Christianity adj
~vancing standard of comfort. For the
last three years it has been either
slightly under or slightly over seven
bushels for bread and seed. Suppose
that it is six and one-half bushels per
capita, which is certainly within the
mark. It will then require unless we
are to fail to a lower scale of living,
a total product Of 100000 900
bushels of wheat for our bread supply,
if we do not export any. From 1880
to 1906, inclusive. our crop averaged
5~21,738,OOO bushels annually. Twice
only in our history AVE we exceeded
700, 600, 900 bushels.
1t IS tar TO say tnat o5O,UUO,oOU
bushels is our present average capa-
city. Of course, with an increasing
population may come somewhat in
creased total production, though it
will not advance as rapidly as many
We grew 5O4,1S5,470 bushels
in 1882, when our population was a
little over $4,000, 900, and 634,0S7,0O0
bushels in 1907, twenty-five years
later. The increase in wheat yield,
during these years, When much Of the
new land of the West was being
brought under the pillow, was a little
over IS per cent, while population in
creased 100000 or over sixty-three
per cent. Obviously. the supply and
demand Of bread will not keep pace
through the working of any law Of
AZURE.
Moreover possible increase of wheat