Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1909-11-11
The Farmers Institute

| lCISStihS hCCtlHS. AhSiS "SiS ~
eral speeches, mention of which IS
made elsewhere, and one by Capt.
Painter which is reviewed here.
Editor Smith proposed to invite
the Captains talk, saying that Mr..
Painter and his son had a successful
method of farming of which it would
be interesting to learn. The Cap
tain replied that he couldn't tell
Just how he farmed-because he
never farmed any two seasons alike.
The best he could do was to lay
down some general principles, the
recognition of which had raised his
farm from loss to profit, from drudg
cry to pleasure.
His first proposition was that
scientific tilIage pays. He is out of
sympathy with the idea of tying to
farm large areas in a slip shod man
ner-he believes in increasing the
yields instead of the acreage.
He explained scientific farming as
the best sort Of common sense farm
ing-and affirmed that IN it no i'm
plement deserved more praise than
the harrow. The Captain uses a
harrow to level, stir. and he does
not believe that the frequent use of
the harrow is an injury to the land
but thinks the great fault with many
farmers is rot using the harrow
enough. wish every farmer in the
county could have heard him relate
the story of narrowing piece of
barley when to all appearances he
was running it. His barley made a
remarkable yield while his neighbors
barley arcely paid for cutting
He narrowed and they didn't. The
Captains bent is for the "Gospel of
narrowing.
He believes also in good deep
blowing In his estimation the
disk is a cook implement but can
not take the place of the plow. The
proper use for the disk is to mellow
the surface ground which is to be
turned under IN plowing.
We have but mentioned a few of
the points made by Captain Painter
all of which were practical and we'll
taken, but we hope we have said
enough to show that every farmer
should be present to hear his talks
at the next institute
The call issued by the President
and Secretary of the Farmers Insti-
tute for meeting last Saturday was
not responded to very numerously,
but the farmers who did come, were
thoroughly in earnest, and their
enthusiasm made up for the lack of
numbers.
1t being the day for the regular
annual election Of officers that of
course was the first business done.
The result of the election was the
unanimous choice OF H. n. Holder
man for President and DR.. W. ".
Simpson for Secretary.
There had been no program pre-
pared and the discussion was of an
impromptou kind, but perhaps for
that reason better than i studied eff
fort. Mr.. F. E. Bownn responded
to a call for his experience with sub
irrigation by saying that he had so
far no personal experience, that on
the ranch they were preparing a plot
of ground with ordinary drain tile
for the purpose of testing the mat
ter. ne ldea was not SO much to
really irrigate as to keep a supply-of
water IN the subsoil, which would in
the most economical way supple
ment the raiu fall, He also related
that the Pueblo Indians employ a
method of subirrigation which is
with them very ancient. That is to
dig trenches. and at the battom throw
in corn stalks, trash and rub bish
covering. that with dirt. The stalks
and trash, as the bitches were con-
nected with some pond or stream al
lowed the water to slowly pass
through, keeping the earthconstant :
T II r