The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-09-07
BTTLER'S
Farmers Who Are Getting a Liberal
Education by Reading the State
and Federal Bulletins on All
Phases Of arminG
T1ldSCS OIL EHFHlfnG.


Southern Pines Tourist.)
The other day / came UP from the
corn field and saw a going
from the horse barn down toward the.
COW barn, and looking around as if
he was Interested in something he
did rot see.
I overhauled him and gave him the
hailing sign, and he said his name
was Mcneil.
Mr.. Conover, of the Agricultural
Department at Raleigh, told me
you are building a silo, and [ thought
I better had come and see it before Z
start mine"
We climbed into the silo and talked
about plans and difficulties, and be-
fore we had gone very far in our
yanlmerfest. [ discovered in Hector
MeNeil a farmer Of the old Scotch
stock which settled this section. and
a most extraordinary man.
He is a backwoods product, grab
bing along by the best light he has
been able to pick up. greedily reading
the agricultural bulletins the State
and Federal governments send out to
US farmers, and he knows pretty we'll
the theory of farming. The practice
he is versed in, and his practice is to
take advantage of the advice the bull
letins give, and he is making a sue
cess.
Another Scotch neighbor is Priest,
as [ have remarked. Priest was up
the day after Mcneil was here, and
in talking about the varieties of corn
adapted for this section, Priest said:
Hector Mcneil was talking about
the kind | plant, and he said he had
tried 1t a few years G and it did not
appeal to him.. but that he afterward
discovered hat the State experiment
farms got the best results with this
variety, and he said to me that they
are the fellows to depend on, for they
know what they are doing"
Hector Mcneil made a hit with me,
for although he lives some miles away
in another township and T never saw
him before, he is my neighbor, and
We will be acquainted before much
longer. [ bring him on the stage be-
cause he IS a good type of the pres
ent-day movement in agriculture. He
has lived considerable of his life, n
has his family responsibilities ON his
shoulders. He has passed the day
when he can devote the time to go
ing to a technical school for an edu-
cation. But being IN intelligent and
practical fellow, he takes advantage
OF the farm bulletin work the State
and the Federal governments are do
ing, and he is quite familiar with the.
more advanced theory Of farming, and
he is moving along the modern lines,
and begins to see the light of success
ahead Of him.
ne IS d representative OF the many
thousands of farmers all over the cOun-
try who are doing that same thing,
and it would surprise the most of the
people Of this big United States to.
know what a large correspondence.
school the governments are carrying
on, and what enthusiastic interest the
FARMERS take in the work.
l have several hundred government.
publication of a few pages each or
agricultural subjects. If something is
wrong with the sweet potato plants
i get the bulletin On sweet potatoes.
and Investigate. Tt is by an expert.
Al 1 want to know the value of Veteh
Ior COW feed I get the bulletin on
Vetca, and see exactly the chemical
composition of vetch. the digestfhiI-
ny OF t. the nutritious properties. how
70 plant it, how to feed it,, and all
about it.
II moth get into the bee hives /
nunt up the bulletin on bees. The