Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-08-30
Faulty Lessons In Farming.

i Wn6n the Dig ana wise ones OF tnlS
world set about to help the little onei
they will have to do the thing in theil
own way and suit themselves, no matter
though the help is not very apparent to
any one but themselves. imagine that
the "lesson" in farming as 1t should be
that the New York Central Railroad il
setting up in this state, will be about as
valuable to the average run of farmers
as many such have been before. A par,
tial report on that undertaking leads
me to believe that my notion Of 1t be.
fOrehand was correct. l once read a
story of q rich man whose grown daugh-
ter was much interested in the poor; 40
her father gave her quite a sum OF
money to spend in charity, and was
much disgusted to find that the first
thing she did was to put half of it into a
smart costume for herself before start
ing out on the work The poor people
no doubt appreciated the effort greatly! !
Misapplication ia always the difficulty
in setting up object lessons in farming.
| have Just read that the New York
Central farms are to be managed for a
year or two without much expectation OF
profit, but to get them into good tillage
and fertility. This Is, of course, just
to pay for farm, or any farmer who has
no capital ahead, is certain not to follow.
The education it will afford will be
about as valuable as the efforts Of a
hawk to teach a rabbit to fly. If farm
ing is to be done hereafter from the
capitalistic starting point, such examples
are we'll enough, for farm will respond
after little and yield profit; but that
happens not to be the way that most
farming Is apt to be carried on.
The problem that confronts the farm
er, at least nine times out Of ten, when
he buys a farm, is to handle it so that
it will pay a profit the first year and
every year afterward. No matter II 1T
would make a better showing in ten
years If it were handled in some other
way, the farmer with not much capital
behind him cannot wait for that. A
thousand dollars saved to him at the
outset is worth everything. he must
make a good profit or 60 under. What l
want to see here and there all over this
land, wherever poor farming is com mon,
is an expert taking up land and farming
it on the live-or-die plan that practically
all farmers are obliged to adopt If they
90 in at all. / am aware that there are
plenty of farmers who will not show the
proper confidence in their land, even
after they have made money out of it,
and will put their money in the bank,
but am not speaking of them now.
/ took a trip over the Cornell Uni
versity farm the other day and greatly
admired the method of handling the
land, for it very soon transformed fields
lately bought or leased from poor crop
pers to rich, laughing, deep-soiled
ground, good for big crops of anything,
while the outlying lands that had not
been taken over from the native hus-
bandman were still showing the same
old Indifferent crops. Again let it be
said that the method that produces the
fertility first is proper enough If 1t is
possible, but it is so seldom possible to
the farmer-or he at least thinks 80,
which is about the same thiug-that it
does not assist him in the least to do
farming after that plan. The very fact
that the farms in the vicinity OF state
experiment farms remain much as they
were proves how little the experiments
and approved methods amount to.
They tell the story of youth who
once came to Prof. Agassiz and asked
for instruction. The learned man was
busy, so he gave the lad fish from
among his specimens and told him to
look at il while he waited. When the
interval was over he was able to tell the
professor something of the fish that re-
yealed studious mind and was at once
in favor. If the trained agricultural
expert should be put on farm with no
money behind him and made good in the
same way, he would compel his neigh
bors to believe that he had stun in him
that they lacked and they might follow
his methods, but they will not take to
the "big-side" farming for they cannot,
so what is tho use trying? The instruct
or convinces and satisfies himself, and
that is about all.
do not include in this criticism the
instruction that is now given so freely
in agricultural classes on either general
or special subjects. That is different
and it will not 60 for nothing, for it be-
gins with voluntary effort of the pupil
to know more of his subject, while the
farmer is by no means always agreed
that any instruction is needed on his
part. Much instruction work is done
that is merely calculated to please the
expert and slides over the one who needs
its showing, 50 that the whole system,
from that side, is often pretty discour-
aging.
BY the way, western New York at
least would be glad of some Of that
bountiful western irrigation work spread
over it. Only three-quarters of an inch
of rain in June, and July comes in hot
and dry and blazing. Wheat and hay
are assured, but the later grains and
pastures are already suffering.-John W.
Chamberlin, Erie Co., N. Y, In Country
Gentleman.