The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-09-29
New Agricultural Campaign.

Into the old fatalistie idea Of farm
ing come the experimenting optlmists
Ct the United States department of agri-
culture with the idea that seasons are
relatively nnimportant, Nature Is boun-
tiful. but the age when she acted as
fairy godmother TO infant humanity,
disappeared with the lost tribes Of Israel
and now the treasurers must be looked
for with the test tube and the expert
ment field It is not enough to pillow
and plant. There are ways Of blowing
and ways Of planting and the big re-
turns follow The best methods
Pursuing this idea, the Investigators
have discovered a few of the simple and
practical methods and have demonstrate
ca that a corn field which produces TWEEN
ii bushels to the acre, under ordinary
methods will produce twenty five bushels
with careful selection Of seed. BY inn
proved methods of preparing the soil the
WELD can be increased to thirty bushels.
The correct use Of fertilizer or good
crop rotation system will add another
five bushels to the yield and a scientific
method Of cultivation will bring the
product up to forty bushsels. thereby
accomplishing the important economic
feat Of placing two corn poues in the
oven where only one baked before.
They have made farming a business
ii which the profits can be forecast
with as much accuracy as IN any other
business. It IS their belief that the sea-
son as an unavoidable factor IN farming
is myth, just like the aged idea that
potatoes. having eyes, should be plant
Ell III the dark of the moon 10 that
ne light would lure them above the
ground TO waste their strength on a
Mxnriant growth Of valueless vines.
They have proven that the inherited de-
pravity of seed and soil and season can
be overcome and that the bad season
Il condition Of farming just as much
az It is condition of tie weather
For years the department Of agricul-
ture has aided in the maintenance of
experiment stations in every state, but
The new missionary campaign carries
tile instruction into the homes Of tic
farmers themselves. The tests and DEM
constructions are carried on, not on gov
eminent land, but on the land Of a
farmer and tie work is done by him,
under the direction of the government
agent.
The missionary campaign centers IN
the south central states, where il is
most needed, and in hundred commune
tiles. miracle Of transformation mas
been worked, not only in the production
of better crops. but In the optimism
that follows. The movement IN each
community usually starts with a school
house meeting championed by The com-
mereial club Or the progressive business
men from the county seat. The import
ance Of better farming methods is dis
eussed and the plan for the establish
ment OF experiment tracts to be culti-
waited under the supervision of govern
ment experts IS told Of. The farmers
are urged to devote from one to five
acres to this purpose. They are asked
to take nothing for granted, to believe
nothing that they do not see and to fol-
low only the methods which through
their own work on the experimental
tract prove successful Throughout the
season these experimental tracts are
visited by Che department agent VINO
gives expert instruction as to the cul
t:yation OF the crops
Sometimes the farmers Of a commune
ity meet him at one Of the demonstra-
ton farms or at general meeting, held
at the school house. Here the farm mis-
sionaries Of the country districts and
the exhorting talk Of the lecturer is
followed by an experience meeting, in
which those who have been converted
from the dark belief Of haphazard farm
ING to the true light Of scientific agri-
culture tell IF their change Of faith and
the attendant result.
At recent meeting of this kind in
Alabama a lanky cotton planter arose
to say: Il was born in a cotton field