The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-09-30
Farmers Forum


His first duty is to see that his
family is wcll cared for. To do this
he should learn how to farm. He
owes II to his wife and children to
/ know what, when and how to cult
yate to insure good crops. lie should
not feel satisfied to do as his father
before him did. This is world
OF progress. The farmer should pro
gress with the times. Why are
some poor and tenants, and others
rich and own their farms? ignorance
of the science of farming accounts
for the most OF it. Nine out of ten
farmers in Garter county break their
lands Tor corn in the spring just
before they plant. Such methods
are not conducive TO good corn
crops The crop will go down under
the first short droutn, when if this
same land had been broken ten
inches deep in the fall, the crop
would not have been affected by the
drouth. Many give this crop few
culuvatIngs and lay by" by the 4th
Of July, just at time when it
needs more work and better work.
Many select their seed from the crib
at random. No doubt some is 80 day
corn and others running as high as
l3O days to maturity. Any one can
see what the result of this will be.
\ farmer educated in corn raising
selects a seed all maturing at the
same time. BY this he gets good
fertilization of all ears. Poor land
will not raise good corn. Yet | have
seen land planted to corn that the
farmer should have known better
when he planted it. The compost
heap in the farmers lot indicates
intelligence, its absence ignorance. A
sorry team also indicates ignorance
first laziness next, poverty last.
If he had been an intelligent farmer
the last condition would not have
been possible. Politics and farming
do not go hand in hand. Partisan
politics indicates ignorance or knav-
cry. | will explain this in some fu-
tWc article, and leave it now for
you to study over A farmer should
be proud of his calling. A lawyer
is of his profession and he only
fattens on the woes of others. A far
mer is "a creator of things, and if
he is a good farmer, he is proud OF
his creatures and his profession.
But in this good land we have some
fellows who farm at it," they
don't farm, they are nestors, scab-
bins, kckers, an ignoramus. He
won't try to learn, won't join the
Farmers Institute. In fact, he tries
to belttle those who do attend
these lectures on good farming.
Racks himself back and says, MY
daddy learned me to farm, and he
did not learn it out of book either,
he learned it between the plow han
dies. Then he laughs, and every mes
ter in hearing laughs because they
think he has said something smart,
while in fact he has shown his great
ignorance. II is a pleasure to no
tice that every farmer who attends
the institute meetings is doing well,
and many own their homes. These
were the people who contributed to
our exhibit at Oklaho oma City. They
are the ones who pay their rents, and
do not try to beat them. When they
say they will give you one-third the |
grain and one-fourth the cotton, you |
get it. You do not have to send the |
sheriff after them. When they agree |
to pay money rent and give you mort |
gage on their crops, they pay YOU.
You will never hear of one of them
selling their mortgaged stuff, and |
skipping the country. Since l have
been renting land to farmers / have
had many tough customers to deal
with. Not one can say | treated
him unfairly, for | am sure l could
have sent a score of them to the
pen and did not do so. 1t is a pleas
ure 70 do business with an honest,
intelligent farmer l enjoy eXchang-
ing views with him. But an ignorant
fellow, full OF conceit, anarchy, bad
whisky and tobacco juice is a dis
gnst to me. Your farm is worthless
after such a fellow beats you out
of the rents and leaves n. He tries
TO carry Oft everything movable he
plows the land so that it will wash,
and never thinks of killing patch
OF Johnson grass. He does every
thing in a slipshod way; in fact, |