The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-09-28
New Agricultural Campaign. =,


OF Agriculture with the idea that sea-
sons are relatively unimportant. Ma
ture is bountiful, but the age when
she acts as a fairy godmother to in
faRt humanity disaI peared with the
test tube and the experiment field.
1t Is not enought to plaw and plant.
There are ways Of plowing and ways
Of planting and the good returns fol-
low the best methods.
Pursuing this idea, the investiga-
tors have discovered a few of the
simple and practical methods and
have demonstrated that a corn field
which produces. twenty bushels to
the acre under ordinary methods will
produce twenty-five bushels with
careful selection of seed. BY improv-
cd methods Of preparing the soil the
yield can be increased to thirty BUSH
els. The correct use of fertilizer or
a 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 bush
els. thereby accomplishing the i'm
portant economic feat of placing two
corn pones in the oven where only
one baked before.
They have made farming a busi-
ness, in which the profits can be
forecast with as much accuracy as in
any other business. 1t Is their belief
that the season Is an unavoidable
factor to farming is a myth, Just like
the aged idea for potatoes, having
eyes. should be planted in the dark
OF the moon so that no light would
lure them above the ground to waste
their strength on a luxuriant growth
OF valueless vines. They have proven
that the inherited depravity Of seed
and soil and season can be overcome
and the bad season is a condition Of
farming just as much as it Is a con-
dition of the weather.
For years the Department of Agri-
culture has aided in the maintenance
or experiment stations in every state
but the new missionary campaign
carries the instruction into the homes
or the farmers themselves. The tests
and demonstrations are carried on
not on government land, but on the
land of the farmer. and the work
Is done by him under direction Of the
government agent
The missionary campaign centers
in the south central states where !,
Is most needed, and In a hundred
communities a miracle Of transror-
nation has been worked, not only IN
production of better crops, but In the
optimism that follows. The move
ment In each community usually
starts with a school house meeting
championed by the commercial club
or the progressive business men from
the county seat. The importance Of
better framing methods Is discussed
and the plan for the Establishment
OF experiment trocts 20 be cultivated
under the supervision Of government
experts is told Of. The farmers are
urged to devote from one to five
acres for this purpose. They are ask
ed to take nothing for granted. to
believe nothing that they do not see
and to follow only the methods which
through their own work on the ex-
perimental tract prove successful.
Throughout the season the experiment
department agent who gives expert
instruction as to the cultivation os
the crops
Sometimes the farmers Of a COM
munity meet him at one Of the dem.
onstration farms or at general
meeting held at the school house.
Here the farm missionaries borrow
an idea from the revival meetings of
the country districts and the ex-
horting talk Of the lecturer Is follow
ed by an experience meeting, in
which those who have been convert
ed from the dark belief Of haphazard
farming TO the true light of scienti-
fic agriculture tell of their change of
taith and the attendant result.
AT a recent meeting Of this kind In
Alabama lanky cotton planter arose
TO say: Il was born in a cotton field
and have worked cotton on my farm
Tor more than forty years / thought
no one could tell me anything about
raising cotton. i had usually raised
one-half bale on my thin soil and
thought that was all the cotton
there was In it i'm ono season. The
demonstration agent came along and
wanted me to try his plan on two
of %