The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-10-04

Agriculture with the idea that seasons
are relatively unimportant. Nature
is bountiful, but the age When she
acted as a fairy godmother to Infant
humanity disappeared with the lost
tribes Of Israel and now the treasures
must be looked for with the test TUBE
and the experiment field. II Is not
enough to pillow and plant. mere aie
ways Of blowing and ways OF plahllhS
and the big returns follow the pest
methods.
Pursuing this idea, the Investigators
have discovered a few Of the simple
and practical methods and have dem
onstrated that a corn field winch pro-
duces twenty bushels to the acre
under ordinary methods Will produce
twenty-five bushels with careful Sc
lection Of seed. BY improved meth
DDS OF preparing the soil the yield can
be increased to thirty bushels Inc
correct use of ertidlized or a good
crop rotation system will d another
five bushels to the yield and a sc1en-
tihc method of cultivation Will prlhS
the produce up to forty bushels, tneTe-
by accomplishing the important eco
nomic feat of placing w corn pones
in the oven where only n baked De
fore.
They have made farming a bust
ness in which the profits can be 1ore-
cast WItn DIS iluCI y Io
other business. 1t is their belief that
the season az an unavoidable factor in
arming is a myth, just like n aged
idea that potatoes, having eyes, should
be planted in the dark OF the moon
so that no light would lure them
about the ground to waste their
strength on a luxuriant growth OF val
ueless vines. They have proven hat
the inherited depraity Of seed and soil
and season can be overcome and that
the bad season is a condition of farm
ing Just as much as it is a condltlon
of the weather.
For years the Department of Agri-
culture has aided in the maintenance
Of experiment stations in every State,
but the new missionary campaign car
ries the instruction into the homes Of
the arme themselves. The tests
and demonstrations are carried on, not
on government land, but on the Ian
of the farmer, and the work is done
by him. under the direction Of the
government agent.
The missionary campaign centerS IN
the south central States, where 1t Is
most needed, and in a com
munitieS a miracle of transformation
has been worked, not only in the pro-
ductiOn OF better crops, but IN the
optimism that follows. The move
ment in each community usually
starts with a school house meetins
champiOned by the commercial club
or the progressive business men from
the county seat. The Importance Of
better farming methods is discussed
and the plan for the establishment OF
experiment tracts to be cultivated
under the supervision Of government
experts is told of. The farmers are
urged to devote from one to five acres
for this They are asked to
talxo pn|hjnp for 0r1nto5 fn haIiava
nothing that they do not see and to
follow only the methods which
through their own work on the expert
mental tract prove successful.
Throughout the season these expert
mental tracts are visited by the de-
partElent agent who gives expert in
struction as to the cultivation or the
crops
Sometimes the farmers Of a com
munity meet him at one of the dem
Onstratlon farms or at a general meet
ing held at the school house. Here
the farm missionaries borrow an Idea
from the revival meetings of the coun-
try districts and the exhorting talk Of
the lecturer is followed by an expert
ence meeting, in which those who
nave been converted from the dark
belief Of haphazard farming to the
true light of scientific agriculture tell
of their change of faith and the at
tendant result.
At a recent meeting of this kind in
Alabama, a lanky cotton planter arose
70 say: Il was born in a cotton field
and nave worked cotton on my rarnl
Tor more than forty years, thought
no one could tell me anything about
raising cotton. [ had usually raised
one-half a bale on my thin soil and /
thought that was all the cotton there
was in it inOne season. The demon
StratlOn agent came along and want
ed me to try his plan on two acres.
Not to be contrary | agreed, but did
not believe what he old me. How
ever, | tried my best to do as he said
and at the end Of the year | had a bale
and a half to the acre on the two acre
| had worked his way and a little over
a thlrd OF a bale on the land had
WORKED my WAY. You could haze