Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-04-22
THE INTENSIVE FARMING OF YOUTH

methods under his directions. The re-
suit was that every one of the forty
found himself harvesting an increased
yield. This year 210 farmers of the
county have voluntarily put them
selves and their farms under his
supervision, agreeing to follow his
instructions to the last detail. They
have been moved to this by personal
inspection of the results the forty ac-
complished, last season. But this Ok
lahoma farmer, whose name is Har-
ter, by the way, is not content with
directing his grown up neighbors.
He has been all winter visiting dis
trict schools and stirring up the in
terest of the boys. till he now has a
small army enrolled. i suppose they
have already, out in that warm eli
mate, begun the campaign. The lads
are to work on their home farms, and
all Mr.. Harter will do will be to fur
nish each contestant enough seed for
an acre, and explicit directions as
to the growing of the crop. Small pre-
miums will be offered to incite COM
petition, but the notable fact about 1t
is that all the boys will be taught the
difference between farming by chance
and farming with a purpose and along
intelligently chosen lines.
The ionqer live the more "sotn get
in my own ways. The more clearly I
see also, how excusable other old
hayseeds, like myself. are in their adj
herence to bygone fashions of farm
ing. The simple truth is that we old
fellows are getting too mentally rheu-
matic to be able to turn handsprings
in our farming practice. We've got to
keep on, in the main, about as we have
been going. Thus far the Lord has
brought us on. and probably, in His
great mercy, He'll continue to nurse
us along till we have to abandon the
burrows for good. But it's different
with the kids. They haven't yet got
into the ruts. The hope for future
farming is that they won't ever get
into them, but will be enabled to pro-
vide their own smooth going along
better ways.
For that reason, every effort which
is made to interest boys in farming
and in better and better farming,-is
a missionary work deserving support
and applause. Even if we old 'uns
can't bring ourselves to joining in the
revolution, in the name of common
sense let us refrain from putting any
hindrance in the way of this boy
farmer movement On the other hand,
let's help boost it every time we get
the chance.
We old stiff backs have had our
whack at farming. and we have not
made any shining success at it. We've
raised a good deal of stuff a ire
mendous amount of rich, new land.
But, really, we're no great shakes as
farmers, compared with those who do
real farming on old ground. The av-
erage yield of oats per acre in these
United States in 1908 was rs bushels:
in Germany that same year 80 bush
els. The average yield of wheat per
acre in these United States, that year,
was IA bushels; in Germany almost
tatoes in these United States. that
year, was less than Sc bushels in
Germany over 20s bushels. Most of
our farm land hasn't been under the
pillow over fifty years; Germany has
been cropped for two Thousand years.
We ought to raise, with equal skill and
intelligence, larger crops than Ger
many, instead Of smaller ones. The
comparison is shamefully to our dis
credit. 1t stops our mouths when we
undertake to brag about the way
we've farmed it. What are have done
is not the best that might have been
done. Far from it. Let's hope the
next genera ton will come a little near
er to success.
That this generation is BEING led
into new views and practices should
be considered no objection. Why, the
very fact that our old ways have
proved futile and ineffective should be
the first and strongest argument for
leading us to welcome a trial of new
ways.-that are different. If smelter
has been for years getting 80 9-10 per
cent. Of the gold out of his ore, he
may be pardoned for declining to try
experiments with some new scheme
for extracting the metal But if he's
been for years getting only about %
per cent.,-has been seeing three
quarters of the gold waste in the
tailings,-he ought to be glad to try
almost anything which is suggested.
He may do better: he can't do much
worse.
have a very deep seated belief
that the chief work of this twentieth
century is to be in the line of agri-
cultural uplift. We can't help it by
planting our cowh1des firmly in the
mud and strainirg at our own boot
straps.
Put the boys that are coming on
aren't bound by our prejudices nor
scared by our failures nor legally
bound to copy our blunders. They're
walking toward the light of a new
day. Let's do our best to keep their
young faces turned towards the east
At any rate, let's keep our shadows
out of their sunlight.
THE FARMER.