The Harrison times., 1911-11-04
LITTLE ROCK LETTER.
LITTLE Rock, Nov. 81 1911

One third of a million of acres OF
Arkansas farming lands is being
worked by farm demonstrators, and
the annual increase is tremendous,
The average producing power Of
the acres and the farmers is below.
the demonstration work seems to
remedy that condition,
st-By deep fall blowing and the
preparation of a better seed bed in
which to grow crops
2nd,-Ry the use of better seed
3rd,-By better cultivation Of the
crops
4th.-By the use of fertilizer ac-
cording to the need Of the growing
crop,
, 9th BY the use Of better tools
and teams SO that the farmers can
do more and better work in a given
time, thus increasing his earning
power.
For the year 1910 the average
yield of corn per acre on land iarmed
by government methods was 80 9
bushels, while the average for the
state at large was only "a bushels.
The total state crop OF corn was
69,2l6,000 bushels, If the entire
state had been worked under gov
ernment methods the Weld would
have been 103 924,000 bushels or a
gain of 81, 70S,000, which at 80
cents a bushel would have been
worth $l7594, 900. The gain on
cotton would have been $50,0l5,-
12S, showing an aggregate loss to
the producers Of the state Of SS7.
800, 1913, due to poor farming and
antiquated and unscienti6c methods
All this is being rapidly changed
through the work OF the four agri-
cultural department schools estab'
lished last year, the agricultural de-
partment of the state university,
and the activity Of the government
in the establishment OF demonstra-
ton and other agencies looking to
the aid of the farmer.
G.. w. Watson, late Of Mississippi,
has been appointed state demon
stration agent with headquarters IN
Little Rock, and it is expected that
another year will see q dcmonstra.
tion agent in each Of the scyenty.dye
counties of the state, There are
now 40, ! A. Evans, acting ia.
spector ia charge at Washington,
announced that the demonstration
in Arkansas had assumed such pro-
portions as 20 demand the service Of
an agent all the time, and he there
fore designated Mr. Watson, who
has achieved marked success in Miss.
issippi in handling one of the most
difficult situations in that state,
At the present time the govern
mcnt, which has appropriated Sl5,.
100000 for this work throughout
the country is giving each county in
Arkansas that will undertake the
work $33750 toward the salary of
the demon TRAITOR, and the county is
required to pay the remainder
$662,50, which will secure the ser.
vices Of a good man nine months IN
the year. The last legislature rec
ogni2ed the benefit of the work by
authorizing the county lcWing
courts TO make appropriations of
public funds for this purpose, and
many OF The counties have already
done so,
The prejudice which has SO long
existed in the state, among the old
time farmers, against the book
farmers" who sit IN city Offices and
tell them what 60 raise and how to
rNist It is rapidly giving way TO u
realization thut there rs 4 proper
and scientific method Of farming az
well as doing anything else worth
while,
In 1909 there were 20 agents en-.
pl0yed in the state, IN 1910 there
were iS, and this year there are 6S,
In 1909 only two counties contrib
utcd toward the work, last year
there were ~, aud this year the
number will be considerably increas'
cd. IN 1909 che local aid amounted
to only 81 500, Ia 1Ol0it was Sl2r
0O5, and this year 1t reaches SIC.
i0U This local aid is donated by
business men, commercial orgNnlga'
tiona and quorum courts.
IN 1000 there were l6S demon
strhtion farms with 5,732 co.opcra-
tors, The following year this was
increased to 2,3O5 farms embracing
l7A5l acres, and IN 1911 there
were 2,70O farms, embracing OIL.
7S2 acres, with q total of O,1SS co.
operators, who worked 37l,Oll
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