Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-05

OF this country, shows that there ID
nothing In this he0ry, and that sue.
cessful farming can be continued on
iand long in us, and great crops
raised and ,gath,red from 1t II only
1t be treated SCIENTIFICALLY and in &C.
cordance with II, necessity. There is
nothing peculiar about soils in Europe
that give the great yield per acre
there and prevent its possibility in
n United States. On the contrary,
there is every reason to believe that
the application Of the same methods
would produce just as large crops
mere as abroad.
One of the great reasons for dis.
enlargement felt by many who have
written on this subject is found in the
movement of the population from
farm to city. This has reached such
a point that the urban population is
now 45 per cent of the total, while
the rural population is but 43 per
cent, counting as urban all who live
In cities exceeding $500 Inhabitants.
This movement has been persistent,
and has made 1t very difficult for
the farmers to secure adequate agri-
cultural labor, with an increase in the
price of labor which naturally fol-
lows such a condition. Still we ought
to realize that enormous advances in
the machinery used on the farm has
reduced the necessity for a great
number Of farm hands IN each farm.
"The first great step that has to be
taken in reformed agriculture is the
conservation Of the soil. Under our
great system the loss to the farms
In this country by erosion of the soil
is hardly to be calculated. ,Engi-
neers have shown how much is car.
ried down the great rivers Of the
country and is deposited as silt each
year at their mouths. The number
OF cubic yards staggers the magma
ton. The question Is how this can DO
provided, for the reason that the soil
which Is carried of by this erosion is
generally the richest and the best soil
of the farms which are thus denuded.
"The improvement in agricultural
education goes on apace. All the
states are engaged in spending money
to educate the coming farmer, and
this system is being extended sc that
now We have the consolidated rural
school, the farmers high school, and
the agricultural college, and one who
intends TO become a farmer Is intro.
duced to his profession o after he
learns to read and write, and he con.
tinues his study OF 1t. He graduates
from his college and applies for a
place upon the farm.
ut is now proposed to organize q
force Of 5000 men, one to every coun.
ty in the United States, who shall
conduct experiments within the coun.
ty for the edification and education
Of the present farmers and Of the
young farmers who are being edu'
Gated. 1t is proposed that these men
shall be paid partly by the county,
partly by the state. and partly by the
federal government, ana 1t Is hoped
that the actual demonstration on farms
In the county, not at agricultural sta
lions OF schools somewhere in the
state-but in the county itself, shall
bring home to the farmers what 1t is
possible to do with the very soil that
they themselves are engaged upon.
| understand this to be the object OF
an association organized for the i'm
provement of agriculture in this coun-
try, and l do not think we could have
a more practical suggestion than this.
THE fact Is that farmers are like
other men and influenced by the same
considerations. They are not going
to the trouble OF improving their
methods Of agriculture just for the
fun of it, or in order to crafty those
who make speeches at agricultural
conventions, or the agricultural stat
isticians of the various states. They
are going to change their methods
when they can see it Is profitable to
them to do SO, and they want to be
shown. 1t is one thing to read about
a method and of increasing a product
prohtably, and 1t is another thing to
have an ocular demonstration Of the
possibility and p~racticability Of the
course recommended. That is the
peculiar advantage Of the plea now
proposed by which an agriculturist
shall take his place In each county,
and selecting various farms shall
make demonstrations to the farmers
and shall bring before thir very eyes
the value OF the methods that he sees
and the crops that he a produce.
1t is ordinarily not wise to unite ad-
ministration between the county and
state and federal governments, but
this subject is II SO all compelling,
it is one in which all people are SO
much interested. that cooperation
seems easy and the expenditure of
money to good purpose SO free from
difficulty, that We may properly wei
come the plan and try 1t. On the
whole, therefore, I think our agricul-
tural future is hopeful. ! do not share
the pessimistic views of many gentle
men whose statistics differ somewhat
from NINE. and who look forward to q