Norwich bulletin., 1911-07-08

y (Written specially for the Bulletin.)
Out west wou hear a lot about dry"
farming. sHere in the east it would
do no harm if we had good deal
more of what might be called why
farming.
I've forgotten whether it was
"Budge' or To-day who, in that i'm
mortal "HeIen's Babies" was de-
voted to seeing wheels go wound"
Whichever it was, lots of us working
farmers are like him all our lives long.
We see the wheels go round, but never
get so far as to ask what makes them
go, nor why they go. Sometimes they
go fast: and sometimes they go slow;
and sometimes they go backwards;
and sometimes they stop altogether;
and sometimes they skid sideways
and dump us and our applicants into
some ditch. But many of us seem
content just to watch them enough to
get out of their way,-part of the time.
The rest of the time we get run over
or caught in the cogs, and then wond-
er why Providence moves in so
mysterious a way.
Now don't misunderstood me, at the
start off. No man, be he farmer, or
philosopher, knows or is likely soon
to know all the hidden springs of Ma
ture, nor all the intangible laws
which guide her chariot wheels
through the seasons and the centuries
anu the enUlSSS dtOAS VI lAAdI iiNOli-
ceivable eternity to which all time is
less than a drop to the Atlantic.
Likewise, no man among us is able
to gather unto himself and guide up
on his individual farm all the water
of a gracious summer rain He
wouldn't know what to do with it, if he
could. But that is no reason why he
shouldn't do what he can to preserve
for the use of his crops the kindly
moisture which naturally comes upon
his fields. Because he can't have all
the rain which falls over six states is
no reason why he shouldn't take all
the rain he does get and make the
most of it.
From one end of the year to an
other: from one end of his life to the
other. the working farmer is "up
against it,"-up against the every day
(but every day differently conundrum
of Nature His very life depends up
on his ability to guess some of these
puzzles right. His success depends,
in almost even measure, upon his abi1-
ity to guess more and more of them
right At the same time, none of her
coTSlndrums are tricky or arbitrary.
They are not like the ingenious OBJ
fuscations gotten up for the puzzle
corners of the papers,-deliberate in
tended to confuse and trick. Nature
always plays fair whether she plays
the way we'd like her to or not. There's
always and everywhere a reason for
every single little last thing she does.
if we could only find it out. The
field of her activities is universal and
the variety of them UNREASONABLE in
figures, and, as I've said, there's no
prospect that any of us are going to be
able to find out all her reasons, or
comprehend all her processes. But
that's not any sort of excuse for re-
fusing to find out all her reasons, or
l. TDY,&
that's not any sort of excuse for re-
fusing to find out all we can and
understand all we may.
On the other hand, the very size and
impressiveneSs of the Great Conun-
drum ought to nerve us up to a keen
er curiosity about Tits why's and its
wherefores, as well as its answer.
When in addition we know that our
very existence depends upon our know
ledge of the rules of the game and why
it is played as it is, then we have
practical incentive for an active Curl
osity. If 1 were asked to put in one
typographical figure my idea of the
true spirit of the farmer in his rela-
tions to his work and his allies and his
enemies, should do it by writing
one big Interrogation mark, ~. That
is the real farmers emblem,--his trade
button, his guidon flag. 1t is the SYM
boil of the spirit which should actuate
him, all the day and every day.
There isn't single weed or fungus
or insect or animal enemy we must
fight but has a reason for existence
a why for being and a .'how'' for
living. Isn't 1T perfectly clear that,
the better able we are to understand
these why's" and "hows,' the better
able we shall be to conquer our enc
mics without, at the same time, in
juring our friends by an ignorant and
promiscuous attack? We don't yet
know the why of the potato-bug,-
more's the pity. But, years ago, some
inquisitive chap found out its "now,"
discovered how it lives and feeds
and what is good for it. Also,-Yhich
is more to our purpose,-he discovered
what is distinctly not good for it.
Paris green and arsenate of lead and
the like. Owing to this personal laud-
able inquisitiveness about Colorado
beetles we now are able to raise a
few potatoes. which we shouldn't
have been able to do otherwise Even
to fields and of us,-till we find at
least part of the answer to the con-
undrum they raise. By and by some
curious and investigating farmer or
professor or bug hunter will find out
the rest Of the answer. Then we shall
know not only how potatob lives
but why he is a pOtatO-bug and
why he is at all With that answer
in our possession we shall be able to
say goodbye to the spraying pump
and the Paris Green can, for. knowing
the why of the potato-bug' ex-