The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1911-09-01
TO THE FARMERS OF TENNEs-
SEE

we nnQ anOIner mas eApTeSSSu wen
what we want to say we will use
good material in a good cause and
the author will accept this as our
apology for doing so.
To the courtesy and progressive
spirit of the newspapers Of the State,
we are indebted for the privilege OF
reaching you each week for heart
to heart talk about matters OF vital
interest to every farmer in the State.
The Department of Agriculture was
created to promote agriculture and
enforce the laws for the protection
Of the agricultural interests of the
State.
rhe articles to lac printed each
week will be plain, Straightforward
talks to farmers on subjects that will
he helpful to the farmer who has not
had the advantages of an agricultural
education.
We cannot live without cultivating
the ground We must destroy useless
plants and cultivate the useful ones.
The work necessary to do this is call
ed agriculture or farming.
All other vocations among men
have grown out of the necessities
of the farmer or agriculturist, and
all are in large measure dependent
upon him for support.
The farmer needed tools to cult
vate the soil; to supply his demand
we have the blacksmith He needed
houses to live in; for that reason we
have the carpenter. He needed
schools for his children; thus Great
ing the demand for the teacher. He
needed iron and steel; for that rea-
son we have the miner. His religious
wants created need for the preach
err. His legal rights made necessary
government and laws; for that reason
we have judges, lawyers and officers.
When sickness came he needed doc
tor. and increased trade called for
traders and transportation, and all
| the mechanism of banking and COM
MERGE has sprung up to meet his re.
quirements. Successive generations
have multiplied these; science, art
and invention have contributed to
the rapid development of society, UNI
til now we have vast and complex
civilization, dependent upon agricul-
ture, mining and manufacturing for
support Agriculture is easily the
chief of these three, because we cam
not live without bread, and bread
comes from the ground.
No amount of education, learning,
science, invention, industry or skill,
can do away with the necessity for
cultivating the ground.
The farmer must feed himself and
family as we'll as the vast number OF
non-producers; his calling or profess
sion is therefore the most useful of
all professions. If this be true, it
should be considered the most honor
able.
When this country was being set
tied up, the land was rich and cheap.
When a field did not produce a fair
crop, it was thrown out and fresh land
cleared. After the land was taken up
and the most desirable lands had
been cleared, the same fields had to
be cultivated year after year, taking
the plant food out of the soil. II
nothing is returned to the soil in the
way of manure or fertilizer, or proper
rotation of crops, the soil becomes
exhausted and less profitable to cul
tivate each year.
The census reports show that Ten
nessee is producing less of wheat
and oats than was produced ter
years ago. While our population has
increased, prices have increased, anC
if the farmers had kept their lands
improved so that they could have SUP
piled the demand, the money that il
going into other States could be go
ing into the pockets of our own farm
ers. While too much of it is goins
away, we have some progressive
farmers who have taken poor, run
down farms and have improved them
so that each year the production Of
their farms has increased and the.
have been profting by the prevailing
high prices.
Tennessee farmers should suppl
the demand in Tennessee at least TO
| farm products, and should ship t
| other States as we'll We have the &C
| vantage of climate, variety of soil
| and other favorable conditions, an
| we can restore the fertility of tn
soil
Some farmers have the notion tina
scieptific farming is out of thei
J rcach-that they have not the edl
| cation or the money to undertake /
We have abundant proof that me
- With limited education. and les
I money, have started at the bottol
and have grown Independent Other
I can do the same; but you must begi