Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-11-13
James J. Hill on Farming.


way Co, says:
Always the first and most i'm
pofiant matter is 10 reach the individ
nal farmer and show him what he
himself can do on his land The most
highly educated agricultural professor
or teacher. when placed upon a farm
can do little more, if anything, beyond
adapting his crop to the soil. To Sc
lect good seed and to properly cultivate
the land-that is all within the reach
Of The average farmer.
He can or should know what crop
his land is best adapted to raise. He
can test his seed by taking a hundred
grains Of each kind and planting them
in box of average soil and place the
box in place where the sun will shine
upon IL. The number of grains that
grow viii give him the percentage of
good seed from which he will get re-
suits. He should use every particle of
barnyard manure as fertilizer and he
should prepare his seed-bed by thor
ongh cultivation before planting and
then it should be well narrowed
That is practically all that the best
Informed agricultpwst eoufhdo under
is successful in raising full crops |
think il is fair To assume that he can
be. trusted to improve all his home
surroundings and mis- social conditions.
If his farm work is not. we'll done and
The results are poor crops, the other
work will not appeal to him nor can he
afford To spend much time OF money on
other matters.
Most of the men who discuss agri-
cultural subjects are apt to talk over
the heads Of their audience and to talk
about matters beyond the reach of the
average farmer. Many of our agri-
cultural schools are more engaged in
turning out teachers rather than farm
ers.
In the agricultural countries in
Europe, agricultural education has
further advanced than with us. Great
Britain has worked at ii for a century
and has raised its yield of wheat from
Ia or 10 bushels per acre to 33. Den
mark, with an area of about twice the
size of Massachusetts, has more than
80 agricultural colleges and schools
and in practically every neighborhood
experts are assigned to help the farm
ers in practical and common sense
way In Belgium every school must
maintain a garden Of at least 39R
square rods. All these efforts bring
the better methods of cultivation di-
rect to the farmer.
"At the National Educational as
ISOLATION meeting, last year. speaker
said I recently heard a young agri-
cultural college graduate, who had
.lo -, .k,e, ~ fa,. "A
plore the fact that he and others like
him could go through college and re-
ceive bachelors degree in agriculture
without anywhere either in high
school or in college or on a farm.
learning how to pillow, or dig a ditch, or
harness horse or milk cow
What will help a farmer most is
clearly to enable him to help himself
and This can be done by showing him
on his own farm. We have tried
many methods and found that the only
results worth while have been obtained
By showing the farmer through the
preparation of small plot of ground
say five acres, how to cultivate his
land
manual training would never
amount to anything If the pupil did not
actually make things, and, the same
applies to the cultivation eoG. the farm"
That is the way Western railroad
men are increasing the business of
their, roads, by aiding the farmers in
practical ways and practical advice
We are glad to see Eastern railroads
adopting the same plan and to see
Them working hand in hand with agri
e,ftteral institutions and experts. Mr.
Hill further says:
''rhe scarcity Of good farm labor i
felt today by every farmer in the coun
try and the want OF it is compelling
him TO limit his cultivation PRACTICAL
10 what can be done by machinery
il Is very difficult to get farm labo
competent or willing To take prope
care of live stock or milk COW. Still
Sc you should ask any labor leader il
the country he would tell you there i
too much labor in the country and tina
some steps should be taken TO restric
Immigration of that class. There ar
certain laws that govern these ques
tions. regardless of man made regula
I'm the United States than anywher,
else people will come here"
Mr. Hill might have added tina
cheap politicians and yellow newspa
pers are encouraging the great mas
Of people to curse the government be
cause Of the high cost of living Wit
more of the profits gobbled by tn
middleman, and the proportion be
tween production and consumption up
set, is the farmer expected to be mad
me scapegoat, as in the late lament
ed RECIPROCITY scheme?
Awhile ago Mr.. Hin said that on
agricultural population 40 years az
was 80 per cent. Of the entire populi
ton Of the country. and that now
IL less than one-third; that 40 yea