The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-02-16
HOW AGRICULTURE
CONTESTS HELP TO
EDUCATE FARMER
QUALITY AND QUANTITY MEAS
URED BY THE EFFICIENCY
OF OPERATOR.
WHAT efficiency DO We need

WnHl Ii IUlLNUl W Nj MILD
Credit is Given Boys Of the South
Who Have Demonstrated the POSI-
biIities of Southern Soil in the
Raising of Corn.
lBy w. NJ Brown, Professor OF Agri-
culture.)
Every one who thinks about 1t at
AL will realize that, speaking general
L. and broadly, the quantity and quail
ity of crops on the farm are largely
measured by the efficiency of the
farmer. He is the active cause. the
efficient force ON the farm, in the
cause Of crop production. 1t is he
who determine to what extent soil
fertility may be conserved and In
creased; determines the best method
OF maintaining soil fertility; deter
mines the method by which the soil
fertility is to be utilized by the
plant, and how the plant Is to be
utilized by the animal, and how the
animal may be converted into dol
lars and cents, how the dollars are
to be used for the best spiritual. in
tellectual and physical life on the
farm.
Do we need this efficiency to in
crease the productivenes of the soil?
1t has been answered many tina in
these past few years, and Is still be-
i ing Numbered at US In the prevailing
nigh price of articles of food. To-
day we have some S3,000,00O of peo-
pie depending upon some 7,00O,O0O
farmers to feed them. In another
decade we will have Q 100,000,000 de-
pending upon the same number of
farmers or less-but we feel that the
trend is now more toward the farm
and that there will be more farmers
in the field. We must continue to
feed our increasing population, and
to do this we must make the soils
produce more per acre; we must
make two blades of grass grow
where one is now grown; two ears
Of corn grow where one now grows;
and at the same time we want 10 in
crease the fertility of the soil so that
we may hand it down to our poster.
ity as valuable heritage, not as
one that Is worthless.
What kind of efficiency do we
need? We might class it as two
kinda; mental efficiency and physical
efficiency. By mental efficiency we
! do not mean that efficiency that
comes from college course, for few
farmers get to 60 through college.
/ We mean that alertness, that power
of conservation. that ability to see
J that which should be done. the way
| 1t should be done, the time it should
be done; the ability to act promptly,
to do the right thing in the right
way at the tight time. A farmer
who is more efficient mentally may
outstrip his reighbors and grow into
Influence, and stand high socially
Alongside this and connected with it
is physically efficiency. The two go
together. The man with one without
The other is badly handicapped.
How can we get this efficiency /?
This Is question that may be debat-
I'D much and answered in many diff
ferent ways, all of which may lave
some gooc points. Some say that
the agricultural college will do this
work, but the results here are since
only few farmers are able to get
The agricultural college training;
some say the agricultural press will
do this work; some say that the ag-
"icultural high school will help - do
Ibis work 1t Is true all these agen-
cjes and many others will do their
GRO rata OF the work, but the things
that have done more than any other
FOR increasing crop production here
in the south for the past four years
are the corn clubs and other farmer
contests. During this past year more
than $4,000 Of our southern boys
we're members Of the corn clubs, and
1912 will be the banner year for the
clubs, for i. is predicted that there
will be more than 100000 boys and
farmers trying out an experiment In
growing corn or some other crop up
on their farm, following the direc-
tons of some expert nagricultural
subjects. These farmers grow a
small acreage and give their atten-
ton to high production, and conse-
quently the results are far beyond
what the old farmers would think pos
sible. This points out to the farmer