Norwich bulletin., 1912-01-27

deal of hard, practical, doWn-to-t the
ground sense in this suggestion.
It's no special hep TO nave Railroad
President James J. Hill tell US that
We can raise bigger crops, per acre
and per head, than we do. Sakes alive,
don't We all know it? OF course we
can. The puzzIe is how to double our
crops without trebling the cost of pro-
ducIng them. Most any of us can raise
$50 worth more OF potatoes on an acre
by putting on $50 worth more fer
tihzer and labor But where's the
sense of spending 500 to get back $50?
ii we can get that extra $50 by spend
ing only S25 or $50, the proposition
looks good. Just how to do it?
Uncle Ike went into a lot of details
about certain experiments he HAD tried
or was planning on his own particu-
lar farm, along that line. I'm not 60
ing to summarize them even. He him
self admitted that he wasn't cock-sure
Of success from any test, thus far, ana
that where he did feel most hopeful
his conditions were so peculiar that
methods productive with him might
well be quite useless on different land.
But he stuck to it that the thing fol
each individual farmer to do was, first
Of all, to aim at increasing both the
acre average and the total yield of his
farm, just as far as he could do it
prohtably.
In other words, begin building the
structure of progress with the founda-
ton.
Looking at it from this point of view,
we may be grateful to even those ex-
ceptional farmers who raise exception
a of ao
They are pioneers far ahead of us
ahead of even where we want to be,
just yet; but clearing a way for US to
follow in, slowly and afar off. Per-
haps that Collinsville mans 112 bush
els Of shelled corn to the acre cost him
more to produce than he could have
sold it for, at common market rates.
l don't know. Nor do l much care. He
got enough in prizes to more than
make him good. He didn't lose any
thing. But even If he hadn't won a
prize and hadn't been, able to sell his
corn at the grain store for as much as
the crop cost him, his experience ought
to enable him and others to see ways
by which, another time, they can raise
whacking good crop at reduced ex-
pense, SO as to leave some profit over.
It's along this line that all these
prize competitions are likely to do most
good. The extra rewards they promise
afford incentive to do extra work and
incur extra expense and take extra
risk. While some may lose, temporari-
| ly, some will gain even the first year,
J and all will be advantaged, sooner or
J later, by the discoveries made in soil
possibilities, In fertilizing values, in
| tillage improvements. No man can
| engage in such q. competition without
| In some measure improving his own
! farming methods and suggesting i'm
| provements in theirs to his neighbors.
BY the way, have YOU decided to
| enter for The Bulletin corn growing
| contest2 What with the p all-NeW
/ England competition and the state
| contest and the various fair and cattle
| show premiums and this Bulletin Of
| fer, there ought to be a chance for
| some New London or Windham county
| farmer to win "a pot Of money" next
fall The prizes are so divided that
| there will be a fair show for a good
many winning something over and
| above the value of the enhanced CROP
If you yourself don't feel ambitious
| why not let the boy try an acre? II
| was q small boy In South Carolina
| who won the department Of agricul-
! lures first prize three years ago. II
Z was a l6 year old lad OF Shelburpe
1 Mass. who took five premiums at the
/ New England show last fail
I F7rrr7