Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-05-03
WHAT FARMERS OWE

Years ago men we've disposed to
sneer at the department of agricul-
ture, at agricultural college profess
ors, at agricultural editors. They all
went under the general name OF
book farmers. 1t may be worth
whie for the farmer who has been
disposed to sheer to examine with
open mind and see what these scienr
lists theoretical chaps, book farmers
have actually done for agriculture,
and with no financial profit to them
selves.
Take the case of the treatment Of
oats for smut, for example. We can
all remember when the only way.
known to treat oats for smut was by
what is known as the Jensen hot
water treatment. This, too, was the
discovery of a scientist; but it was
not practical in the hands of the farm
er. It required him to use hot water.
It could not be lower than 1875 de-
gnees, nor more than 1873; and even
then it would weaken termination.
This method was all right for the very
careful farmer with plenty of time ON
his hands, who could treat a few bu-
Shels from which to grow his seed
for the next year. Then came the
discovery Of the formalin treatment,
which kills the smut. Before that was
discovered farmers lost anywhere
from two to twenty bushels of oats
per acre through smut. Now they do
not need to lose any, if they are will
ing to go to the expense of a cent
a bushel and little time in treating
their seed oats. Nobody has a pat
ent ON it. We have not looked it up,
but it is safe to assume that it was
some scientific fellow.
Take the Babcock test, for exam
pie. Before it was invented the cream
cry business was a lottery, for the
reason that there was no way of de-
termining the butter fat in milk.
Quite a number of scientists were en-
deaVOTing to ascertain a practical me-
thod that any careful farmer could
use. We were instrumental in hav-
ing one method published before the
Babcock. 1t worked all right, but
was not practical for the ordinary
farmer. ct is singular how many
times valuable discoveries are made
at about the same time by different
scientists who have seen the need
and are working on the same line.)
This test is now in use all over the
world, and has never been improved
upon. DR.. Babcock, who might have
patented it, refused to do so because
while he was making the inveStiga-
tons he was receiving a salary from
the government. It would have been
worth millions to him.
Take again, hog cholera serum. Oul
older readers know the enormous
losses which are incurred by the
farmers every year through the death
f hogs. The loss often came when
the hogs were ready for market. The
farmer lost his grain, his time and
his labor as well as the hogs, often
the whole profits Of the year and
sometimes of two or three years. Fin
ally, after years Of research and nu
merous failures, the government has
finally been able to develop a serum
which, if properly handled by the diff
ferent states and handled by really
scientific men, should in a few years
wipe hog cholera off the list of di
seases. 1t can be done, and we have
no doubt will be done. And for this
farmers are indebted to scientist
OF the department Of agriculture.
Farmers in North Dakota have beer
greatly benefited by the experiments
of Professor Boley in developing q
wilt resistant flax. He has never ne
ceived, and never will receive, &
cents worth Of profit for this.
Take as another example the ef
forts Of scientists in controlling cat
tie tick, making it possible for farm