The Mankato free press., 1913-02-28
Friday, February 90. 1918


a unit in the great movement foi
lbetter seed and better farming.
This association, through its mem
I bers, has also been a medium through
which successful experiments at the
agricultural college might reach the
farmers and thus hasten and broaden
the work of the farm school and col
lego. During its entire existence the
association has kept in close touch
with the practical work of the sta.
! ton.
! And in closing | wish to quote
| from the late Dr. Seaman A. Knapp
| who at the time of his death was
| the largest factor in agricultural 1e.
! velopment in the south and who
said that this work first Influenced
, the individual next the community
and finally the public opinion in the
| state And he further says that
! the farmers cooperative demonStra-
, ton work which in the south is akin
/ TO the work of the Minnesota Field
! Crop Breeders association, may be
| regarded as method of increasing
/ farm crops and as logically the first
j step toward true uplift, or it may
.
; education for boys and adults by
! which REIMBURSEMENT of country life
may be effected and placed upon a
higher plane of profit, comfort, cul-
ture. influence and power and the
demonstration method of reaching
and influencing the men on the farms
is destined ultimately to be adopted
by most civilized nations as a part
of the great system of rural educa.
ton"
President Glotfelter was forced to
leave after his speech and Professor
Bull presided over the meeting. Pro-
fessOr Hume gave the first speech of
the convention proper.
J. w. Beckman of CokatO, who was
on the program to give speech on
Good Seeds on the Farm" vas un-
able TO be present and his paper was
, read by Professor Bull. the secretary
of the association.
THE Farmer and Better Crops
Professor A. n Hume of Brook.
ipgs. South Dakota, spoke on "The
Farmer and Better Crops" Among
other things he said:
There is a geenraf idea among
farmers who raise crops that they
ought TO and want TO raise bigger
and bigger crOrs-a somewhat gen
eral idea among farmers themselves.
/ There is an idea among certain other
people. not farmers, that farmers
ought 10 raise bigger crops. and this
latter idea is not so general. Ii is
mighty specific. This latter very def.
mite bi&Cer-crOp-idea exists strongly
in the minds Of many people who do
not farm, who may or may not own
land at all. but who nevertheless m-
dCrstand very clearly the economic
forces by which all people secure
their sustenance from crops which
are raised by farmers from land,
that is, providing such sustenancc is
secured q. al
Il was at one time visiting a farm
owned by n nonresident This non
resident was a business man. who
has, in fact, attained d considerable
degree of success. This success is
not only financial, but also in those
other elements which all people are
slowly learning TO take into account.
After the farm of this successful
business man had been visited and
rs We were returning together upon
the train, our conversation turned up
on the degree of success which is
attending this farm and its owner
from a standpoint of business prop
Osition. Suffice it to say here that
the owner is a liberal man His ten
ant is doing very well. The owner
himself, however. finds that after the
tenant has received his share, and
the owner has secured his tax re-,
ceipts and paid himself interest on
The money invested and provided for
the upkeep of buildings, renewal Of
fences and other necessaries, he has
not yet found any great surplus
which may be counted as salary for
the business manager.
Surprise of Business Man.
Naturally this successful business
man is somewhat surprised and not
altogether pleased 10 find that the
business of farming is not the gold
mine lie had expected to dig into.
This case cited is absolutely typical
Business men all over the United
States are coming sQuarely up AGAINST
the proposition that the business of
raising crops no longer pays the
profits il once paid. If the profits
from crop production. therefore. are
10 be divided between the farmers
who dig them cut of the land and
the remainder of the civilized world.
one or the other or both must do
with smaller return than formerly.
1T is evident enough that the en-.
world ic L
divided into classes of people, name.
ly, crop producers and those who are
not crop producers. The world is all
one class of people and crop produc-
ers and all the rest get their food
out OF the same soil, providing they
get food at all.
Here is where the apparent need
for better, bigger crops comes in, If
as has just been said the farmer
and everybody else are fed from the
same soil, and if the numbers of
mouths 70 be fed of everybody else.
not only the number of mouths. but
the demands of everybody else con,
stantly multiplied so that everybody
else must be fed more. and if, more.
over, the farmer must feed them all,
then unless the farmer is to feed
himself less, there is only one thing
that dares 10 happen and that is
that the farmer must raise bigger
crops.
That is just exactly what is hap.
pening today. Everybody, perhaps
including himself, is saying to the
FARMER, you must raise bigger crops
or else very presently there will NOT
pc enough to go around Somebody