Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-08-15
CO1RWW Zw O
BY HORACE

Is it possible that the present type
of farmer has reached the limit of
his capacity to improve? 1t may be
SO. At any rate, besides all this there
is an agricultural press, of vast pro.
portions throughout the states, work.
ing to educate the farmers and keep
him posted on everything that may
be Of help to him in his business.
Many farmers TAX several such pub
LEGATIONS. Then again, the tools that
are available to the farmer for his
work are far superior to what they
have been in the past, and are i'm
proved every year.. Is it possible that
the farmer is not as a class taking ad-
vantage of the best tools for his
work?
What is the first thing to be lone
in the growing of better cor crops?
l think, in seed selection. There Is
nothing startling or original in this,
l admit; 1t is the doctrine that has
long been preached, but l would sim
ply add my testimony from the re-
suits of my experiments with the
hope that it may lead others to try
along the same lines. There is moth
ing difficult about 1t, there is certain
ly nothing costly; it amounts to sim
ply a little more thorough and intelli-
gent heart interest in ones labor.
To secure a corn that will yield ten
fold what he has been accustomed
to getting the farmer must breed for
results. He has got to improve the
corn in the same way that he would
raise the standard of his stock or his
focks. And once he has secured a
type of corn hat shows increased
! productiveness, he must try to keep
it pure, avoid inbreeding and main
tain it's stamina, with the same
watchfulness and care that all breed
ing demands.
1t does not require a scientific edu-
cation to grow more and better corn,
or better crops of any kind. 1t does
require brains. One of the first
things to be done is to get out Of the
slip-shod ways of working. Corn, es-
pecially, is one of the most abused
crops Of the farm. Because 1t will
grow and give some returns with a
lot of neglect-it gets it.
In no n respect is the average
farmer more careless than In his
choice of seed, and this may be said
to be the prime essential. The farm
er is blowing, manuring, performing
all the operations from planting time
to harvest, year after year, and with
some of these he takes considerable
pride; for instance, 1 know farmers
who are perfect plowmen; they knew
it and are proud of their skill, but
these same farmers are h~ide-bound in
an old custom of throwing their corn
in their crib just as it is husked, and
when they want seed in the spring
time, they go to the crib and pick
out sufficient likely ears from what
are left to meet their needs, and let
1t go at that.
1t is an enigma how a man can be
SO skilled as a workman in many re-
spects, and yet absolutely inert to
n Of the most vital phases Of secur-
ing perfection in that work. 1t needs
no argument for 1t has been demon
strated over and over again that the
breeding of plants can be followed
with as much certainty as to results,
as the breeding Of animals. Then
why not do it? The only added equip
ment which nine out of ten require
is the exercise of more intelligent care
and precision In some Of the details.
1t seems strange, but It is never
theless a fact, that most farmers are
aware of what may be done in plant
breeding, and know the general prin.
ciples, but they will not wake up to
a practice OF them in their own In
terests.
If we are to increase the corn yield
we nave got to got 1t in the bresd.