The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-11-15

Cairo, and OF her adjacent RI. ri
districts near yorr city This de-
yelopmebT will help you IN maivf
ways, II will make your pwn prop
erty greater and more permanent.
We are tearing today that we
must look after country development
that the two must go together 10
give US a well rounded growth on a
good basis. We may not be able
to stop the movement of the boys
and girls from the farm. but we can
do much to make farm life more
profitable and farm life more attrac-
tive, to better conditions so that
town and country fe will move for
ward together.
In most portions of the country
there las eome about in very recent
years wonderful Improvement in ru-
raj life. This has been due to the
extension to rural communities 81
many of the facilities of the town.
the trolley lines, the telephone, the
rural delivery, better school facil-
ties, better roads and the intrdouc-
tion of better and more profitable
agriculture. What has been done
in other sections in rural districts
can be done in yours, II it has not
already been done.
Among other things we have
learned that the city and town must
be Interested in the building up of
the farming interests and the far
mers must show cooperative spirit
in the work to make the town. their
home market, more prosperous The
building of good roads is an absolute
necessity to better conditions in the
country districts. They come along
through the cooperation of town
and country. They not only make
conditions for marketing better, but
because of them there comes a great
Improvement in school and church
facilities. The little country school
of our fathers is passing away. Its
place Is taken by the township. or
district school, where pupils from a
wide area can be brought together
and the work properly graded, the
school year extended and teachers
with the proper equipment can be
had, and where agriculture can be
taught. In other words, through
good roads and proper attention to
educational affairs it is possible to
give the boys and girls on the farm
school advantages which compare
with those enjoyed by the boys and
girls in town, and to make the work
especially appliable to farm life.
II IS too frequently the case that
the farmer does his work without
proper understanding OF the condi-
tons with which he has to deal, the
quality and possibilities of the soil,
the proper methods of conserving
the soil and of the right kinds OF
crops to grow for the best markets
at his command. The national gov.
eminent and the various state gov
ernments, throughout their agriculs
tural departments and the agricul-
tural colleges and eXper ment sta
tions, are all doing great work to
advance farming interests. The
work which has brought about the
best results is making the farm
more profitable, Ia the direct educa-
onal work done on the farm, the
demonstrations as to best methods
OF cultivation, of seed selection, CIV
en- by the trained agricultural agent
whose time is spent in visiting the
farms.
In 1910 the value of all farm
property in Alexander county was
$3,S09,774, an increase of 1913 per
cent over that of 1900, a splendid
increase Over half of this increase
was IN the value of lands, while the
value Of buildings, implements anG
farm animals, all showed good In
creasees. OF the total valuation,
TAI per cent is in the land, 3 per
cent in buildings, and 9.8 in ami
mails. You had only 1879 head of.
cattle, including 900 milk cows;
S,022 swine, and 40 sheep in your
farms. 1t seems to me that your live
stock interests can be greatly in
creased. Live stock on the farm
always means prosperity, Increased
fertility, the best kind of farming
There are few regions where the adj
vantages for the poultry business
are greater, for there are so many
good markets at hand. The trucking
interests are already important.
Many of your acres are especially
adapted to truck crops, potatoes,
vegetables and small fruits, and
your local, the st. Louis and Chicago
and Their markets are at the COM
mand of the producer, If they prop