Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-11-29

Vast winter WiieH ! ueclued 10 go
up to Morgantown to take the .wo
weeks course in agriculture all my
neighbors held up their hands in
amazement. Didn't / know how TO
farm already?" Hadn't / grown the
best corn and latest steers for
years." What did / want to go up
there to the college Of Agriculture
for?"
didn't say very much but | put
in lot of time thinking. Suppose
had grown pretty fair corn for sew
eral years-perhaps there was an
other variety which would produce
more bushels without any additid1al
labor or possibly there was some
point about cultivation, or fertiliza-
ton, or selection Or something of the
kind that hadn't leaked over into our
valley yet and which might mean dol
lars to me if properly applied. Sup
/ pose my cattle did look sleek and
fat-I was morally certain that it
was costing me too much to keep
them that way, and if there was
more economical system of feeding
wanted to know about it-why
shouldn't l know about it? Maybe
wasn't even growing the crop best
suited to my land, or following the
general system of farming which
would yield me the biggest returns.
Clearly it was up to me to find out
So | took the morning train and
arrived at Morgantown that evening
. Immediately | found dozens of men
on the same mission and we had
right good time comparing notes and
talking about things down state. Next
morning classes opened up full blast
and men of experience and training
started in to tell us some of the UNI
DERIVING principles of agricultural
practices. If you will believe it,
want to say those lectures just open
ed up a new world to me. ] never
knew before just how the soil hap
pened to be made up just as it is,
nor what was wrong with corn stalks
that turned pale after little while,
nor why clover wouldn't grow in GER
tain fields nor why you have to put
those little bacteria in the soil be-
fore alfalfa will grow. Honest now,
could you, yourself, answer all those
questions off-hand? And then an.
other instructor showed us how TO
go over horse and pick out the good
and bad points-showed how one
horse at first gance might look al
most as good as another and still be
worth much less. 1t made me think
of old Dobbin and Frank at home
I'm afraid Dobbin's narrow shoulders
and pigeon toes wouldn't score very
high--paid good price for him,to
didn't happen to be so much in
terested in the pruning and spray
ing demonstrations given in the
Horticultural Department so | put in
as much time as ! could around the
dairy barns and creamery. 1t beats
all how much you can learn by JUS
keeping your eyes open. l found out
how to mix up a good dairy ration,
how to care for milk to keep it from
souring, and how t, check up on olu
Bossy with the milk scales and Bah
cock test to see whether she is pay
ing a profit or whether she is inelin-
ed to loaf on the job
All those labor saving devices to
hel a man handle FEED, water and
litter with he least expenditure Of
energy were a revelation to me ana
tie first thing knew / was spen iag
so much time hanging around the
barns, stock pens and laboratories
that ] didn't have time TO visit many
of the big state meetings held the
same week by the stock growers,
the grain dealers, the fruit growers,
! INT uali i4itu anu NiiC pun ANtA
and a lot of others What? Am I
going up again this year? Well I
should say | am I'm going 20 at
tend some of those other meetings,
I've got to see that state corn show
and then besides that l am just load
ed up to overlooking with questions
that want to ask those professors
and other farmers. Better meet me
up at Morgantown and take the
Short Course, Jan. GIG. 1t won't
cost much and you'll never regret it.
How's This?
We offer One Hundred Dollars Re-
ward for any case Of Catarrh that
cannot be cured by Halls Catarrh
Cure
! +. J. CHENEY & co, Toledo, O.
We, the undersigned, have known
f. J. Cheney for the last 10 years,