The Raymer enterprise., 1913-08-14

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 keen
MIN posted on everything tha: may
be Of help TO him In his business.
Many farmers take several such pub.
locations. Then again. the tools that
are available TO the farmer for his
work are far superior 10 what they
have been In the past. and are i'm.
proved every year. Is 1t possible that
the farmer Is not as class taking ad.
vantage Of the best tools for his
work?
What Is the first thing to be done
In the growing Of better corn crops? /?
! think, In seed selection. There is
nothing startling or original In this,
| admit; II Is the doctrine that has
long been preached. but ! would sim.
ply add my testimony from the re-
suits OF my experiments with the
hope that 1t may lead Others to try
along the same lines. There is moth.
Ing difficult about II. there Is certain.
Iy nothing costly; 1t amounts to sim.
ply little more thorough and lntelli.
gent heart interest in ones labor.
To secure 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
ilocks. And once he has secured a
type OF corn that shows increased
productyeness. he must try to keep
1t pure, avoid inbreed!ng and main
tain Its stamina. with the same
watchfulness and care that all breed
ing demands.
II does not require scientific edu
cation to grow more and better corn
or better crops OF any kind 1t does
require brains. One OF the frs,
things to be done is TO get out OF the
slipshod ways OF working. Corn es
peclally, Is one of the most abused
crops OF the farm. Because II will
grow and give some returns with O
lot OF neglect-it gets II.
In no one 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 plowing, manuring. performing
all the operations from planting time
to harvest, year after year, and with
some OF these he takes considerable
pride; for instance. know farmers
who are perfect plowmen: they knew
1t and are proud OF their skill, bu,
these same farmers are hidebound In
an old custom OF throwing their corr
In their crib Just as 1t is husked, aSt
when they want seed In the spring
time, they 20 10 the crib and picl
out sufficient likely ears from what
are left to meet their needs, and lei
II so at that.
II Is an enigma how n man can be
so skilled as n workman In many re
spects. and yet absolutely inert t,
ono OF the most vital phases OF secur
Ing perfection In that work. II need.
no argument for II has been demon
strated over and over again that tn,
breeding OF plants can be followed
with as much certainty as to results
MS the breeding OF animals. Ther
why not do Il? The only added equip
ment which nine out OF ten requir,
Is the exercise OF more intelligent car,
and precision In some OF the details.
II seems strange. but II Is never
theless n fact, that most farmers ar,
aware OF what may be done In plan
breeding, and know the general prin
clples, but they will not wake up I,
a practice OF them In their own in
terests.
II we arc to increase the corn .yiel,
we have got to get II In the breed