Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1913-05-23
Book Farming And The Book Farmer.


There was a time when the book
farmer was the SUBJECT of much ridi-
cule among his neiglbors, but Of late
they are getting over that. by book
FARMER we mean the farmer who takes
the best diary and agricultural papers
ana studies agricultural text books
and bulletins from which they can
get scientific pointers regarding this
business of farming. Go into any
community and you will find that it
is the book farmer who has made
good. You will find that the farmer
with the most carefully cultivated
fields, the best buildings, and the fin
est stock are more or less bookish.
lie studies the game just as any other
business man would study the game
IN whcl, he is engaged. Ii any proof
were needed of the dollar and cents
value of reliable agricultural inform
alton in any Of the various farm in
dustries it is afforded by the COW CEN
sus work. conducted by W. u. Hoard
of Hoard's Dairyman.
He found that the owners Of AGA
herds investigated, having 6,3O3 cows,
were registered rs readers Of dairy
papers. They fed their cows at an
average cost of $34.7s, securing SLAP
for each dollar spent for feed, and
had net profit of &l4.54 u COW.
The COW owners, whose minds were
not illuminated or their methods i'm
proved through the influence Of dairy
literature, had 75s herds, composed
of 9,l22 cows. They fed their cows
for s35 each, and had an annual aver
age profit of *l.S5 u COW, rs compared
with the average profit of &14.54 Il
COW by the "bookish" ones. Or the
non-readers ~ per cent actually lost
money in following the dairy bust
| ness.
Investigation made by the Scientific
Farmer show similar results among
those engaged in general farming.
The man who reads the Scientific
Farmer was found to average higher
| yields of grain than his nOn-reading
neighbor, in practically every case.
This may be owing somewhat to the
fact that men who take and read such
papers as the Scientific Farmer are
more intelligent and have better
Judgment to begin with, but much of
the difference is due to the actual
knowledge they get from the books
aud papers that they read. They are
book farmers and they are ready to
profit by the experience Of others, al
though it is printed in book.
This same rule holds true in regard
to anagricultural education, as shown
by the experience of students of the
Campbell's Correspondence School of
Soil Culture. This is a school that
teaches scientific farming by cor.
respondence-th student does not
have to leave his home. lie can hold
his job or stay OH the farm and take
a course in soil tillage. dry farming
horticulture, or farm engineering
just the same. Those who are taking
course of instruction in this school
find that their average yields have
increased from 10 to 80 per cent, sim
ply by knowing kow and when to dt
their work better. 1t is book farming
and they are book farmers, but the,
get there. One of the students Of
this great agricultural school said
81 will give you little story: i
sounds like fairy tail. but it is true
Three years ago did not know NOR
about farming than a cat. Now an
considered an expert and others com
to me for advice. The first l hear,
of the Campbell system was through
friend who showed me a copy q
the Scientific Farmer. At the time
was Il common hand hoeing weeds.
subscribed for the Scientific Farme
and studied it. six months later
was made foreman on the same rancl
Then l enrolled in the Campbe
School of Correspondence of Soil Gu
ture and became Il student. Sinl
then / have changed places twic
First | became manager of large o
chard company, and now am supe
intendent of large estate.'' I'll
was all due to knowledge gained fro
books backed by good sense.
The Campbell Corresp II d II c
school. located ut Lincoln, Neb., a
t fOrds the ambitious farmer u chan,
1 to get an agricultural education
! home. Through this school he c;
increase his earning power al
: the yield of his farm 80 percent. l
: can become book farmer of the 20
e century, which means All intelligel
s successful farmer who knows how
do things and why he does them.