The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1914-12-25
Practical Farm
Demonstration

no use IN Wasting tlule Will bLo
older farmers they are set in their
wavs and you can't change them.
We have to depend on the coming
generation for scientific farmers.
| think we should do our full
duty by the boys of today, to equip
them with education and training
that they may be prepared to meet
the problems that will confront
them. At the same time We owe
duty to the farmers of today to help
them to better methods in farming
We cannot afford the waste in plant
food and the deplt ton of the soil
now going on over such large area
of our farm lands.
The farmer cannot enter schools
as our boys can. They have the
responlib Utilities Of life resting upon
them. So to help them we must
reach them on their own farms
through the medium of their own
work. We must keep them within
their reach. Anything suggested
that they cannot do dIscourages
rather than helps them.
Practical demonstration work on
land similar to their own, with
equipment such as they can afford
to buy. producing increased crops
and increased fertility without out
side assistance, will get their interest
and CO operation every time. We;
do not want to bother their heads
with experimental work, but demon
strate facts proven by the research
workers.
1t would be slow work for the
demonstration agent to go among
farmers and get their cooperation
at first on their own farms, but if
farm is selected typical of their
farms. is equipped as they can equip
theirs, is operated by no larger
force than they have for farm of
the same size, they will when they
see the land getting better and crops
growing better, want to know why,
and that is the demonstration OPP.
portunity to show them that in
getting his soil in better condition
he simply followed natures plan,
that nature showed him how. He
will explain to them that the soil
was fertile when the land was first
cleared, just as theirs was, because
while it was covered with the forest
growth the decayed leaves and
branches gradually mixed with the
soil particles and separated them,
SO there were several inches of loose
loamy soil on top, made so by the
vegetable matter, because the vege.
table matter held the soil particles
apart so that air, frost and water
could circulate in that surface soil
unlocking the plant food; that the
only difference in the top soil and
the subsoil was the addition of
vegetables matter: that as the subsoil
was broken to a greater depth and
vegetable matter mixed with it the
soil for crops tc grow in was increas-
ed in proportion.
He would call their attention to
old fields on which they had depict
ed the soils by shallow blowing,
assisted by heavy rains, until much
of the lands were bare and worthless
to cultivate; but as soon as they
turned it out nature started in to
building it up and if left alone
would in time restore it's fertility
simply by the addition of vegetable
matter and the action of the air,
frost and water.
He would show them how little
crop takes from the soil and how
much came from the air and water.
When they raised the question of
the extra work. he would show
them that by putting in all of his
time on the farm and doing every
thing at the right time he did not
have TO use any more men than
they kept but he made every day
count, while they took time to hunt
fish and gossip in town.
After one years demonstration
on central farm the demonstrators
would have interested farmers all
around him that would willingly
undertake to follow his lead if he