The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-12-10
!. To THE FARMERS
Of TENNESSEE
BY CAPT. T. F. PECK,
Commissioner of Agriculture.
PAPERS FOR THE FARMERS.
by t. F. Peck. Commissioner of Agri.
culture.

culture.
No matter where you go or what
you are trying to do you will find the
theorist who can tell you all about
the work you have in hand. You will
find him whiting good boxes at the
cross roads store and imparting in
formation as to just what to do In
vestigation will reveal the fact that
he has no successful experience to
sustain tn advice he is ST ready to
impart. He is in evidence everywhere
and ready to advise ON all matters.
He can tell the merchant of the bank
er just how to run their business and
he can show the farmer where he is
making mistakes and how he can do
better.
But he is the fellow who has done
SO much to hinder those who are try
ing to improve agriculture along prac-
teal lines. Where the farmers know
him he cannot do much harm But he
writes for the agricultural press and
gets the stuff into the plate matter
There is a class of agricultural papers
published for the advertising they can
get from the mail order houses and
practically sent free to the farmers.
Such publications have no standing
their editors have no knowledge of the,
matter they fill in as reading matter /
and in this way great deal of i'm
practical stuff is imposed on the farm |
ers. Some know enough to realize it |
is impractical and throw it down in |
disgust, or worse still if they are in
duced 10 try to carry out impractical |
suggestions and fail, they get disgust
ed at book farming and lose the bene-
fit of helpful suggestions found in
meritorious publications.
The theorist, who is always ready
to give advice about farming when he
has had no practical knowledge, has
done much harm and no good
Farmers in selecting their farm pa
per should select one published in
the same section where they live. A
southern farmer should take SOU
thern farm paper. A northern farm
er, one published in the north, while
the western farmer has entirely diff
ferent conditions and should take
paper dealing with those conditions.
The farmer can also fight shy of
the agricultural papers that come
practically free and are largely filled
with mail order advertising and plate
matter.
1t is also we'll enough for the farmer
to find out, if he can, if the writer adj
vising him has had any successful $
practical experience to base his adj
vice on.
The local newspaper is going to I
help in the dissemination of reliable r
They are read by the
farmers more carefully and with more
than anything else. The
home paper is dependent on the local
people for patronage. They prosper
)r otherwise together. Newspaper edi-
.ors have found that their readers
want information about the work they
ire engaged in. If they supply that
want they are appreciated and patro
zed more literally.
The Department of Agriculture has
ound the newspapers of the State ,
'eady and willing to cooperate in ev- :,
,ry way they could in the dissemina-
ion of information helpful to their
armer readers. Their attitude will
esult in greater appreciation and
more liberal support from their farm :,
II readers.
The farmer should not discard good :,
gricultural papers because they
maintain departments conducted by '
persons whose advice is de- !,
and helpful but those papers
hould be published in this state and =,
cal with conditions applicable to Ten -
essee farmers.
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