Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-01-29

practical proofs or these facts car
be gotten from the best practical
farmers in the country as well a:
the results of the different State
Experiment Stations and the lead.
ing scientific men of the country.
Men who have and are dev0tinp
their life's work TO these questions
and are well qualified TO prescribe
for our soils as are physicians "a
prescribe for the ills of our flesh. The
remedy must effectively and eeono-
mically increase the net earnings OF
farmers and of farm labors. IL
such farmer il shown to produce
twice as much TO the acre as il now
produced and al less cost il will be
profit in which all classes will
share. and be the basis of the great
est reform ever known TO rural life.
How can the knowledge of better
agricultural methods be conveyed 20
the masses in a way so effective
that the methods will be accepted
and their practices become common:
For many years the United States
Department Of Agriculture. Agri-
cultural Colleges, Experiment Sta
tions. Farmers Institutes. Agricul-
,ural Press, and State and National
bulletins have thrown light ON al
most every subject relating to the
farm. These have been of great
assistance 10 the farmers who are
alert and progressive but the great
mass of our farmers have been
scarcely affected II is for this
class that the Demonstration Work
was devised and tested. Where
ever put in operation with the as
sistance of the leading citizens it has
been followed rapidly with the fol-
lowing results:
l. Increased yield per acre.
2. The use Of more and better
team.
3. The great increase in better
implements.
4. Improvement i'm the selection
of seeds.
>. Home and school improve
ments.
d. More months of schooling.
=. Better highways.
&. Increase of the better social
life IN the country.
.. Intense interest in agriculture.
Every item of which is absolutely
necessary for the highest develop
ment and greater happiness of
country life. The system by which,
these improved methods have been
devised, and the practical farmers
induced to put them into practice,
Us through an organized force of in
structcrs, who are devoting their
time to the study of the different
problems that confront the farmers;
also the observations of the best
practices employed by our hes,
farmers. not only in one section,
but throughout the entire south; in
other words we spread the informa.
tion from the good farmer TO Oh,
poor farmer. The results i'm on,
county have. in every ease where
the instructions from the Depart.
ment have been followed closely,
been very satisfactory. Corn, tho
king of American crops, received
first attention, there was marked
improvement shown in the variety
grown. and the yield per acre. In
1912 the highest yield per acre in
1t. Mary's county was IL barrels
This corn was grown by lady
farmer, and on the site of the oldest
settlement of Maryland, which bear.
out my statement that soils do moi
wear out. In 1918 the highest
yield in 1t. Mary's was IA l-3 bar
rels; this was grown by a boy l.
years old. This would indicat,
that our men are tagging in theil
interest in corn growing. Let "a,
hope that some viii report for 1914
better than this, say 100 bushels Oh
90 barrels, at least. This can b,
brought about by deep blowing and
filling the soil full of humus, better
selection of seed, and strict adher,
ence to the doctrine of frequent and
shallow cultivation. We found that
the principal cause Of the low
yield of corn was the lack of hnmu.
in the soil. and an insufficient depth
Of the seed he'd. or feeding space.
for the roots.
Corn being a deep feeding plant
and one that requires sufficient
moisture at all times for the hest
development of the plant. We can
not get this in a soil that is only
broken ) or q inches deep. and that
not sufficiently supplied with humus.
The Importance of humus or de-
cayed vegetable matter in the soil
can be readily understood when we
realize that pound of humus will
store seven and a half times as
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