The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-12-24
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
Should Farmers Institute Teachings
and "BooK Farming" be Esteemed
by the Average Garrett County
Farmer?
10 the Editor of The Republican:

10 the Editor of The Republican:
We have just passed through a sea-
son of county farmers institutes and
without being an attendant at more
than one place of meeting the writer is
doubtless safe in hazarding guess that
not one institute in Garrett county was
as well attended as it should have been.
The writer OF this criticized the man
agement within the year for not con-
Quoting the institutes as Systematically
as should have been done; but now,
commentator is in order, because the
Institutes were held at a time when
farm work is never as a rule pressing;
at time, toe, when ideas received from
the instructors, or ideas developed be-
cause of some suggestion made by some
speaker, are timely in this that they
may be used in all of next years farm
ing operations to which they may apply;
and last but not least, the speakers
were practical farmers and DR.. Hills
assistants were familiar with conditions
similar to our own. The Atlantic coast
plain farmers conditions and problems
are entirely different to ours ard to
foist upon Western Maryland, Chesa-
peake Bay or Southern Maryland
speakers exclusively is a mistake and
an injustice. An intelligent and obser-
want nearer of Mr.. Roudebush of Ohio
could readily detect sameness of farm
problems present in operations as told
by the speaker to our own. Further
more the speakers were practical and
none of them state paid clowns. But
again criticism is in order and they who
have voluntarily offered themselves as
targets are the cynical, soothing suspi-
clous class of farmers ably ~ aided and
a5etted by the typical star loafer who
helps make up the quorum of the forum
those modern Solomons who with
dispatch discuss and dispose of the staff
and destinies of men and things and
nations. The statement has been made
and repeated again and again, here and
elsewhere, that institute speakers farm
with public money; are paid by the
state etc, etc. Suppose those state
ments were all true: it certain opera
tons as to kind and method demon
strated prove more economical-bri
more clear, net profit than others, dol
lar for dollar expended what difference
does it make as to the value of conclu-
sion, whether individual or public
money is used in bringing about such
demonstration or test? In other words
for example if by state-fund tests it is
proven that Garrett county seed po-
tatoes are.superior to Maine grown po-
tatoes is the conclusion not just as val
liable as il tested by private expendi-
lures? The institute corps employed
by DIR. Hill were not connected with
the Maryland experimental station and
il Mr. Roudebush is connected with the
Ohio station and farms with Ohio'S
money do the institutes detractors OBJ
ject onsthat score? They usually don't
when they can get something for moth
Ing. Those critics argue that farmers
cannot afford to feed their animals in
the manner indicated by writers of the
agricultural press and by lecturers.
The same class condemned the silo
roundly andipostively in the past said
it would only be few years until the
''silo fad would have run its course
and one would hear the word silo used
to refer to abandoned structures only.
But what are the facts? Writing from
local stand poirt more particularly.
Grantsville district has at least fifty
four silos-and had none in the spring
of 1899 and perhaps year later, am
not positive as to theIexact year. And
bv whom were the silos introduced? By
those who read up on scientific farming
those who.had confidence in the things
advocated by the agricultural papers.
Would our Grantsville farmers who
study their Almanacks more closely
than the farm press-such as the Rural
New Yorker, National Stockman and
Farmer and like papers from their own
experimenting and research and pro-
found (?) reasoning ever have discover
ed how to build silos and how to make
sileage? Not likely. Why it took some
of them ten years to discover the silos
merits after they had seen it in practi-
cal, successful operation right in their
community and some of them are in
doubt yet. How was the preumatics
or blowing ensilage cutter introduced
here? An owner of one of the first
silos here organized a company which
purchased an ensilage cutter with
blow elevator upon the Twice of the
Maryland Agricultural Experiment
Station and the Rural New Yorker IN
dependently given at about the same
time. The scoffers laughed. even some
of the silo men and when the new
tangled fodder cutter which blew the
green, finely cut corn mass up to an
elevation of over thirty feet through
tube choked few times they laughed
in eXultation but now every ensilage
o,,ffnr roooh -. A.