The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-04-06
KENTSNONTHLYR EPOUT
SAYS TOO LITTLE INTEREST is
GIVEN TO FARMING.
Education of the Boys Lead Away
From Farming. Not Eonugh In
terest in Corn and Pig Clubs.

! Work IN Une county Tor Marcn take
great pleasure in submittin to you
a summary of the work done.
During the month 1 have visited
so demonstrators, inoculated 81
hogs to prevent cholera, gave Pas
teur treatment to hogs and one
cow, visited 26 club members, wrote
80 letters, made 3 miles of broad
terraces, wrote three articles for pub
LEGATION and travelled 403 miles in
interest of the work.
Much stress has been laid on the
boys corn and pig clubs, but am sor-
ry to know that the number of boys
to join is small as compared to what
it should be for this county. The
Importance of this work for the boys
and future farmers of the county is
greatly underestimated. We often
wonder why our boys do not take an
active part in the farm life. 1t is
strange to us why they all have a
tendency to leave the soil to get a
shady job in the city with all its
vices. Strange it is that all of them
look on the farm as a place of drudg-
cry, to be worked only by the ma
tives of Africa. There is no pleasure,
there is nothing to look forward to,
their education is to take them from
it instead of to it,, and everything
seems to indicate that any other place
in the world is better than life on the
farm. The agricultural interest of
the South is the factor that is going
to make it greater or smaller. We
are an agricultural people and have
to get our living from the soil, but
isn't it strange that we study it so
| little? AS a rule we are much more
interested in who is going to be the
next governor or congressman or
when New York is going to play Phil
adelphia. These things concern us
only indirectly while our soil con-
Germs us very directly. The mer-
chants are puzzled to know why their
business is no better In the first
place, too many try to sell while only
small number try to make some
thing to sell. The extent of devel-
opment of the farming lands around
the city of Dawson is the factor that
is going to determine what it is to be
in the future. If we want a greater
Dawson, or any other town in the
county, so far as that goes, we have
got to start by developing the farms
and this means that we have got to
keep the farmers and their boys on
tn efarms. They will never be devel-
oped by their present tenants. Every
patriotic citizen of the county should
take a personal interest in teaching
the boys that there is dignity in liv-
ing and working on the farm. We
feel that we can best reach the young
| farmers through the clubs. Let's
give them a part of it in the way
of purebred pig or an acre for corn,
and let it be theirs to work as long
as they like. Then we will see the
interest grow, but not until then.
If you have a boy send in his name
and age Talk to your neighbOr
about his boy and get him to join
before the 18th of this month, as this
is the closing date. Please don't tell
him that the prize is the most import
ant thing that he will ever get out OF
it. but press the other side some,
what it means for the future of the
boy and the agriculture of the coun-
ty.
During the greater part of the
month the ground has been very dry
and made hard by the heavy winter
rains. Where they were available sec
ton harrows have been used to
break this crust on oat lands, and
have met with general approval. Ine
moisture was preserved by the mulch
formed and the oats have seemed TO
thrive much better. Where the oats
are not too large it would pay to
give another cultivation, even now,
and we hope it will be done. 1t only
requires a little time and it would
pay you to get your neighbor to help
YOU buy a section harrow and you
can use it together, not only this sea-
son, but during the coming seasons.
Where the soil has been well prepar-
ed there is nothing better to Guilt
vate the corn with the first two times.
| [ had a number of demonstrators
who used them this way last year and
they say that the corn thus cultivated
was the cheapest ever made. l am
sorry that they are used by so few
farmers when they are among the
most useful and labor saving imple-
ments on the farm.
We are very glad to note the great
interest being taken in the planting
of velvet and soy beans, peanuts and
peas. We are going to raise ammo
MIA instead of paying out hard-earn-
ed money for it in sacks as we have
been doing for so many years Watch
us do some cheap fertilizing next
year and wonder why we have not
being doing it all the time, They are
no experiments, as good old farmers
of the county will tell you of their
merits, farmers who have good bank
accounts in spite of the low price OF
cotton. Talk with farmer Of this
kind whenever you have chance
and notice the crops that are planted
where they were last year.
r. H. KENT, Demonstration Agent.
Your ChiId's Cough Is a Cry for Help