Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1915-09-30
Efficiency on Farm
"Cryfrom Macedonia
(By w. w. Watson.)

(By w. W. Watson.)
Yet the tillers of the soil send out
the cry from furrowed Macedonia,
Come and help us!" Thus it has
been since the earth began to yield
its harvest to assuage the hunger Of
man and beast; and thus it will ever
be.
So acutely appealing became that
cry from the farms of New England,
many years ago, that Uncle Sam,
hurrying to the rescue with men
trained in the science of agronomy,
discovered that the direct causation
of the widespread distress was lack
of efficiency on the farm. Men had
fed themselves and their stock while
the bounty of the fields endured, but
they, ignorant of the science of their
business, had neglected to feed the
soil. Year by year, robbed of its
organic life, the soil became weaker
and more i'll from hunger until, in
utter impoverishment, an area large
enough to produce great abundance
had finally refused to yield a suffi-
cient harvest to feed the family and
the stock necessary TO its tillage.
Distress followed. Government aid
was given. Agricultural schools were
soon established and conducted under
official direction. Then followed the
state colleges of agriculture to teach
every branch of business on the farm
and to distribute gratuitously great
quantities of farm literature. Today
the farmer who can read has abso-
lutely no excuse for being ignorant
of his business; and the farmer"
who cant read has no business to be
on the farm.
The Soil Restored.
The completed exhaustion of the
lands in the case in point was not
produced by succession of flood, or
drouth, or abnormal freeze. 1t was
the result of sheer, stark ignorance
of the soil and its constituent ele-
ments; of its management and main
tenance of the simple methods OF
reproducing organic life in the out
ragged subsoil; and of poor, shabby
farming in every sense.
Under scientific treatment, the
restoration of these New England
soils was speedily accomplished
into them new humus and bacterial
life we're infused; the broad fields
were again covered with rich, green
carpet of plant-life; and again the
bounty of nature yielded the golden
harvest
Do men know more about the sci
ence of farming now than in those
old New England days? Yea, verify.
Do they conscientiously apply that
knowledge to the production of more
profits and the better pro-
lection of their soil? Only in woful-
ly small measure, considering their
advanced facilities and the universal
ity of free instruction from state and
federal colleges of agriculture.
Why? Because they have neglect
ed to perfect the study of their busi-
ness; hence, their knowledge of soils
and the elements necessary to per-
'ect seed termination and the subse
luent growth of plant-life is incom-
plete; and because many men are
content to be mere farm slabberers
rather than pre-eminent farm sue
,esses. The farm thus becomes
lotchpotch of Indifferent growths,
mostly unfit for any market. Its
belongs to the just-get-by
class. There are too many of them,
everywhere.
If this friendly criticism appears to
De severe, it is because Of the truth
t contains. A spade is spade-and
t doesn't exalt the implement any to
,all it a spadu or spada, a spadi or
spade. Little use may be found for
he velvet finish of foreign phrases in
/ discussion of farm matters with
armers.
With Irrigation.
Los Angeles and tributary districts
grew marvelously on limited water
they couldn't grow any
more without more water. The peo-