Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1916-04-22


II is fact admitted by the majority
of men that they know very little about
the fertilizer requirements of the diff
ferent soils and different farm crops.
Commercial fertilizers with their sever
al different kinds Of plant food, ex-
pressed in percentages which are often
purposely misleading, and even stable
manure with its useful bacteria and its
condition of unbalanced composition
make science in themselves. Each
soil and each crop also presents special
problems which the best farmers agree
are exceedingly difficult to master. Un-
der these circumstances we will say,
for example, a fertilizer agent comes
around to take the farmers spring or
ders. He is generally quite as unin-
formed as the farmer himself To-
gether these two men, the one often
too independent to seek unbiased and
authoritative advice, and the other too
interested in making a present sale to
care about future results, these two
men plan an order for fertilizer amount
ing to $25 to 800. In just such case
as this, one can see how easily few
words of expert advice might save the
farmer so or more for if he orders and
gets exactly what he needs, it is only
thru the rarest good luck. The county
agent asked to visit the farm, or called
up at his office by phone, might, with
out any trouble or expense to the far
mer, save the man enough in fifteen
minutes to pay his increase in taxes for
the next fifteen years.
Another common objection comes
from some few of the small farmers
and pioneers. Such men oppose the
farm bureau movement because il costs
too much, they say, to farm in the way
county agent would advise. They
say, too, that they know what ought to
be done but they can't afford to do it.
To them farm advisers are only for rich
farmers. These are the extremists in
the class of thoughtless farmers. In
the first place they assume that any
change in their farming system will in
volve an Improbable outlay which is
not true. The most absurd part of their
argument, however, is the assumption
that they know everything necessary to
successful farming. Their training and
present policy have put them into a rut
from which there is no turning. They
are of that sort, too, who want some
thing for nothing. To such men, $2
gained as the result Of an investment
OF $40 makes far lesser appeal than
81 secured from nothing invested.
These are the men who never get be-
yond the stage of small farmer. They
lack the imagination necessary to suc-
cessful business. They are the stum-
bling blocks always in the path of their
own progress. Fortunately their num-
Der is few and their influence small.
1t is the small farmer and the pioneer
who will be most helped by the county
agent. These are the ones most in
need of the very kind of help the farm
adviser can give. These are the ones
who should stand back of, rather than
oppose, the movement. The well-to-
do farmer needs help least OF all; but,
because he is by nature progressive,
he has always tried to promote pro-
gress thru such agencies as the farm
advisor.
Let all the farmers Of Charlevoix
County as body get behind this move
ment and give the county agent a trial,
at least Nothing ventured, nothing
gained, is as true in this as in any
other business. Let your Supervisor
know how you feel about this matter.
Make this your motto, "a County
Agent for Charlevoix County in 1911"