The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-12
FARMING AN EXACT SCIENCE
Granger Must Be an Engineer.
Chemist and Biologist

AIAtSTnkNF ana a%foBOEAER~
The truth Of the declaration that
farming In America has come to be
almost purely matter OF science, and
exact science at that, has been brought
To the knowledge Of the urban public
in tho last year more than ever would
lave been possible had there been no
wax and no patriotic appeal to the
farmer TO do a major part toward win
ming g victorious peace. Tho average
city dweller. If he ever thought of the
farmer, thought OF him as a lean per-
son in high boots, hickory shirt and
"gallusos" and not as scientist
whose success depended more upon
education than Drawn. There may be
occasional "Ey Heck farmers and a
few Of the comic-paper farmers may
exist but they are as rare as the odd
birds in Wall street.
The farmer OF today, the farmer
who ia feeding the world. If he is to
succeed in his calling, must be a chem
list, biologist. n botanist and, above
all else, mechanical engineer. The
day Of the horse and the OK for the
really heavy work on the big farm
has passed, and the internal com bus
tion engine has assumed as important
place in agriculture as II has In ur-
ban traffic and commerce. Not only
being extended more rapidly and 10
greater lengths In the country than In
the city Gasoline supplies the power
that draEs the gang pillow, draws the
harrow, sows the seed, cUltivates the
crop, harvests il. thrashes II. and nnal-
ly carries it 10 the railroad for dis
trlbution 10 the world. Fat steers and
hogs are no longer driven long dis
tancea efoot to wear off their flesh,
Roe AaA u fra bar. n pav NJ "
and delivered 70 the packers without
exertion on their part. Instead OF the
old IA Bhioned horse power, the engine
now pumps the water for the farm,
oils the silo, runs the milking ma
chimes and the dynamo.
And the call OF the war is develop
ing new uses for power and machines
on the farm. all aiming to meet the
scarcity and high cost OF labor. One
OF the most inter esting and revolu.
of these devices has been test
ed by the department OF agriculture
in the presence of an array OF practi-
cal men. This machine is nothing less
than grinding mill mounted on a
pillow. the pillow drawn by tractor
and the mill operated by an indepen-
dent engine. In ordinary practice.
the pillow turns the furrow, disc har-
row in a separate operation cuts the
broken soil, another narrowing fines
II. and a drag smoothes the surface
bt fore II Is ready for seeding With
The new time and labor saver the pillow
lifts the furrow into the grinding
mill. where the knives. running at
h.eh speed, break the soil into fine
pA rticles and spread 1t evenly behind
the pillow. ready TO receive the seed.
1t has been suggested that the seeder
might very well follow az part OF
this machine. and fertilizer distribu-
tor has been spoken Of
Any one with knowledge of machin-
cry win recognize at once that only n
mocha loai engineer can be expected
to keep two engines In operation, guide
the tractor, and regulate the depth OF
the turrow: but there are not few
farmers equal to the task.
In recent lecture at Columbia uni
vsrsity the question was asked:
where hut on q farm will be found
man 80 deeply versed in biology
inst be can tell by looking at a pig
whether his progeny will have the
long. deep sides so desirable for bacon,
or the broad. nat hams that bring
phalia: or. looking at q cow he never
phahs: or. loking ut q cow he never
saw before. tell ofhand whether she
will be mixer or more useful as tho
mother Of beef stsers~'