The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1919-12-05
FARMERS CONGRESS.
Report OF Meeting OF This National
Body Held In Hagerstown, Md,
October 1881.
By Bertha M. Tyson.

| LerLWlneQ with farm life, left Rising
Sun via Auto Train FOR Hagerstown
to attend this most marvellous con-
gress. A meeting filed with import
ance as it has always been at each
annual session, but, owing to the un-
usual conditions prevailing at this
time, not only filled but packed with
important questions which have a
direct bearing on the life and pro-
fession of the farmer (thefe are
those who may laugh outright at
farming being called a profession
but that slight jar will have no effect
whatever on the stubborn fact that
fession known today or in any other
day, and contrary to the idea held
some years back that the most ignor.
ant of a mans sons could follow the
vocation of farming as it took no
brains to follow the plow and do the
multitudinous duties of a farmer, as
time goes on, men are beginning to
see that farming takes more brains
to make a success of the business
than does banking. merchandising.
dealing, doctoring, legal work, teach
ing or any other line of necessary
work, because it requires so varied
knowledge, in all these lines man
need only be up on his particular
line but farmers particular line
calls for not only knowledge but
wisdom, which is the application OF
knowledge. He must understand ex-
perimenting and gaining practical
knowledge thereby, he must under
stand the best thing to do with soils
when run down, when the elements
are against him, such as wet or dry
seasons in order to make the best of
natural conditions; he must know
the good qualities of all kinds Of
stock, to know how to select what
will best suit his particular farm;
whose output can best be disposed Of
in his convenient markets; he must
know the particular crops best adapt
ed to his soil, he must know whether
the seed offered him, in case he pur-
chases any kind of seed, be good.
seed, or just something the seedsmeM
have for sale and not to grow, like
the old story of the "Razor-Strop
Dan," for If he plants poor seed, an
entire crop is lost and year goes by
before any other can be raised on
that field; not only that, the seed
may have contained dangerous
weeds which will give him years OF
hard work to eradicate. He must
know thousands Of other things, and
must know them well to Offset the
many things working against him,
the same things which have always
operated against the farmer since the
early days, still at work and still
taking what does not belong to them
but which does belong to the man
who produced the food, with so many
odds against him. The farmer must
be up and doing to make a success
of a business which has the price of
it's output laid down and offered him,
unlike other businesses where the
proprietor figures his cost and adds
a profit; it has never made any diff
ference to those not engaged in this
most important industry, whether
there ever was anything for the
farmer, his wife and family, for their
labor or whether there was a profit,
just SO they all worked year in and
year out from early dawn until dark
and to be slangy, "then some," until
around midnight, as the farmers
wife has often done. The price is
set for them and they are relieved of
that in order that they may put in
more time on the hard work of pro-
ducing; the other fellow will look
after the profits.
Well, it was this class of men and
women who met in Hagerstown, and
1t is not my purpose to go into de-
tails as to the proceedings of the
business meetings, for there were
four different meetings being held at
the same time, so that only one
could be attended, but it seemed to
me it would be worth while to write
something about the gathering and
the people who composed it.
The first evening the Chamber of
Commerce was most artistically dec
GRATED in true Halloween style and
a reception was given the visitors. In
the receiving line were the presi-
dents and their wives of the various
rarm organizations represented, also
those in Hagerstown who held i'm
portant offices and who had done so
much to entertain us. Being early
watched the people as they came in
and more intelligent, representa-
tive, better dressed and better look
ing audience have not seen, though
have been to many large gather
ings. A delightful program was
rendered, the audience joining in the
singing with vim, clapping those
who rendered the selections, showing
tneir intense appreciation of good
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