The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-12-28
GIVING AvICE TO THE FARMER.

A Kansas fxfuer writing The world tho other
day Sok oIason 10 rdculo the practice,
whIchhaY/6ccome wol night universal OF recent
years lu<gving advice to the farmer. THE farm
er," said our correspondent. has been picked
In sage advice 1t was suggested that tho ad-
vIscrs Of the farmer had been no busy telling
others how to run their business that they had
had no timo to attend TO their own.
The protest Is timely. For years there has
been growing tendency to do something for
the farmer. The net result has been to do things
to tho farmer. The various war boards felt their
days work incomplete without n bulletin either
calling on the farmer to do something or ad-
vislug him how to do something.
OF all the volumes that have been written
and the millions Of words spoken not one tenth
of per cent has been practical or the various
called farmers organizations making pretsnss
OF holding brief for the country gentleman.
how many. do you suppose. enjdy the confidence
OF the actual farmer or were instituted In the
first place by him?
There are many spokeSnen for the farmer.
there are many deeply concerned over his drab
NE etc But there is not one In n million that
lNod on a farm--or has ever lived there in
successful. satisfying way.
one example OF tho point wa are making.
During the war there was perfect hysteria
sweeping the country The farmers must each
raise everything they need" In Oklahoma this
took the form OF bulletins demanding that the
farmers plant less cotton and broomcorn and
more foodstun. Thstounty councils of defense
In many instances undertook to enforce the rule.
There are great sections OF Oklahoma whore
cotton and hroomcorn are perfectly safe crops.
the percentage OF failures being very. very low,
In those same sections the record shows that
feed crops are a total failure nine years out OF
TO- excepting on specially favored tracts here
and there
Now the practical farmer--thc man on the
farm and familiar with farm practices. knew
this lie knew to abandon his cotton and
hroomcorn acreage, and turn his entire plant to
feed crops was to invite certain failure The
economy OF such sections shows that a profit is
to be had only by growing crops FOR which the
section IL adapted. and with the surplus money
thus earned buy the feed and food
The grandeur OF America lies in the fact that
the whent farmers Of the DRkotas can raise
enough cereals to feed themselves and also sup
ply the cotton fnfmers OF the far south The
corn belt OF Iowa and Illinois Is not adapted to
sugar production And so on,
The farmers own America. And we think It
fortunate that they do They need no coddling
and Just simply can't get used to the advice Law
lshcd on them. Given a seasonable season they
are happy when the drought comes and the
hot winds scar and burn. legislation is incapable
OF bringing s'nllc to their faces
They require mighty llttlc at the hands OF
society. They do need adequate transportation
and hcuor svstom ot distribution. So that the
enormous surplus which goes to waste on the
farms of the nation each year can be marketed
Given that the farmers viii work out their
own salvation The capable ones will grow
wealthy while the slothtuI and incapable Will
do MN" more than get along" hut they don't
need advice