The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1919-12-20


ment Of Agriculture)
The poets, when they got going on
the calendar, usually ran to spring
and summer months, ending at about
"knee deep in June" Thomas Hood
did succeed in getting as far as No
vember, but it wasn't a good poem.
Oh, it was a clever piece Of crafts
manship, and all that, but unjust. 1t
was all negatives-"No morn, no noon,
no other time Of day; no sun, no
moon, no t'other side the way"-some
such libelous stuff as that about
perfectly gorgeous month. But they
didn't write even negative eulogies
Of December. Poe mentioned 1t, along
with "dying ember," midnight dreary,"
and such like gobs Of gloom. Just
the same, December might be made
the subject of very excellent poem.
Indeed, with a verse here and verse
there, it may almost be said that the
United States department Of agricul-
ture has written a great poem on It
one of the didactic kind that, in addi-
ton to adjoining the tale, points a
moral, entitled to be considered poetry
because truth is beauty, and beauty is
poetry. The theme of the thing must
be said to be that December is such
a tremendously important month to
the farmer.
December Important Farm Month.
Now, having pulled up long enough
TO climb over period and walk around
the nook of paragraph-consider. OF
course, December has not been gen.
orally considered an important month
in agriculture. On the contrary, 1t
has been a very much neglected month,
almost a month ignored. None the
less, it does come very close to being
the most important month in the year
for the farmer. 1t Is a month OF
such tremendous potentiality, q month
whose usefulness may be so spread
out over the other IL.
There is no end Of things that
should be done in December besides
getting ready for Christmas. That,
to borrow a phrase from very old
charge on duty, sis not on any &C
count to be neglected" but it Is due
to be coOrdinated.
You have read in the old pioneer
stories how the boys had to work IN
the clearing all summer, started to
school In the winter. That ought TO
be true still for every farmer, no
matter how old or young he is. De
cember should mark the beginning OF
the session in his school. His school
house may very well be in his own
chimney corner. He has not mucn
time to read all spring, summer, ano
fall. Now, he does begin to have a
little leisure-not that he has any time
TO loaf. but he has his heels on the
ground. During the year there have
been printed a considerable number OF
good textbooks on farming. Special
lists of the United States department
Of agriculture and other specialists Of
the state agricultural college have EN-
hodied in bulletins the result OF long
and patient labor on various things
pertaining to farming, have put In type
Focts that will mean dollars to the
farmer who learns them and puts them
into practice.
pupils Study What They Like.
OF course, this chimney-cornel
school of agriculture allows Its stu
dents a lot of leeway. The curriculum
is largely elective. The farmer may
study this and leave the other alone
as his interests may dictate. Blu
there will be enough bulletins that arr
If interest to him to make a prett!
full course of study. If he hal
neglected his education at all and ISM
"up' to his grade" there may be
great deal more than he can handle II
one winter. The United States depart
ment of agriculture has been publish
ing bulletins for a great man.
years There are more than thou
sand farmers bulletins now on tn
list, and every one Of them discusse
something that means money TO
large class of farmers. Many OF tn
subjects have been supplemented an
localized by state agencies-tne ayr
cultural college or the state oepaf'
ment of agriculture. There is aps'
lutely no reason why any farmer ma
NOT have all the scientific informatlo
that exists on all phases Of agricu
ture that mean anything In his pal
ticular operation. All he has to 90
TO 90 TO school to himself by his ow
fireside. If he needs tutoring, ner
is the county agent whom ne can COZ
suit when he goes to town on Satu
day-or he might possibly have u
agent out to supper and session Q
the Preside some night.
The United States department OF a.
riculture maintains printed lists OF j
various publications, arranged by sui
iects. Any farmer-or any city dwel
or or suburbanite who is interested
chickens or garden or any Oh Il
things that pertain to farming-ca
have a copy merely by writing for
For the average farmer it is wor,
spending an evening over. reading Il