The Elbert County tribune., 1920-01-23

URING the past two years the methods
of production and conservation EN-
ployed by the farmers of this country
have advanced 20 years of peace times.
| 49, Prior to 1914. and even up to the dec
laration of by the United States.
l there farmers In every commun-
t3 ty who not interested In county
agents, farmers institutes the agri-
cultural colleges, the United States department
of agriculture. But when declared and
Uncle Sam asked the farmers to grow more food
stuffs of every kind those who had before assumed
an attitude of Indifference responded to the call.
Throughout the nation these farmers with spirit
of patriotism and an additional nducement of fair
prices and an assurance of reasonable compensa-
tion for their expenditures, called upon the fed
erai department and other agencies that could
give them information The attitude well
the spirit of the farmers changed from peace-time
to wartime farming.
Improved methods and practices adopted and
now being applied have come to stay. In future
farming methods there should be little question
10 the practice of the who has treated his oats
for smut and has increased his yield; the man who
has applied fertilizer to his wheat and has in
creased his crops five to ten bushels an acre; the
man who has sought Information the feeding of
cattle and has found that by adding protein the
ration he can produce pound of beef with nine
pounds Of corn where the old ration required 13
pounds of grain; the man who was encouraged to
build silo through which he is able to feed n
carload of cattle with the crops from 16 of
have learned these lessons. have seen the result
and have profited by them. not going back to
old-time methods. Farmers are reaching out in
broader way for additional aid.
Last fall farmers planted 100000 acres OF
wheat. and while the early prospective yield was
reduced to extent by of adverse
weather and insect enemies. crop of approx
matey billion bushels is the result. This huge
crop is the direct result of the good methods of
farming that were employed in the fall of 1918
There mere tons of fertilizer applied TO this
wheat than during any previous year There was
more early plowlng There better cultivation
There was better selection of varieties and better
treatment of the seed. There more top-dress-
ing of the crop with straw and manure than
known in any other year. Part of the crop
due to favorable weather in localities,
just to plain luck, but the big results
achieved in the wheat fields all over the country
due to the improved methods employed by
farmers.
There is large and sufficient evidence to show
that agriculture has made rapid sure. and sub
s.antia advance. If that is true, then agriculture
will not readily revert
AT time has the farmer been called upon to
give greater attention to the business side of his
operations In this day of higli-priced land, labor,
seed. fertilizer, machinery. and other materials
and equipment careful attention must be given to
economical production. Industrial plants have
found 1t necessary to introduce the costaccountng
system in order that the cost of each part manu-
factrlred may be determined. In the same way.
farmers must conduct their business and know
definitely the desirable and profitable lines Of
production.
Not every farmer has it within his power to in
crease his acreage. but he can very materially in
crease his income by iudiciously increasing the
size of his business There Is one way of doing
this that seems to be open to farmers in prac-
ticaly all parts of the country. The simplest and
surest way for the land-locked farmer to make
money is to produce more and better live
stock. There is but limited opportunity for ex-
panson in the production of the intensivey grown
but there is great opportunity for expansio"