Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-01-23
SZy E4XS N72 WY

URlNG the past two years the methods
OF production and conservation EN-
poycd by the farmers of this country
have advanced 20 years of peace times
Prior to 1914, and even up to the dec
aration of war by the United States,
Ad there were farmers In every communl-
~ who were not interested in county
agents, farmers Institutes, the agrl-
cultural colleges or the United States department
Of agriculture. But when war was declared and
Uncle Sam asked the farmers to grow more food
stuffs Of every kind, those who had before assumed
All attitude of Indifference responded to the call.
Throughout the nation these farmers. with a spirit
OF patriotism and an additional inducement of fair
prices and an assurance of reasonable compensa-
tlon for their expenditures, called upon the fed
eral department and other agencies that could
give them information. The attitude as well as
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 as
to 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 on the feeding of
cattle and has found that by adding protein to the
ration he can produce pound of beef with nine
pounds Of corn where the old ration required 10
pounds Of grain; the man who was encouraged to
build silo through which he is able to feed
carload Of cattle with the crops from is acres Of
land when before 1t required 20 acres. Men who
have learned these lessons, have seen theyresult,
and have profted by them, are not going back to
od-tme 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 some extent by reason of adverse
weather and insect enemies, a crop of approx
mately a 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 were more tons Of fertilizer applied to this
wheat than during any previous year. There was
more early blowing. There was 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 ever
was known in any other year. Part of the crop
was due to favorable weather In some localities,
some just to plain luck, but the big results
achieved in the wheat fields all over the country
was due to the improved methods employed by
farmers.
There Is large and sufficient evidence to show
that agriculture has made rapid, sure. and sub.
stantial advance. If that is true then agriculture
will not readily revert
At no time has the farmer been called upon to
give greater attention to the business side of his
operations In this day of hlgh-prced land, labor
seed, fertilizer, machinery, and other materials
and equipment, careful attention must be given to
economical production Industrial plants have
found it necessary to introduce the costaccountlng
system In order that the cost of each part manu-
featured may be determined In the same way,
farmers must conduct their business and know
more definitely the desirable and profitable lines of
production.
Not every farmer has 1t within his power to in
crease his acreage, but he very materially In
crease his income by judciously increasing the
size of his business. There Is one way Of doing
this that seems to be open to formers in prac-
tically all parts of the country. The simplest and
surest way for the land-locked farmer to make
more money is to produce more and better live
stock. There is but limited opportunity for
pansion In the production of the intenslvely grown
crops but there is great opportunity for expansion