FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. , 581 



pregnant of success. The farmer who does not grasp the immense benefits 

 that must accrue to him and his posterity, not to say the posterity of others 

 as well, by the combination of low prices for pure bred cattle, the present 

 prosperity of the farm and the opportunities for education and training of 

 himself and his sons on every hand does not deserve to hold his place in the 

 procession. And what is more he will not, for the cause of good blood is 

 winning such momentous victories every day that the reactionist must be 

 swept backward and away. 



GOING TO THE BOTTOM OF THINGS ON THE FARM. 



J. C. Haifleigh, Before the Jasper County Farmers' Institute. 



While there can be no set rule for successful farming, as the conditions 

 of soil and weather must be considered, on the farm, as in all lines of prac- 

 tical business, the aim should be to go to the bottom of things and under- 

 stand thoroughly the whys and wherefores. 



The farmer has many obstacles to contend with in his daily duties about 

 "the farm premises. He is called upon constantly to decide methods of seed- 

 ing, breeding, feeding, harvesting, and so forth, which are of vital import- 

 ance to his success. 



If he would seed his land properly, he must handle his soil and put it in 

 a good state of tilth for the reproduction of the seed. Every crop planted 

 should be placed in rotation; that means the getting out of the soil the most 

 there is in it with the least possible loss of fertility. The seed should be 

 selected of the best strains and freed from impurities; which means the use 

 of the fanning mill if home grown seed is used. 



In breeding stock there comes the necessity of determining the type best 

 suited to the farmer's conditions and surroundings. The ''hit or miss" 

 method in breeding, if followed by the farmer, means that he is a loser. He 

 must follow some definite type, and breed for a purpose. Such a type 

 must be selected that will mean profit every year in the face of the strongest 

 competition. 



To feed economically and not stingily so as to get the largest possible 

 gain out of any kind of stock put into the feed lot, requires judgment and 

 experience with thoughtful attention to details. 



The harvesting of crops means a large amount of hustling at the right 

 time, and involves a study of conditions in the reduction of expenses to a 

 minimum. The farmer today not only must understand how to raise a large 

 crop from his acres, and produce fine stock, but he must also understand 

 the best methods to pursue in disposing of the crop and stock at profit. 



The secret in the solution of farm problems today lies in getting to the 

 bottom of things and obtaining a thorough understanding of the funda- 

 mental principles underlying the various lines of work carried on during the 

 year on the farm. To do this the farmer must learn how to push on the up 

 grade, and also how to cast in his spare time at a profit. Talk, if you will, 



