AGRICULTURE 



line engine and the cream separator. More- 

 over, we must not forget the improvement in 

 the simpler farm implements such as the hoe, 

 the spade, the rake, and the ax, which, by being 

 made lighter and of better material than in 

 the long-ago, have enabled those using them 

 to do more work with less expenditure of 

 strength. 



: !t >mistry. The application of chemistry to 

 soils, plants and fertilizers lies at the founda- 

 tion of scientific agriculture. The farmer can 

 now learn from the nearest agricultural experi- 

 ment station what fertilizer is best suited to 

 his soil and what crops he can grow with 

 greatest success. Agricultural chemistry is now 

 applied to the study of soils, of plant food 

 and of fertilizers wherever there is an agri- 

 cultural college. 



Education. Not many years ago the average 

 farmer was proud to express his contempt for 

 what he styled "book farming." Happily, that 

 day is past, and agricultural education (see 

 subheading, below) now occupies an important 

 position in the educational systems of all civil- 

 ized countries. In the United States and Can- 

 ada the demand for graduates from agricul- 

 tural colleges and high schools is greater than 

 these institutions are able to supply. Further- 

 more, the outlook for supervisors and teachers 

 of agriculture is so promising that young men 

 from the city constitute no inconsiderable 

 portion of the student body of these institu- 

 tions. This is the beginning of a right sort of 

 movement from the city to the country, and 

 it is increasing. 



Scientific Agriculture. All the foregoing 

 movements have combined to make agricul- 

 ture a science as well as an art. The influence 

 of the agricultural colleges and experiment 

 stations extends to the remotest regions, and 

 everywhere the trained scientist is helping the 

 farmer to solve his problems and to make his 

 farm more profitable. No longer can the old 

 hit or miss methods maintain themselves in 

 competition with the scientific methods of the 

 "new agriculture," which in the near future 

 will not only render productive vast areas still 

 barren, but also reclaim the so-called "worn- 

 out farms" and repopulate with prosperous 

 families those which have been abandoned. 



Prevention oj The application of 



scientific methods to the study of those dis- 

 eases of plants and animals which are ever 

 robbing the farmer of his profits constitutes 

 one of the most important contributions of 

 science to agriculture and is saving annually 



96 AGRICULTURE 



millions of dollars to the farmers. While not 

 all of these diseases are conquered, many of 

 them have been; the ravages of others have 

 been checked, and new victories are gained 

 each year. See DISEASE. 



Insect Pests. What has been said about the 

 study of disease applies with equal force to 

 the study of destructive insects. These pests 

 also deprive the farmer of a portion of his 

 income every season, and, now and then, they 

 destroy his crop altogether. Through the dis- 

 coveries made by the Department of Agricul- 

 ture at Washington and in Canada by the 

 same department of government, and at the 

 various experiment stations, we now are able 

 to deal successfully with these pests on the 

 American continent. 



Branches. Agriculture is so widely extended 

 over the earth and so varied in its industries 

 that it is naturally divided into a number of 

 branches. While many farmers are interested 

 in several of these branches, each gives special 

 attention to one or two. The farmer in the 

 corn belt, for instance, makes corn the chief 

 product of his land, but he must give enough 

 attention to growing other crops and to dairy- 

 ing to produce sufficient food for his family 

 and live stock, unless he would purchase this 

 food at an expense considerably greater than 

 would be required to raise it. Likewise, the 

 dairy husbandman must raise most of the feed 

 for his herd, if he would carry on his business 

 with profit. 



The following are the chief branches of agri- 

 culture in America: 



Raising Cereals. In some regions the soil 

 and climate are especially suited to raising 

 cereals. For instance, Canada, Minnesota and 

 North Dakota are adapted to raising spring 

 wheat, and this constitutes their chief crop. 

 On the other hand, Kansas is especially 

 suited to raising winter wheat. Illinois and 

 Iowa are the great corn states, because of the 

 particular adaptation of the soil and climate 

 of the corn belt to the production of this 

 cereal. The growing of cereals is more widely 

 extended than any other branch of agriculture. 

 Each of these crops is described under its title 

 in these volumes. 



Other Crops. In some of the Northern states 

 having a cool climate and in Southern Canada, 

 flax is extensively grown on new soil. Potatoes 

 are also successful in these regions. Oats is 

 an extensive crop throughout the northern half 

 of the United States and in most of the 

 Canadian provinces. In Texas, Georgia, South 



