FARMERS TO THE FRONT 141 



the near future. The schools and other institutions 

 which it is proposed to establish should be the meet- 

 ing-place of farmers within the neighborhood, and 

 they should be looked to for enlightenment on the 

 intricate matters related to seed, soil, fertilizers and 

 cultivation. Each farm should be plotted; there 

 should be a chart giving the analysis of the soil in 

 each field, or parts of fields ; and recommendations 

 should be made regarding the plant food needed to 

 produce 40 bushels of wheat, 80 bushels of oats, 

 100 bushels of corn and 250 bushels of potatoes, 

 etc., to the acre. Such an institution could be of 

 vast help in giving instruction concerning drainage, 

 irrigation, breeding, stock, grain, fruits, vegetables; 

 it could help in stamping out disease, fighting insects 

 and blight, analyzing seeds for impurities, and 

 guarding against and eradicating weeds. It could, 

 and would, award prizes and medals for the best 

 stock, the most successful crops, and in many ways 

 it would guard and promote farmers' interests in 

 the highest degree. The education which the sons 

 and daughters of the farmer would get at these 

 schools, at a merely nominal expense, would be of 

 the greatest value, in that it would greatly increase 

 their efficiency, and what is even more important, 

 would give them a pride in and make them content 

 with their lot in life. A membership of 5,000 for 

 each such institution, and annual dues of $5, would 

 afford a revenue of $25,000, from which enormous 

 benefits would flow. And as agriculture is the foun- 



