266 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



reader of the for some time, 



I think the only advantage which the 

 hitter has is that it contains mimerons 

 extracts from American and Australian 

 journals. These extracts are certainly 

 interesting and instructive, and the prac- 

 tice might well be followed here, and as 

 paste and scissors is the easiest way of 

 tilling up a paper, there should l)e no 

 dilliculty in satisfying the critics on that 

 point. 



3. Get special articles or special sub- 

 jects and pay for them. Professors of 

 agriculture iii England arc not above 

 writing special articles for the papers who 

 pay them for it, and we must do the 

 same. To get something for nothing 

 may be considered smart work, luit that 

 which costs nothing is generally of little 

 value. Farmers who make a study of a 

 special line and attain success and profit 

 out of it are not going to give away their 

 secrets and invite competition unless you 

 pay them well for it. 



'Do awav with the idea that the 

 "Journal" ' is nm to enable farmers to 

 hiive an iutercliiinge of ideas. Faruu-rs 

 are the worst cm-respondents in the 

 world ; not one in five hundred will ever 

 put pen to paper if he can help it. To 

 depend on farmers interchanging ideas 

 through the "Journal" is to depend on a 

 broken reed. The "Journal" must lead 

 the farmers, not follow them. 



4. Give us more science. The Twen- 

 tieth century is to see science harnessed 

 to agriculture. Show us a better way of 

 tilling the ground than by inspanning six 

 oxen to a '75 Eagle plough turning over 

 one acre a day. We want to sec the re- 

 sults of experiments being constantly car- 

 ried on with manures and feeding stuffs. 

 Show us how to grow twelve muids of 

 corn to the acre instead of six, which is 

 above the average for the whole Colony. 

 Show us the most economical way of fat- 

 tening cattle to produce beef fit to eat in 

 the shortest time. Show us how to com- 

 liat Eedwater, TAingsickness, Gallsickness 

 and all the other ills which Ijovine flesh 

 is heir to in this Colony. There is a 

 grand field for scientific agriculture here, 

 and the "Journal" should be the medium 

 through which science can reach the 

 evcry-day M'orker in the field. 



5. Give more reports of farmers' meet- 

 ings throughout the country. Let us 

 know what farmers are doing, and what 

 they want to do. Most farmers' Associa- 

 tions have meetings once a month, but 

 what they do and what they say no one 

 Init those who happen to be there know 

 anything about it. Let us have con- 

 densed reports from all the Farmers' As- 

 sociations in the country. 



6. Give market reports from Lady- 

 smith, Dundee, Newcastle, and Johannes- 

 burg. 



7. Have a household column. Far- 

 mers have wives and daughters, as well 

 as other people, and these would like 

 something to read, sometliing written 

 specially for themselves. 



To sum up : — 



1. Continue veterinary papers and In- 

 terviews by "Ergates." 



2. Give extracts from American and 

 other agricultural papers. 



;]. SjK'cial articles on special subjects, 

 and pay for them. 



4. Give papers on scientific farming. 



5. More reports of Farmers' Association 

 meetings. 



6. More market reports. 



7. Have a liousehold column for the 

 ladies. 



It is to be hoped that others will give 

 their views on the subject, so that we 

 may have eventually a "Journal" which 

 will be a constant source of pleasure and 

 instruction, and one of which the Colony 

 may be justly proud. 



Geo. J. Wood. 



Buffalo Eiver, Dundee. 

 17th June, 1901. 



[This letter, which deals with a srib- 

 ject which recentlv came before Parlia- 

 ment is published with the sanction of 

 the Minister of Agriculture. The writer 

 is cordially thanked for his suggestions 

 All suggestions from whomsoever, and 

 whether intended for publication or not^ 

 will always receive the most careful con- 

 sideration.— Ed., "Agricultural Jow- 

 nal."] 



