August, 1908.] 



169 



Miscellaneous. 



experiment stations in the South have 

 demonstrated to be the most advanta- 

 geous methods ; (3) what the best farmers 

 in the South have tested and proved to 

 be the most successful practices upon the 

 farm, and (4) the knowledge obtained by 

 the travelling agents of this demonstra- 

 tion work, who visit and have personal 

 knowledge of the localities in the State 

 in which they are stationed. Even then 

 the instructions given are along the 

 lines of correct principles, leaving many 

 details to the good judgment of the 

 farmer. 



In this co-operative work great stress 

 is laid upon a more thorough preparation 

 of the soil in the autumn, because in our 

 southern climate the frosts do not pene- 

 trate the soil sufficiently to open them 

 an M. Unit air; we must therefore do by 

 ploughing in the fall and by some winter 

 cultivation what Nature does in the 

 colder North. 



In the richest soils there is but little 

 food ready prepared for the plant, and 

 Nature's plan is that this food shall be 

 prepared more or less daily by the action 

 of the air, the moisture in the soils, and 

 the sun. These three agents make 

 active the forces that pi epare the food, 

 so the plant can be properly nourished. 

 This cannot be done without ploughing 

 and cultivating to admit the air, and the 

 earlier this work is commenced before 

 the winter, the greater the effect it will 

 have upon the crop of the following 

 season. 



The effect of using good seed is not 

 sufficiently appreciated, nor perhaps is it 

 understood just what makes good seed. 

 It must be the best variety for the pur- 

 pose, carefully selected early in the fall 

 and stored in a dry place. The reasons 

 for very frequent cultivation are the 

 admission of air, the conservation of 

 moisture in the soil, and the prevention 

 of a surface crust. 



Young plants require excellent culti- 

 vation, just as young animals require 

 the best food and care. 



The judicious use of commercial ferti- 

 lizers is one of the most important 

 matters in modern agriculture, for this 

 furnishes plant food directly and in- 

 directly to the young plants. For soil 

 improvement we must largely depend 

 upon barnyard manure, the compost 

 heap, and leguminous plants, such as 

 cow peas. 



The importance of doing more as well 

 as better work in a day has not been 

 sufficiently impressed upon the southern 

 22 



farmer. This requires the use of stronger 

 teams and better tools. Working three 

 acres in a day where one is worked now, 

 and working each acre three times as 

 well is a problem in profit easily under- 

 stood after demonstration. 



How Farmers are Influenced to 

 Adopt better Methods. 



In the South nearly all the merchants, 

 ankers, and lawyers in the towns and 

 smaller cities own farms and are in- 

 tensely interested in agriculture. They 

 form an effective centre of influence, 

 easily convinced of the value of the 

 co-operative demonstration plan by 

 reason of their high intelligence. 

 Meetings are called and the work in- 

 augurated. No further argument is 

 necessary after the demonstrations have 

 been made- Facts do the talking. The 

 teachers in the public schools are 

 generally alert and render most valuable 

 assistance. The agricultural colleges 

 and agricultural experiment stations 

 give hearty co-operation. Thus, general 

 interest is aroused in these demon- 

 strations, which leads to careful obser- 

 vation and study on the part of 

 the farmers and of the community. 

 Public meetings are held for the discus- 

 sion of these plans. In the cottou-pro- 

 ducing States the first instructions 

 include cotton as the main catch crop, 

 corn as the standard food for work 

 animals and the basis for more stock on 

 the farm, cowpeas for food and for the 

 renovation of the soil, oats or wheat as 

 a winter cover crop, and the meadow 

 and the pasture as the most economical 

 source of food for farm stock. When 

 the farmer has mastered these crops he 

 is ready for diversification in any desired 

 direction. 



In districts where cotton is not the 

 standard cacch crop, instruction is given 

 in whatever replaces cotton as a money- 

 earning crop. These simple lessons at 

 the start gradually made progressive 

 until they cover all information neces- 

 sary to success in the agriculture of the 

 district. 



As a means of reaching thousands of 

 farmers with whom our agents do not 

 come in personal contact, systematic use 

 is made of the newspapers. Every 

 bulletin or letter of instruction sent to 

 co-operators is also furnished to about 

 2,000 county newspapers, and by most of 

 them published in full. The hearty 

 co-operation of the press has been 

 of great value to the demonstration 

 work. 



[To be concluded.) 



