1019 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Farm- Institutes in Schooihouse 
What the Modern Farmer Looks For 
T he INDITIDUAL VIEWPOIXT.—Pi-of. Bur- 
ritt’s inritation to disciiss the institutes and 
eomnmnity meetings in the columns of Thi: It. 
certainly strikes the right note and seems like high- 
class argument to many of us who are intensely in¬ 
terested in social betterment and better living among 
the rural people. It is indeed easy to spread infor¬ 
mation in the cities or large towns, and call meet¬ 
ings of any kind in a short time, hut the very nature 
oi farming makes for isolation and individualism. 
But there is superficial knowledge or .lumping 
at conclusion.s among rural folks. What onr people 
know they believe with all their heart, and mixing 
with their fellow.s is the best way to 
got an niihia.sed point of view ami at 
t!u' same time avoid getting hule- 
iHinnd or stalled in a rut. 
will .loin anything, and forty or fifty thon.sand mom- 
ber.ship in farm organizations is common enough, 
i.nt I ask, is it organizing the farmer when he puts 
rp his dollar or so and goes home and forgets it? 
I believe that the only Ava.y ever to reach the rural 
1 eople is to go where they live, and that no number 
(if small town societies will ever reach the men who 
leall.v need the help like going to their own homes 
^,nd rni'al sclioolhonses and handing it to them 
direct. Look over an.y crowd at any institute and 
you v.’ill find thej' are the most advanced thinkers 
in the community, and a ver.v small proportion at 
that. Most of these men are fully as well posted 
as the .s])eakors if it happens to be along their lines 
of endeavor. But give them a description of a new 
method or a new w'ay to get around the middleman, 
SOCIAT. COXDTTTOX?!.—-In this 
section rve hnv(> had considerable ex- 
lic-rionce with Farm Bureau and com¬ 
munity meetings, also held an insti- 
tuie each Winter conducted by the 
regular institute speakers under the 
late IMr. Van Alstyne. Onr people 
here are well pleaded with both types 
of the work, and turn out in numbers 
and express tl’.eir appreciation in a 
way that em-onraires me to go ahead 
with the :irraii.rements. Hero we are 
hear rornell Lniversit.v, and are per¬ 
haps more familiar with the educated 
men who compose the staff and 
speaking force than are some of the 
fanners in moi'e remote parts of the 
State. It is not true that rural peo¬ 
ple generally at this date do not ap¬ 
preciate fully the whole-hearted ef¬ 
forts of onr educational institutions 
and the old institute force for their 
entertainment and Itettermeiit. even 
if they d<) not rush into print with 
thoir opi!iions. Farmers as a rule 
are wear.v -witii ovenvork those times, 
and nnle.ss, as is often the case, the 
wife is an educated Avoman .von are 
not apt to hear from them h.v mail. 
I'er.sonally, I have no wish to criticize 
tlie-pleasant speakers who come here, 
and whom on onr part we tried onr 
lev(d best to entertain pleasantly, hut 
they came an-i delivered their mes¬ 
sage. which usually was a ver.v good 
one, and went their way. Generally 
they came in the very coldest wea'her. 
and to get out the farmers Avas a 
.ioh. Memories of riding in the storms 
to .see the people })erhaps Avonld pre.jn- 
dice anyone, also putting niA notices 
and di.strihnting circulars in zero 
Aveather is no .ioke. The Farm Bu- 
1 ‘ean plan of setting dates h.v com¬ 
munity a(‘tioii AA’onld he surely A’ory 
effecth'e advertising, and appeals to 
me ,‘is a A>ry feasible plan of gedting 
all Interested, inst<Md of leaAin.g tbe 
Avhnle respon.'-ioility on the individual. 
SOME RECENT EXPERIENCE.-— 
Kccently we luiA'e been holding .school- 
lionse meetings here AA'ith the aid of 
the Farm Bureau awnt. We have a 
six'.-iker from Cornell, and also dis¬ 
cuss local ami Inircan topics ;iiid Red 
Cross AA'ork. Such meetings are ver.v 
successful, and are eroAvdod ’way be¬ 
yond capacit.v by friends and neigh¬ 
bors Avho take but little interest in 
tin- institutes at rhe town. If it is 
the ob.iect of the educational force 
of this State to get in touch with the 
real life of the people, and caia-y their message b* 
the farm home, these local meetings are the right 
n-ay in the right place. Time was when the College 
of Agricnirure and its aims Avere little known and 
much l8S,s appreciated by the mass of the farm popu¬ 
lation, and I have .seen the old hard-ho.-uls .get hlaek 
in the face dtui-niiicing hook-learning as applied to 
plain farming. But when one meets these men face 
to face and listens to honest. oi»en-hearted effort to 
advance the interest of rural folks and make life 
better woitii the living on these old hills, it .sure 
takes' a cast-iron conseienee not at least to meet 
them half way and give them credit for disinter¬ 
estedness. 
THE PERkSONAL TOUCH.— Now it ha .s come to 
a parting of the Avays. Today the average farmer 
Tractor Fitted for Use on Much Soils in Wayne Co., N. Y. Fig. 308 
meadoAVs, . Yet it is easily eradicated h.v the use of 
limestone. GA-eh on the poorest land.s, h.v hringing 
about a heavy seeding of clover, although avo ha a *' 
not carried this to the logical conclusion, and it ma.\- ' 
mean a short rotation. Avhich is not very bad at tluit. 
.\lso I think sheep Avill keep it doAvn. At least tln-rc 
Is very little as yet in my sheep pasture, Avhile ad¬ 
joining lUdds of the same character are completely 
covered. 
SHEEP AND LIME.—Sheep and ground limestoiu- 
make a Avonderfnl comhination anyway, and insist¬ 
ence on this theory, Avith assistance in the practice, 
Avould return thousands of acres of the.se old land.s 
to abundant prosperity. Enconra.gement of avooI 
lAOoiing nniversall.v, as practiced by some communi¬ 
ties. and practical shoe]) lore in breeding and ])icking 
the prime clips make interesting 
topics that Avill snrel.v hold the atten¬ 
tion of rural i>eople, cspeciall.v the 
hack farmer Avho.so hoi]) has gone and 
who.se Avorking days are passing. Dis¬ 
cussing these ])i'ohlems. and limliiig 
some Avay to .get these old hills again 
populated Avith Avooll.A’-haoks is a live 
topic and sure to hold the attention 
of the rural people Avherever they can 
he assembled. 
FTTITHER ADVANTAGES.—I do 
not Avish to criticize again, hut .just 
to mention; Last Winter instructors 
came to the county scjit to liold an 
extension school, and nobody seemed 
to Avish to play the role of ])ni);l. But 
I Avoidd be perfectly Avilling to .gaiii- 
hle that this same course offered in 
any rural schoolroom in the State 
Avonld have had n packed house evcr.v 
session. Earmc'rs have their chore.s 
to do in Wintei*, ;ind Avork long hours 
all Summer, and the city nnin AAiio 
entices them to the nearest toAA ii in 
any luniilM-rs must olLm something 
unusual ami very interesting in the 
educational liiu'. On the other hand, 
rural ])oo])le Avill go to their iu\ir(?st 
.schooihouse eA’onings in tlie Summer, 
or :ill (hi.v ill the Winter. Tiie.v do 
not IniA'e to dre.ss formally or the farm 
AA'oman does not risk a gibe if she 
does not Avear the latest in hats. 
Put yourself in his place and see his 
point of vieAV. Once yon reach the 
mass it is easy to organize them, or 
got the more enterprising to meet yon 
an.v way .a'ou like. n. l. iiatiiaavay. 
Schuyler Co., N. Y. 
I)i the !]fidst of Ayyic IIarrest. Fig. 3to 
and yon will see an insiaiit resjionsi'. As they say, 
"Tell ns somethiii.g new." 
GETTING DOWN TO EARTH.—Instead of hav¬ 
ing one grand effort at the small town hall, as was 
the custom of the old-time institute force, it seems 
as if it were fe.-isihle to hold schoolhon.se meetings 
(.luring the Summer and Fall under the unspicos of 
the Farm Bureau as Ave liJiA'e been doing here, and 
get in touch and aciinaiiited Avith the ver.v problems 
of the plain people themselves. Once get their 
frioiidship ami attention it surely Avonhl not lie any 
effort to assemble crowds that Avonld make the 
former gatherings "look like .‘10 cents." As a sugges¬ 
tion hei’e W(‘ are overrun with (hwil’s paint hrn.sh or 
(■range hawkweed. It means the practical ahandoii- 
meiit of thunsauds of acres that were formerly good 
Plow Early for Wheat 
ARI.Y preparation of land for 
•J Avheat is an advantage. Fol- 
low('(l at intervals by harroAvin?;. 
Aveed f^roAvth is prevented, soil mois- 
tni-e conserA'ed, Avhile by keeping up 
a good tilth, a seed hod results which 
in.snres promi)t germination ami 
growth of the seed. Not only is the 
cost of preparing the land for the 
cro]) materially lessoned, hut the yield 
is increased, ;iiul the practice is con¬ 
sidered aiiionj' ])ractical i.inuers as 
linaucially profitable. 
In a nmont experiment, by starting 
tlH' plow immediately after Imi-Amstin;; 
the pi'ovions cro]), c(»nsiderahle in¬ 
crease in yield av:is noted ov(H' Sep- 
t(mi])er plowing. Many.farmers think 
that by allowing the avihmIs to get a 
good .growth, tlu'y are turning nmh'r 
hnmu.s Avhich is valualile as a fertiliz¬ 
ing eleimad'. In the t(‘st two large 
plots laid side by side, oi»e being 
]»loAved al)ont the first of August, the other Septem¬ 
ber 7. The ground Avas comparatively free from 
weeds at the lii'st plowing, while in the later plOAv- 
ing the land had a coat about a foot high of heavy 
-Aveeds. The earl.v plot Avas disked twice to keep 
the Aveeds in check. T'he late-plowed plot was 
disked live times immediately after plowing to 
prepare for .sowing. Both liidtls wi're seeded Sep¬ 
tember 12 at the rate of a Ini.shel and a (inarter of 
seed per acre. At the time of .seeding the early 
plot Avas moist three inches below the surface, while 
the late-plowed Avas dr.v. The seed .germinated 
pr(»mi)tl.v (ju the earl.v plowed tield, Avhile the seed 
remained dormant until about October 1 on the other 
lield. The yield in thrashed Avheat Avas nearly 
eight bushels in favor of early plowing. Early 
