The Marlin
Democrat
Marlin, Texas, Thursday, February 25, 1904
PLANS FOR IMPROVED FARMING
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Government Agent Here In
Interest Of Work
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Mr. A. B. Killnebrew a representative of the
agricultural department of the United States government, is in this city for the
purpose of laying before the farmers of this immediate locality the plans of the
department for demonstrating the value of improved and scientific methods of
farming, particularly the culture of cotton with a view of defeating the cotton
pests and increasing the yield of the product to the acre.
The department is presided over by Dr. Knapp, who has
laid extensive plans for the furtherance of agricultural interests by promoting
improved methods of planting and cultivating.
Mr. Kinnebrew is here for the purpose of securing the
co-operation of as many farmers as possible in the work outlined by the
department.
Briefly stated, the plan is to get the farmers to form
a club whose object is to adopt the improved methods suggested by the department
on a portion of their farms, say from one to twenty acres. Each farmer who goes
into the club, will sign an agreement that he will cultivate a certain number of
acres (to be decided by himself) exactly as the department recommends from time
to time. He will, to begin with, prepare his land just as instructed fertilize
the same if deemed necessary by the department, plant improved seed and in all
repects comply with the suggestions sent him from time to time. For this service
the government charges nothing and the farmer gets the full proceeds of the crop
raised in this way.
This, at once suggests a practical plan of
demonstrating the value of scientific methods in farming and as it costs the
farmer almost nothing to try it, besides getting the full benefit of the results
of the demonstration, it seems that there is no reason why the club proposed
here should not be a very large one.
LATER - A club was perfected today with W. D. Kyser as
president and C. T, Curry as secretary. All farmer who will co-opererate in the
plan of the government are requested to hand or send their names AT ONCE to
either the president or the secretary who will forward them to the department.
It costs absolutely nothing to join - all one obligates himself to do is to
cultivate one or more acres of his cotton along plans sent him from time to time
by the department.
Mr. Kinnebrew stated to the DEMOCRAT that he would
visit this section at intervals during the cotton season and confer with the
farmers. Also that all parties who sign their names to the list will receive
literature on the subject from time to time.
Copyright Permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for
printing by The Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Texas.