Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-07-02
The Agricultural College.

| EDITORS CHRONICLE: / see from the
| CHRONICLE that at the meeting of the
"tarmers' Club of your county last Sat-
/ urday, several members found fault with
the way in which the Agricultural College
is run, and gave the Trustees of the East
Tennessee University some instructions
about their business. AS the ideas put
| forward there and my own are pretty much
alike, wish to say word in the matter,
| The truth is, Messrs. Editors, L don't know
much about farming myself. 1 am one of
those old fellows who haveseen something
| of life, as the world goes, who know Il lit
tie about good many things, and have at
| last turned their attention to agricultural
| pursuits.
Now, I don't see why the money which
| has been given by Congress for the College
at Knoxville should be spent in teaching
| the bows of the State, and why the middle
| aged and old men, who need teaching just
as much as the boys do, should not get
their share of it? / know it may be said
that if we too want to learn we ought to
90 to College with the rest of the scholars
But of course that would not suit. The
bows would laugh themselves most to
death to see us old fellows coming there
and sitting on the benches along with
them, and saying lessons. 1t wonld be too
funny No, sir Let them send the College
circulate it free gratis. [ expected to sub
scribe for newspaper next year, but be-
Iieve I'll wait now and see if that College
newspaper is coming out. And let them
hire lecturers to come and tell us what
they know about farming. [ should say
that, in general there ought to be
one lecturer to every two or three coun-
ties. Scott and Morgan, and counties like
them, would not need SO many, one lively
tol oh
answer for six or eight such counties But
Knox and some other counties ought every
one to have lecturer for ITSELF Only let
him 90 round and tell the people what he
knows about farming, especially those who
have lust begun the business, and they'll
learn fast enough. 1t is all stuff to talk of
College learning being necessary for boys
who are to be farmers. Let them grow up
to be men first. Then let a lecturer come
round, and talk to them and explain things
and they'll be all right. Their papas didn't
have any College learning and why should
they? To be sure, Congress seems to have
thought the boys ought to have it; but
what does Congress know about it?
And then as to the Model Farm. 1t is said
that it would eat up the money of the Col |
lege faster than it would come in But what |
is its money good for, but to spend and the |
teaching of boys at College is not to be set
alongside of having, splendid farm for
everybody to see as he "rides by" Now,
Messrs. Editors, I'll go further than that, |
and say that I'm not only in favor of the |
Trustees of the University hiring lecturers |
to 90 over all the State and lecture the peO-
pie, and of their printing All Agricultural
newspaper that shall be sent free to every |
farmer, and of their having q model farm
on grand scale that everybody can see as
he "rides by;n but go further and say
Pm in favor Of the Trustees starting and
running mandatory of. farm nipple
ments at Knoxville, and giving every
farmer a pillow and thresher, &C., upon
condition that he will come or send and
take them away, without any expense to
the Trustees. I do not know but it would
be right that the Trus ees should be re-
quired besides to give every such farmer a
mule or yoke of oxen, and hire small
boy to drive at fifty cents a day, at leas
until the crop is gathered. But l will
not insist on that for the present.
Now, Messrs. Editors, this plan has
good many advantages. You see the Col
lege was made i am told, for the mechanics
as well as the farmers. And such factory
would help the mechanics by giving them
work to do, and it would help the fa mers
by giving them implements free. The
only objection to the plan is that the
farmers would fare better than the mechan-
les, who have just as much right to the
College money. But that could be over
looked for the time. After a while it might
be arranged to give tools of different kinds
to all the mechanics in the State, provided
they would come and take them away
without any expense to the Trustees.
A FRIEND TO COOP FARMING.