The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1884-02-28
An Agricultural Bureau for Ar
kansas.

From the Little Rock Gazette,l
believe that all TIC northern and
most Of the southern states have es-
tablishcd Boards OF Agriculture, and
as Arkansas is now becoming one OF
the progressive states it is needful
for the interest Of her farmers that
they should have Commissioner OF
Agriculture. The southern farmer
is quitting the sail cotton plan" and
lis trying to diversity bis crops, and
in doing so needs all the assistance
he can get The exclusive planting
of cotton, with which to purchase
supplies the southern farmer uses, is
impoverishing the land and the far
mers Il Is stated on good authority
! mat The southern farmers have sent
to the north since the close of the
war about 100000, 900 to pay for
the hay, corn, flour, meal, horses
and mules which they could easily
have raised at home, and have kept
tie 1our thousand million of dollars
that have been sent north. Had this
money been kept In the south, by
the farmers raising their own sup.
plies, then the cotton crop would
have been smaller and the price more
remunerative, and while lis true that
the world is greatly benefited by
having cheap cotton, clio not know
that it is necessity that the farm
ers Of the should form themselves
into charitable institution and beg
gar themselves that the world may
have cheap clothing. A few years
since it was stated in the north and
believed in the south, that the south
could raise no grass upon which
meat producing animals could be
raised, while tits true that the south
has better and more grasses than the
north. About lst December | saw
Kentucky blue grass eighteen inches
high and good sod. Besides this
the south has at least fifty native
winter grasses on which cattle can
Craze all winter. An experiment
made at the agricultural college of
Mississippi showed that by the use
boiled cotton seed and hay tat could
be put on beef cattle for less than 2
cents per pound during winter. In
the north, to do the same, it will cost
10 cents per pound, as reported in
their experiments.
In our state, as well as over the
north, cattle, hogs, horses and sheep
are often diseased and great numbers
die. The farmers know no cure for
these diseases, and there should be
some one appointed who could exam
inc into these things, and Apply some
remedies for cure. The southern
farmer knows but little of the culti-
walton of grasses or their value. For
generations his muscles and sweat
has been expended in killing grass
in his cotton field, and he has been
taught to believe that grass was the
worst enemy a farmer had. They
are learning different now; but still
they have a heap to learn; and 1T is
necessary that they should have an
agricultural bureau to test the differ
ent grasses and report in the papers,
so that tho farming world could learn
those that are valuable and those
that are worthless.
The farmer is the one on which
the prosperity of our state depends,
and it is nothing but right that some
Of the money he pays for taxes should
be expended for his benefit. What
should be his duties ! scarcely know,
but think that he should have a
small farm on which experiments in
agriculture could be carried on and
reported to the farmers. 1t need not
be large or expensive. A small one
will answer all the purposes. At
some future time l will write more
fully on this subject.
Respectfully,