Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1885-12-03
A COLLEGE FOR FARMERS.
The Need Of Better Facilities for
Agricultural Education.
A Practical Farmer Pleads for Practi-
cal Education for the Sons of Farm
eys--Afarked Contrast Between MIS-
Sissipp; and South CaroiiEa Expe-

~ ~. sissippi and South Caroline ~
- .Saltu 81
as 1ss zslsior .o lgslos an an
;5ts,Srss7 J. {5ol. ope, of the galumbi
I2ecist says ehe laughed hearth
s At Capt. B. 3: Tillmah s Bsnnetts
: vile speech, and then explains tha
ssgeiyBedy Laughed, nding Ii
speak ker, until they sat down en- hi
resolutions, and then he did not laugI
so much" Nero fddled while Rom
was burning, and if Col. Pope Cal
2 only See cause for laughter in tina
speech and those resolutions, he j
less of a.patriot and statesman thai
] give him credit for being. 81
knows full well that while there wa
much laughing it was anything bu
q comedy yaand that the farmers be
hind the railing would have passed
these resolutions if they had had .
voice in the matter, and believe th'
farmers within the railing-the dele
gates-would have passed them hao
there been no adjournment and eau
cussing. None OF my facts was con
troverted, none of my arguments Wal
met and overturned, and although
was "sat upon" I am not crushed OF
silenced. I,expected nothing else
attacking as did the College in the
house of its friends, and the board o.
agriculture in it's own house. l did
not go to Bennettsville to pass resolu.
tions, but to point out to the farmers
of this State now they are duped and
robbed Of their just rights by our
lawmakers. What 1 sought was an
! audience of intelligent farmers. The
farmers did the listening, the poll
ticians the vo'ing, and that explains
why the resolutions failed to pass.
Doubtless my attempt, single hand
ed and alone, to reform some of the
abuses and right some of the wrongs
under which our farmers suff ~ can
only be liksned to Don Quixote's tilt
against the windmill, (my arguments
met only wind, not refutation,) but
could I speak to South Carolina as /
spoke to Marlboro there would be
some fine somersaulting to get on my
side, I imagine.
I may be crank-I acknowledge
to being an enthusiast on the subject
of agricultural advancement and en-
lightenment-but, if 80, 1 am more
than satisfied with my company. !
sent that speech to Gen. Stephen D.
Lee, president of the Mississippi Ag
ricultural and Mechanical College,
and asked for facts and data to sus.
tain my position. Here is the reply
of that distinguished soldier, who
rose as rapidly as any officer in the
Confederate army, and always sus.
tanned himself grandly in every po.
sition he occupied. South Carolina
is Justly proud Of him, and it were
we'll for her to give ear to what he
says and profit BY his counsel. As a
civilian he is doing more for the
farmers Of his adopted State than all
the Confederate brigadiers" from
Virginia to Texas.
- GEN. LEES LETTER.
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MISS, /
y October 81, 1885.
Capt. B. B. Tillman-My Dear Sir /:
On receipt Of your letter I mailed
you such literature bearing on the
tmatter in hand asI could find, inclgd.
esta Iesgssae tiers, legislative d
port. &C., some extending b the
starting of the college. I 4M you
new copy of letter written last
January to- Col. Edgar, of the Ar
KANSAS Industrial College, which will
obviate the necessity Of my writing
at length except to add. l also mail
q copy Of the report of a Convention
OF Agricultural College Presidents in
Washington in Jriy last, marking my
parts Of the discussions. I point to
Pref. Knopp, also, as the ripest agri-.
culturist in that convention.
I have read your speech. You are
in the main correct. Unless our
Southern people change, our boys
will be "hewers of wood and drawers
of water" to strangers. Any system
Of farming that gradually impover-
ishes land is criminally wrong. There
are lands in the old country to day
that bear one hundred fold more than
they, did in the days of William the
Conqueror. Our present system is in
direct violation Of the commonest
principles of agricultural science, rob-
bing the land constantly and not re-
storing the plant food extracted and
moved off in the crops. The best
farmer is only modest engineer of
nature, as to her laws. he must
comprehend the sciences underlying
agriculture, including all the natural
sciences, to attain success as a farmer.
Yet our farmers take their smartest
boys, expend thousands to make them
professional men, who have books
and books of cases, precedents, &c.,
Ito hit any case that arises, while Of
the Ounce they make farmer-the
boy who has to understand nature
and her laws. Then again the edu-
Gated gentleman who has been train
ed for literature or the professions
goes to farming. Never having had
that technical drilling necessary to
make 9 farmer, which is deemed 80
essential in all other professions, pur-
suits or trades to insure success, he
has TO serve long apprenticeship,
and often dissipates his capital before
be learns anything about the busi.