The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-03-12
THE AGRICULTURAL MOSES.

To he Editor Of tie Ne,os and Courier
Il am farmer bu. am decidedly opposed
to Mr.. Tillman's movomens towards organ
izing farmers, as class, to carry any public
measure, and know that go for as my Sec
tion Of South Carolina is concerned it is
not looking for an agricultural Moses to
lead us into that Promise Land. We know
very well that tho State is emineutly an
agricultural community, and we know
equally well that the Legislature Of the
State is composed very largely of farmers,
aud we are not aware that we have any
just reason to complain either Of the laws
or their administration.
There is some difference of opinion on
tho question of free tuition in the Uniyer-
sity, but know of no one VINO sympathizes
with the condemnation of the whole con-
cern. The institution is popular with US
and has Just about as much agriculture
attached to it as we think is necessary for
a college class to take in. We want our
sons educated in all that goes to enlarge
and strengthen the mind without any regard
to what special business they are to. follow.
l have asked several intelligent farmers if
they want to send their sons to an agricul.
tural college, and they all say : NO; wo
think if you will educate boy as it is gen.
orally done in the schools and colleges tha.
we can very easily teach him tho business
of growing crops if he is disposed to learn
The fact that majority of the educated
young men incline to other professions than
agriculture, we think, is due to the fact
that they suppose fame is moro easily at
tained in other professions and not to the
fact that they lack capacity for agricultu>
raj pursuits. We know frst-cass farmers
who have been educated in the different
colleges of tie State, and they like their
business. What farmers want most is moro
general information such as men acquire by
reading and study. IF an agricultural coll
lege would inspire us to rond and think
more it would certainly be good thing but
we fail to see how it would do so any more
than a general education in all the sci
cDccs.
What we want in my country is an agri-
cultural experiment station where impor
tant problems shall be solved for the in
formation Of the whole community. We
want all the money raised dy the privilege
tax on guano for tho support of the agricul-
tural bureau to be expended by the bureau
in conducting such experiments as cannot
be safely engaged in by farmers themselves.
For instance, if the State had an expert.
mental farm, the question of tobacco grow
ing could be Sc tiled once for all and save
perhaps large loss to farmers who arc temp
ted to try the experiment for themselves
| regard with more interest the reports of
agricultural experiments than all other pg-
ricultural writings combined, aud I regard
reports of agricultural experiment stations,
such as Ohio and New York have asy more
important than reports of private expert
mepts, because individual experiments are
more liable to jump at conclusions.
If the State will pay the expense of coleo
ting the phosphate royalty out of the royalty
itself, and allow the agricultural bureau to
spend all the special fund raised by the
privilege tax en- guano entirely iu the in
terest of the class which pays the tax, we
have one of the fin Est and most useful ex.
pertinent stations in the United States
We will be satisfied when this arrange
ment is made. We think it can be made
through our representatives already in the
Legislature without any organization on
our part and without general remodeling
Of the whole governmental machinery.
j. W. BEAsLEY.
Lydia, Darlington Co., S. c., Feb. Is.
| W.