The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-02-14
FARMERS INSTITUTES.
Need of Them, Their Work and
Field of Operation.


Field of Operation.
The following excellent article was read
by the Hon. U. P. Hancock, of Bell county,
before the Farmers Institute at its ses-
sion on Thursday:
1t is said there is time for all things
If this has any foundation in fact land
suppose it has) it may serve to teach us
the valuable lesson that, when the time for
doing thing does come, then is the time
to do it. Many important enterprises and
movements have perhaps failed for the
reason that they were commenced either
before or after the right time had come.
The conditions we're not favorable, the
forces necessary to energize and give life,
vigor and success were too remote and un-
developed for use or were wasted by lapse
of time. There must be a fitness of things
to assure success in all the undertakings
of life. Progress in all things is made by
steps, each step preparing the way for the
next and succeeding one. The world
has advanced from chaos to the
beauty and order that now reigns
everywhere, and from Ignorance and su-
perstition to its present civilization and
Enlightenment through a succession of
advancing steps or periods. Every divis-
ion Of human industry and thought has
been marked by periods, each one ending
in some advancement, measured more or
less by the conditions that attended them.
Religion, science, politics, literature and
the arts have all had their varying Pc
RODS of progress and development, each
contributing largely to the great volume of
civiizing and enlightening forces that
have so elevated the world at the end of
the nineteenth century. SO, too, has the
, history of agriculture been marked, as
cending as it has step by step from the
most rude and primitive modes to
its present advanced position, all
the while perhaps contributing more
of the oivilizing helps to man
kind than all other human influences com
bined.
Ever since the day when Adam was
placed in the garden ito dress and to
keep it," the soil, the increase of the
earth, in other words agriculture has been
prime factor in sustaining man and
moving on the worlds progress. In most
ages and countries of the past, it has been
one of the first objects of government to
foster and sustain agriculture, and in
many cases it was considered of the very
highest Importance to the public good
And even at the present day the govern
ments of the old world are far in advance
of our own in the public support and en-
couragement given to agriculture. sup
pose this may be accounted for on the
ground that it is assumed, and especially
80 of Texss, that its youth, natural vigol
and buoyancy are sufficient for it to pro
vide for itself, al it may have been &c
with other countries when of a correspond
10 AY,xy hn nFlI
moves, and the cause of agriculture with it
onward and ut of the ole methods aud
systems as the demand and favorable con
ditions for a change come up, and Texas
is found in line with it, responding to the
calls of enlightened and progressive agri
culture.
It is also said that NECESSITY is the
mother of invention" This is perhaps
true in certain sense, but we must ap
ply it rightly in order to do justice tC
mother necessity, for there are a great
many inventions she wsuld refuse to rec
ognize as her offspring. The prinoipa
office of necessity is to force us to use the
means in our reach TO accomplish
certain desirable ends. To illustrate, WI
are travelling a new route over an unex
plored region, and come to a stream tina
effected only by the aid of boat o.
bridge, neither of which are at hand, blu
the means of constructing one or thu
other are. and pressing nece sity is upoI
us to Gross over, so we go to work using
the means at our command, and soon hav,
improvised boat or bridge and passed
over. This, think, clearly shows tn
part necessity is expected to act in thu
affairs of men, or at least sufficiently 81
for my present purpose.
Then in line with the idea have ad
vsnced regarding progress and develop
ment, the agriculture, like everything els,
that contributes to the material prosperit!
of a country, is evolved or worked uE
by succession of advancing steps. Hence
it is that we seldom find instances wher
improved methods in agriculture are fol
lowed in the early settlement of country
although many of the people may hav
come from countries where they wer
practiced and themselves in habits, knowl
edge and inclination prepared for it, bu
the environments were not favorable to il
Under such circumstances men are to-
isolated, the means of communication an,
transportation too limited and the neces
sary preparations not yet made On tn
farm.
The frat or rudimental work in mos
cases in building homes in a new countr.
must necessarily be slow and the method
need quite primitive, for the people ar
generally poor, especially those engage
in farming.
This foundation work consists in tn
erection of temporary buildings TO
dwelling and other purposes, fencin
and blowing the virgin soil, and cultlvat
ing with such implements as may be pro
cured at the neighboriDg country shops
During this period the habits of the pee
pie are industrious and economical, thei
wants few, and with the increase of live
stock and advances Of land the way i
soon opened for further advance or for
ward movement in agriculture. Town
and villages spring up, postottices ar
multiplied, railroad and telegraph line
soiIo, sociatv IL in nroved and genera