St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-12-18
EDUCATING FARMERS.

Net Every Farmer Can BE- Educated In ~
Agricultural College.
Under the most favorable conditions
and most liberal policy ON the part Of
the state, only small proportion Of
farmers can be educated in agriculture
al schools The agricultural and me-
chanical colleges may be said to edu-
cate . small portion of the coming
generation only, while large major.
ity Of the farmers. too old to attend
agricultural colleges. but not too old
to learn. are rs much in need of in.
straction as the boys who are to he the
farmers hereafter Most Of the states.
even those not counted as agricultural
states have made provision whereby
all farmers who will may learn all that
is embraced in the combined wisdom Of
the best farmers in the different couu.
ties OF districts. They have provided
for the systematic holding of insti-
tutes. such ~ have been found SO use
full 70 teachers. that wherever public
schools are provided teachers insti.
tutes are held to be . necessary feature
Of the school system. Farmers' insti-
tutes are held to be . necessary feature
Of the school system. Farmers insti.
tutes are rs usefsl TO farmers rs teach-
ers' institutes 10 teachers. So true is
this that We do not hesitate to say that
there has never been scheme tried or
suggested that has been SO benefici Il
to agricultural committees Is farmers
institutes. where the farmers Of u con.
muuity meet together for the purpose
of asking and answering questions per.
tanning 70 their vocation and of mak-
ing every ones experience and knowl-
edge common property. In = certain
community in Wyoming there was one
farmer who regularly, year after year.
made from 451 to $40 bushels of pOta.
toes per acre. VIII IL his neigh bors were
growing from 15O to 200 bushels. At .
farmers institute this farmer was
called on to explain his method Of
growing potatoes The result is that
now they all do it. aud that county
has becVme famous and farmers prOs-
porous from this special crop Que man
making this year sss bushels ON an
acre. winning prise Of SsoO therefor.
II has often been rem1-lxed that one
progressive farmer moving into .
eiyhborhood Of unthrifty and unsuc-
cessful ones causes revolution in
methods among his immediate neigh
bors. His example il contagious. and
his neighbors profit by it. The infiu.
ence Of = farmers institute is similar,
bat much broader; it reaches all who
have enough desire for information to
influence their attendance. And more
than this: Facts are brought out in in.
stitutes that would never DO ocnlarly
observed. Every state sna territory in
the Union. except Texas, Nevada and
Alaska, have some sort Of = system Of
fsrmers' institutes, encouraged aud
sustained by law. It il Illuminating to
every thoughtful Texan that the great
est Of all the agricultural states has
never had = legislature with enough
foresight aud public spirit to take such
action - has 50 greatly benefited oth-
er states. lis still more humilating
fact that number Of alleged farmers
who have been sent TO the legislature
opposed farmers institutes, preferring
= reputation for parsimony rather than
for progress. We believe more farm.
ers should DO sent 70 our state lexisla-
lures. but they should be intelligent
aud progressive men. not simply Windy.
Jims. who have NO higher ambition
than 10 turn over chips to see whether
there be any bugs under them.-Tsxas
Farm and Ranch.