El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-06
SCIENTIFIC FARMING
Must Take The Place Of The
Happy Go Lucky Methods
That Have Prevailed
Hitherto.

FORT WORTH, Tex, Dec. 6.-The
City Hall was filled to overlooking at
ten o'clock this morning when the
eighteenth annual Farmers National
congress was called to order. Ex-
Governor William d. Hoard of Wis.
copsin presided and among the dele
gates were representatives OF all the
states and territories of the union and
of several of the Canadian provinces.
After an offer of prayer by Rev.
Alexander G. Garrett, OF Dallas, the
visitors listened to addresses of well
come by Mayor B. B. Paddock, Gov
ernor Charles A. Culberson, President
w E. Skinner of the Fort Worth Live
Stock exchange and others. To these
addresses responses in behalf of the
delegates were delivered by Secretary
John M. Stahl of Illinois, William
Freeman of Maine, and F. L. Maxwell
of Louisiana. After the roll call by
states President Hoard proceeded to
In part as follows:
'T congratulate you on the increased
hope and encouragement that has come
to the homes of the great mass OF
American farmers during the past
year. In almost every branch except
cotton farming, there has been a
manifest improvement in prices. Let
US hope that our brethern of the cotton
field have gained something in econo-
mic knowledge, which is, after all, the
key note to profit everywhere.
Every branch of farming is organ
izing, not only by states, but in ma
tional way, to promote specific knowl-
edge and Q wholesome sense OF ma
tional independence. Never before in
the history of this nation has there
been witnessed such an awakening OF
intellectual activities, such MARSHALL
log OF invention, physical research,
cognste sciences, legislation and educa-
tiou, all in behalf of the American
farmer, as q. the present time.
"Some of the questions for the Farm
ers' congress to ask of itself are:
"What can we do In an organized way
to help this great business OF farming
from lack of comprehension What
continent to see the necessity
of more intellect on the farm? How
can we contribute as force, to the
emancipation OF the farm from the
wasteful effects of ignorance, and help
put in its place the energizing and en-
riching influences of knowledge?. In
other words, what can we do to pro-
mote farm education?
Our common schools recruit the aca-
denny, the college, and the university,
and they, in turn, recruit every pro-
fession but farming. Our young men
flee to the towns and cities because we
have educated them to do so.
NEARLY every European country is
putting forth strenuous effort to stop
this tendency by teaching the elements
of scientific agriculture in the public
schools. 1t can be done as easily as
the teaching of the elements OF scienti-
fic arithmetic, or chemistry or philoso-
ply. A great host of farmers who
were deprived of such teaching, now
find themselves barred from an under
standing of much of agricultural col
lege, the bulletin OF the experiment
station, and the farm paper, that is
really worth anything to them.
"Had these men been taught in
their youth in the common schools,
the meaning of the terms used In agri-
cultural chemistry, something of the
principles OF animal husbandry, some
thing OF the true principles which un-
derlie the preservation of fertility,
they would be, today, in much more
relation with all the con-
stitutes agricultural progress. May
we not hope that this congress will
create sentiment that will greatly
help along this needed educational re-
form?
''No man touches the necessities OF
other man as does the farmer, for he
must feed all the rest. Heretofore