The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1899-08-02

long leaf cactus, and decided to transplant it
into his own garden. On digging it up, how
ever, it developed into squirrel that some
mschievious boys had planted there early
that morning, leaving its tail above ground to
mystify the learned specialist.
So one idea is not likely to insure anything
like a desirable success. The end of life is
perfection and the way of life is development
individual family social and political de-
velopment, which applies to the farmer equal
Nv as much as to. others. Development can be
obtained only by education; which is not an
accumulation of facts arbitrarily crammed in
to the memory but harmonious growth of
the soul-a gradual embodiment of the facu-
ties of man from limited to broader and still
broader fields of action. At one time, not far
distant in the past our schools taught only
the intellect, and not much of that; but to-
day they lead out not only the mental but
physical and moral. History is too full of the
examples of the successes of developed people
and the final failures of those only partially
developed, for the question to need any analy-
sis Then it follows that development should
be the chief aim of the farmer, instead OF
money making.
Now. I know that some will urge here that
DEVELOPMENT cannot be attained without mon
ey and that money-making comes first after all.
There is bit of truth in the first part Of this
statement though not one tenth as much as
people have lead themselves to believe. Mon
ev making is an element in the scheme OF
DEVELOPMENT, but as an element, it is neither
first or last Under present conditions it is
necessity-a necessary element in the entire
nlan-co- existent with other elements such as
work. food, Sleep etc. The farmers educa-
ton should train him, then, above all things,
to estimate the true position of money in the
plan of his life.
The importance of money mans deferred
relations is woefuy exaggerated 10 illustrate:
[ taught school once at $50 per month, board
ed well and saved $12 out of each months SAL
airy. The next year l taught $6o school, did
not get as good board, and at the end of the
term l had hardly enough money to get home
Having a larger salary my wants got bigger
in proportion, you see.
Most farmers spend all the money they make,
and many spend good deal mere than they
make; so if they put five hours or ten hours
a day to money making it makes but little
difference. Therefore they should be trained to
expend certain portion of their time on mon
ey making, and the rest to development. 10
enable them to do this properly, their edu-
cation should if possible be based first, on an
early training in the light tasks, the details,
and in that live interest in farm life which de-
velopes not only the physical nature, but also
important phases of the mental, such as con-
centration, system, method, general determi-
nation and lastly love of nature-all OF which
are essential to full and complete growth of
character
Secondly the farmer needs good public
school education; needs instruction by edu-
Gated trained moral teachers.
Thirdly the farmers education should include
the elements of technical agricultural course,
receiving instructions to the chemical ma
ture of different Soils plants and fertilizers;
also as to the growing, harvesting and con-
serving of produces; and the various require
ments of soils for the production of certain
crops, and the adaptation of crops to certain
Soils Such a course of instruction would be
of immeasurabe value; and it would be
grand thing if all our schools could establish
agricultural classes, which would insure to
cry farmers boy at least the rudiments of his
great calling
Lastly: The farmers education should be
continually broadened by the frequent meet
ing of institutes, and similar conventions Of
farmers and by other CO. operative methods.
These meetings tend to revive the farmers in
terest, and were our people more apprecia-
tive of their real merits, were they properly
educated as farmers, in other words there could
be conception formed of the great good that
would result from the annual sessions In the
first place thew would create a deem interest in