The times., 1899-06-25
The Farmers, Institutes.


The Farmers Institutes.
The farmers institutes, which the wit
ness styled the adult schools for farmers,
are increasing in membership. They are
at present organized in thirty States. THE
methods of the institutes are passing
through an interesting stage" said the
witness. When the organizations were
first started, the farmers desired to hear
only local men who were experienced in
farming in the immediate vicinity of the
institute. Now the tendency is to hear ex-
perts from either the Government expert
mental stations or from the State agricul-
tural departments.
This continued the witness, Indicates
a growing appreciation on the part of the
farmer of agricultural education
In many States travelling schools for the
teaching of agriculture have been estab-
lished
In speaking OF the manner in which he
thought agricultural education can be in
troduced into the curriculum of the ele-
mentary schools, the witness stated that it
should be begun by teaching children in
studies which viii give them thorough
knowledge of nature. One of the greatest
obstacles in the way of establishing such
a course of study, Mr.. True considered to
be the conservatism of the agricultural
classes which generates considerable op-
position to new methods. Great Britain
has no organized system Of agricultural
education and experiment. She has been
particularly backward in this respect.
The witness stated that although there
is a strong prejudice among farmers TO
what they call -book-learning," the agri-
culturist is coming more and more to
read, enjoy. and gain profit from the
literature to which he has access.
Experiment Stations.
The present system of experiment sta
tions was established twenty five years
ago, and during the past ten years more
than Sl0,000,000 has been expended in
tiis way, 600 coming from the Fed
eral Government and $4,000, 600 from the
States. During that time agricultural
products have been raised in this country
to the value Of thirty billion dollars The
system of experiment stations in this coun-
try is most complete and also the most
successful way to advance the industry
ever known. They had done much to pro-
tect the farmer against fraud in fertilizers,
had made it possible for the farmer to get
rid of injurious insects, and had in many
instances improved the quality of the crops
grown.
Prof. Holmes testimony bore particular
ly on the subject of agricultural trusts
He declared such combinations TO be of
the utmost benefit to producers wherever
entered into. and cautioned the Commits
sion that in the suppression of trusts and
combines controlling manufactured arti-
cles laws be not enacted that would de-
priye the farmer from combining with his
neighbor to save freight charges and get
ting advantages in the sale of his produce
The California Fruit Growers Associa-
tion was cited by the witness as an exam
pie of the benefits of organization among
agriculturists. He said that before the
combination was made the individual own
er OF an orange orchard or grape vineyard
was at the mercy of the middleman, who
offered him whatever he pleased for his
crop, and If the offer was refused the
farmer in shipping his fruit to the city on
consignment to a commission merchant
was oftentimes compelled to take even less
Under the present arrangement, the as
sociation hires an expert man TO market
the goods in the best markets of the world
and arrangements are made with railroads
whereby the best rates are obtained. The
result has been great financial benefit to
the fruit grower of California
Store Credit system.
The store credit system of the cotton
growing States was one of the evils aff,ict
ing that section of the country which the
witness argued should be remedied by the
State legislation. 1t has long been the
custom of cotton planters TO mortgage
their crop in advance for supplies. Under
the system by which these mortgages are
given the merchant dictates the number of
acres OF cotton that the farmer shall plant
which results in a large overprduction
The Agricultural Department estimates the
actual cost of raising pound of cotton at
5.27 cents, and when cotton sells at 8
cents, or even lower, as it has done lately.
the witness figured that 1t was running
the raiser more and more into debt.
Prof. Holmes stated that in 1890 there
were S,50O,000 persons employed in agri-
cultural pursuits, and their average yearly
earnings were only s215 each. These fig
ures showed, he continued, that farming
is the poorest paid Of any of the great in
dustrial occupations.
The prices of most agricultural products
are and have been for years declining The
reduction of freight rates had given the
farmers new problem to solve, as 1t had
made them competitors with one another,
which is almost of as great Importance as
the fact that foreign competitors have been
created. The Eastern farmer in competi-
tion with the West had to change his
agriculture materially. The gradual ex-