The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-06-04
THE EAST TENNESSEE FARMERS CON
VFNTION.

The East Tennessee Farmers Con-
vention metin Knoxville, May q, u
and %, and was a success, although
but for the destructive storms then
prevailing, the attendance would
have been much larger. The meet
ings were held in Science Hall OF n
University of Tennessee, an instltu-
ton which is doing a great work
under the management of it's Pres1-
dent, DR.. Charles w. Dabney. Ten
nessee has no A. and M. College, but
the agricultural department of the
University is doing a work for agrl
cultural education which compares
favorably with that done by any
other Southern college. And to the
progressive young professor of agri-
culture, Andrew NJ. Soule, is due
much praise for untiring work in be-
half of this East Tennessee Farmers
Convention.
A very interesting program had
been arranged for this convention,
and only in two or three instances
were the speakers absent. One of
the most striking figures was that OF
ex-Gov. W. D. Hoard, of Wisconsin,
widely known as the editor of
Hoard's Dairyman, which he says he
''started with $3.50, a sick wife and
three babies as capital" He stated
that when he began publishing his
paper the average wheat product n
per acre in the county was eight
bushels nOwiti is twenty-five. Sixty
per cent. of the farms we're then
under mortgage now only seven.
Yet the soil is not as fertile, he said,
as that of Tennessee. We of the
South should bear this in mind as
another proof the value of scientific
agriculture. "The great trouble
with the farmer, " said G. =. Hoard,
els that he has too many COrns on his
hands and not enough on his head"
Another prominent agriculturist
who appeared on Tuesdays program
was Prof. Thomas Shaw, of the Uni
versity of Minnesota. To Prof. Shaw
more than to any other man is due
the present popularity of rape as a
sOiling crop in the Western States.
His subject Tuesday was Feeding
Cattle for Beef" He did not think
the heavier breeds were bestfOr Ten
nessee hills. "Why spend millions
every year for fertilizers when cat
~tle-growing is so profitable, and you
could thereby get your fertilizers
free?" he asked,
President Dabney made an inter
esting talk on Rural Schools" spe-
cially emphasizing the points made
in his paper on Education and Pro
duction," republished on another
page of this issue of the Progressive
Farmer.
George William Hill, Prof. Charles
A. Mooers, and Mr.. Fl. A. Clark also
made short addresses Tuesday.
Sh~eep-raising was the paramount
subject Wednesday morning. Prof.
Thomas Shaw declared that the
South was better adapted to this
form of agriculture than his own
section. He thought that sheep
raising could be made very profitable
in the South. DR.. T. w. Jordan as
serted that no other stock paid such
handsome returns upon capital in
vested. Senator James D. Tillman,
of Lincoln county, Tennessee, was
present and was formally thanked
for his work in behalf of his dog law
bill.
The circuit bill, we are glad to say,
was endorsed IL a strong resolution.
Dairymen and their friends must
keep up the fight for this righteous
measure.
Some weeks ago Mr.. Joseph w.
Young, of Clinton, Tenn, wrote for
the Progressive Farmer u very inter
esting article on 1.-THE Short Course
in Agriculture" in the University of
Tennessee UpJn the same subject
he made a thoughtful talk Wednes-
day. 1t aroused much interest, and
a discussion ensued, in the course of
which Gov. Hoard said that he had
200 applications from wealthy ranch
men and farmers wanting him to find
them good, educated young men to
take the management of their farms.
Il could do little in this line, I am
sorry to say, because the supply is
not equal to the demand, but l could
have sent them doctors and lawyers