The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-20
TUSKEGEE CONFERENCE
EDUCATORS TELL OF WORK BE
 ING DONE.
A Committee is Appointed to Pre- pare a Suitable Expression of Sorrow Over the Death of
 Dr. J. L.M.Curry.

Tuskegee, Feb. 1s.-tSpecial. 1.-The twelfth annual session of the Workers Conference met in the lecture room of the Carnegie Library Building at 10 a. m. Professor Washington presided. A state ment from Prof. R. C. Bruce showed that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the teaching of agriculture in its broadest sense, covering agriculture in the city and country schools, the hndergar- ten and by extensive lectures.
 Dr. Dunton, President of Clafiin Uni versity, Orangeburg, s. C., spoke of his deep interest in the subject and the value of 1t to the masses but said it was very difficult to interest the young people in 1t.
 Professor Hathaway of the State Nor nal School at Frankfort, Ky, spoke of the same difficulties pointed out by Dr. Dunton. He thought the different man. ner of dressing on the part of the students in the class room and those on the farm and in the shops might have a good deal to do with it, and suggested something Of a seraI ation beeween the departments, in a way that the contrast in dress might not be so apparent. In the separation, he would give not less but more honor to the industrial than to the literary.
 pr. Chaffee of Bishop College. Marshall, Tex, wondered how much the thought of compensation had entered into the matter of industrial training. Professor Hath away thought where student worked all day on the farm and got his schooling at night, he should be paid something to encourage good work.
 R. L. Smith of Oakland, Tex, spoke of Extension" work in the country. He mentioned the agricultural hreside,a a where practical teaching in agriculture should become a part of the family life. He encouraged the offering of prizes for the best horse, COW or other stock and the best samples of farm products, grain, vegetables and fruit.
 W. E. Benson of Kowaliga, Fillmore County told of their six years experi- ence with agricultural fairs. At first they gave premiums, but for three years gave none but sought to stimulate the people to do we'll purely for the good they got out of the crop and stock themselves. Now the merchants of different places of fer premiums. Under both methods the fairs have been a great help in improv- ing the agriculture of the county He spoke of a valuable demonstration they had made there of the superiority of barn yard manure over commercial fertilizers. One man from three acres enriched by barn yard manure, raised 160 bushels of oats, 52 of corn, 25 of peas, 25 of potatoes.
 
 farming. as many boys who do not like to study farming are very ready to study agriculture.
 W. J. Edwards of Snow Hill Ala, spoke of the Black Belt Improvement Society" They have 100 members There are ten de- grees in 1t. The first must have a desire to do better. tha second must have three chickens and a pig, the third degree COW, fourth degree one acre of land, fifth degree one acre and house, sixth degree forty acres of land and a mule, seventh degree, eighty acres and two mules. He said they had only got to the seventh de- gree. Five have reached the seventh. The possession of the property confers the degree.
 Rev. c. B. Curtis of Beloit, Ala, told of the work of the Industrial Missionary Society there. They try to stop renting and mortga ging. to help in buying land, | to improve churches and schools, and. in every way, to make country life more at- | tracuve and profitable. We work through natural agencies, taking the churches, schools and homes as we find them. We have $2000 school building as a central school and have aided many of the schools"
 President Booker of Little Rock, Ark, spoke of agriculture in the city schools. He uses very foot of space on his campus of five acres for the encouragement of ag- riculture. He has no croquet or tennis ground or even flowers, but puts all into some form of gardening He expects to start the practice of renting vacant lots in Little Rock for agriculture We begin this work in the city to take 1t into the country. l have secured 100 acres of land five miles in the country and propose to extend my work to that point, having those who want to make agriculture a profession live on the farm"
 pr. Pollard, President of Selma Univer- sity, said he had been thinking of this work in connection with his school. They have thirty acres of land which has here tofore been rented. He now uses 1t him. self. He goes out on the ground and works with the students. In this way they come to regard the work in differ ent light and take great interest In 1t.
 Professor Savage of Nixburg, Ala, said he had 24O acres of land for his school He has the children organized to assist their parents by little plots, near their homes, which they cultivate They make their own choice as to what they will raise. We are trying to have every school in the county cultivate a small farm with a view to help run the schools and to give experience in improved agriculture
 Mir. Potts of Notasulga said the leafiet on the Milk Cow issued by Tuskegee had been of great service 10 him. From two cows I sell enough butter to buy the flour. coffee and sugar for my family and three boys that board with me and go to school"
 Lemon. of the Calhoun school. said i've try to show the people that their food comes out of the soil. The white man who advances to us gets 1t out of the soil not out of the air. We must do the same. There are 336 colored farm CTS in Lowndes County who own or man age their farms and 5.s35 that do not own or manage their farms. These 336 men have come to their condition through get ting their food out of the soil. Our chill dren have their gardens and they do the work in them."
 Prof. Carver told of Nature Studies, Agricultural Extension Studies which can be had free from Tuskegee, Hampton. Cornell University, Ithaca. N. Y, and other Agricultural schools. He also spoke