The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1903-02-17
FOR AN AGRICULTURAL BUILDING AT THE
A.. AND m. COLLEGE.

mlTIGG III dS44CuAGuAC ANo Ah0NS " "'OANO ~
mort on the bill to establish a $4,000 agricultural
buiIding at the A. & M. College. This action
was taken last Thursday, and followed a series
Of earnest arguments by Drs. Winston, Burkett,
Stevens and Butler of the College faculty, Com
missioner Patterson of the Board of Trustees, and
Nessrs. Colt, Finley, Squires, Foster and Allen
Of the student body of the College.
The readers of The Progressive Farmer are
familiar with the reasons that make the establish
ment of an agricultural building an imperative
necessity. The writer began urging this matter
three years ago and we have since emphasized it
in season and out of season. There are now 1877
agricultural students while there were only II
two years ago, and the quarters are miserably in
adequate and wretchedly equipped. The farmers,
representing so per cent of the States population,
have paid uncomplainingly the larger part of the
appropriations that have been made year after
year to build and equip the magnificent mechani-
cal and textile buildings at the College. They
now ask that the State provide accommodation
for training their own sons in agricultural work.
The Legislature cannot afford to ignore this
demand. 1t cannot afford to leave the little
three-room frame building, worth 5000 or $500, as
the representative of the agricultural interests
of North Carolina, while high above it towers the
magnificent textile building just completed at a
cost of $4,000, and close beside are splendidly-
equipped buildings for the mechanical depart
mcnts of the College. The State has already
taxed the farmers to educate the mechanics and
mill workers., but most of them leave North Caro-
lima and work in other parts of the country; the
legislature is now asked to give adequate facili-
ties for instructing the boys who come here to.
learn in order that they may go back, build homes,
J-,I,, F,-,,- o,J b,,;JJ ~ +Lo C+a+o
Iut it is not necessary to repeat arguments
already familiar to our readers. Instead, we give
herewith a vigorous and pointed letter from Mr..
I. y. Parker, Secretary of the State Alliance
and of the Tobacco Growers Association, and
ON" of the best-known representative of the agri-
cultural interests of North Carolina. We heart
il: CO" mend his argument and his suggestion to
farmers who would influence their legislators in
this matter. Says Mr.. Parker:
"Thcrc is a bill now pending before the Legis-
Ia'urc that should interest every farmer in the
State. l refer to the bill introduced by Nh. Scott
ppr,p~riating $4,000 for the purpose of con-
stuctiug and equipping an agricultural building
at the A. & NJ. College.
In the days of our grandfathers when they
knew no competition save that of their near
n~oighbors, agricultural knowledge as taught by
scientists was deemed unnecessary. But now
Things are different. The price of corn, and
wheat, and hay and pork is not fixed by our neigh
b"rS, nor even by the quantity raised in the State,
'i by the boards of trade or spectators in
'"o"go, based on the crops raised in northwest
cn and western States. The farmers occupying
The fertile lands of these States are wide-awake
farmers who appreciate the benefits to be derived
I'"m an agricultural education at some we'll
equipped agricultural college. AS a result, they
are building and equipping such colleges to turn
'' educated farmers who have studied the
N..'Ace OF agriculture-who have made a study