The Tupelo journal., 1904-03-18
The Farmers Institute Movement.

The industrial campaigns that are
being waged each summer by the
Mississippi Agricultural and Me
chanical College can but result in
great good to the future agriculture
of the State. This movement il
one of the most important and one
of the farthest reaching in its in
fuence that has ever been undertake
en- by the Agricultural College. 1t
Is not only a State movement, or a
national movement, but an interna-
tional movement The department
of agriculture at Washington re-
CARDS the work Of so much impor-
lance that it has employed a man,
who is known as a Farmers 1nsti-
tute Specialist" whose duty it is to
study this question and to keep in
close touch with the work that is be-
ing done in every State in the
Union, and throughout the civilized
world. Millions of dollars are
being spent each year to discover
new truths pertaining to agriculture,
and these truths can accomplish
nothing unless used by the people
who are engaged in agriculture.
Mississippi is more of an agricul-
tural State than any other State in
the Union, and yet less money is
spent here for the development of
her agriculture than in any other
commonwealth. The farmers of the
State cannot be sidetracked always,
in order to help others who are not
engaged in agriculture, and they are
beginning to see that their interest
has been sadly neglected in the past
by men who are not in sympathy
with agriculture, and who have, as a
result, made no effort in the direc-
ton of its development. Let one
think Of the money that is being
spent each year by those engaged in
the profession of law, in medicine,
in the sciences, and other profess
sions, and then compare this with
the amount of money spent by the
farmer in preparation for his life
work. One can easily see that the
farmer has problems to deal with
that are utterly beyond his power to
solve with his present knowledge of
agriculture, and where shall he look
for help? Shall he look to the law
yer for information, or to the mer-
chant, or to the banker, or to the
manufacturer? No. He has never
been able to get any information,
that will help him in his business,
from any other source other than
the experiment stations, depart
ments of agriculture, and the agri-
cultural colleges of the country.
These institutions have solved prob
lens that have saved the farmers
many millions of dollars, and they
will help him in the future.
During the past two years, there
has been held under the supervision
of the Agricultural College one hun
dred and eighty farmers Institutes,
reaching more than $4,000 farmers.
An effort Vas made to give every
county an institute, but on account
of limited means, all could not be
reached. Plants are being made to
still further broaden the work of the
farmers institute, by organizing in
every supervisors district a perma-
nent farmers institute club, that
should meet from time to time dur
ing the year, to study the bulletins
issued by the State experiment sta
tons; and representatives from
these clubs should organize a perma-
nent county farmers institute to
meet at least ono a year at some
Suitable place, to which meeting the
Agricultural College will send men
to make addresses upon subjects per-
tanning to the different lines of agri-
culture that may be desired by the
county club. From these county
clubs, representatives should be sent
to the State Farmers Institute,
which is held at the close of the sea-
son at the Agricultural and Me-
chanical College, where they may
look over the different experiments
in operation and become personally
acquainted with the professors of
that institution and with the Off
Ger of the experiment station.
These institutions and their work
are not appreciated by the farming
public at their full value because Of
lack Of information on the part of
the farmers of the service that they
are rendering to agriculture in this
country. Many farmers, unfortu-
nately, do not read the agricultural
literature prepared by the Agricul-
tural College and experiment sta
ton, and are, therefore, almost en-
tirely ignorant Of the efforts that
are being made to assist them.
New Industries.
The week just passed has been
rather quiet in an industrial way in
Mississippi, and it seems that the
peoDla have been deyotinp ~nractica1-