The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-01-22
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED BY FULTON s. WHITE.

CONDUCTED BY Fu
 do not suppose that our readers would be very much interested In the proceed ings of the Arkansas State Horticultural society. but I am using them as. text for what 1 want to say on the building up of soils. It was my pleasure to spend two days with this society, which met at Van Buren, Ark, last week. There was very large attendance, and an unusual interest The programme was lengthy and the discussion following the various topics or papers read. was sharp and participated in by many There were also a number of valuable papers read and speeches made. Best by far was the talk made by Hon. John Hamilton of the agricultural department at Washington It was the best and most timely, and it is thoughts gathered from his talk that inspired this article at this time. Prof. Hamilton has charge of the farm CTS institute work for the United States and his headquarters is with the de- partment of agriculture at Washington. Prof. Hamilton is a very able man. a man of large experience and so is well qualified for this work. He made a strong | appeal on the needs of agricultural edu- cation showing that the first and great | est lesson of importance was that the farmers of the country be educated to care for their lands and to so cultivate l their lands that they would be improv- 1 ing all the while instead of being worn out He went on to show how that our general government, having become alarmed at the rapid rate at which farms were being worn out and turned out, had prepared for a general line of edu- catonal work to be carried on all over the country and that large appropra- tions had been made to help in this work.
 Farmers Institutes an Agent.
 Among the many agencies employed for | this work is the farmers institute work, and while the general government has taken this matter in hand to help, lei each and every state should also sup port such work, and encourage same with liberal expenditures. The first thing he said needed was to educate the peo- pie. It was not necessary to wear out their lands in order to make a living and he went on to show what an idea l American farm can and should be. com mencing with the young man who was just starting out on a farm. he said l that after the man had lived on the
  1 family, paid all his debts and had a bank account, all of which he had made from the farm. he should leave the farm in a higher state of cultivation than it was when he commenced with 1t. This too is not at all Impossible or nnreason- able under the scientific methods of farming as now advanced by the gen | eral government.
 1 He went on. too, to show that this educational work must be done through the farmers institutes, for the man who | has to labor on the farm had no time after he commences life to attend agri- tural schools to get this information. and so he must get 1t through the farmers 1 institutes and their agencies, and from the bulletins issued by the state anc l general government
 The Sources.
 | From these sources. he said. mus come the teachings of rotation of crops and building up the soils; also the valu, of fertilizers and their uses, and adapta tion for various crops.
 Must Know His Land.
 l The farmer must become better ac. quainted with his lands, and must study the needs of his lands, and how to fee( his plants, as 1t is just as essential t, know how to feed plants as 1t is neces l fo- the matter of harrows, and its value t, the soil, Is another thing that the farm 1 CT needs to understand better Drainag, 1 as well as mulching and sub-soilins l should all receive more attention ant the farmers need education all along al these lines.
 Mir. Hamilton also went oyer the yariou farm industries in a brief way. showin, what progress had been made along thes | lines where the farmers were organize, | for educational work. He went over tn | importance of the dairy industry an showed how many worn out farms ha, been reclaimed by turning them into dair, farms. which. of course necessitated tn use of forage crops and grasses.
 The whole speech was a masterpiece full of just the very kind of informatiol the people need. do not wish to say in boasting spirit but as I sat ther and listened 10 that talk, every word an sentence of which was right in line wit the practical teachings which we hay given our readers from time to tim through the Age Herald, I felt not on
 highly complimented, but greatly re freshed for my future work. Yes. this i higher education and the only educatio
 that can win, and the only way in whic
 we can call halt on wearing out an
 turning out farms is to educate the farm CTS. The young men of our country mus
 take up and carry on this work.
 | happened to have with me copy Q
 The Age-Herald containing one of m
 articles on the dairy question. This gave the professor and he compliments
 me very highly on the paper and went Q to say that we were taking an advance
 step in this educational work. and ths he was glad to ind u ensased in so nnbl