The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1906-04-27
A PERTINENT QUESTION.
Should Agriculture be Taught in the
Public Schools Of Texas. Answered
by Shippers Guide.


know if you are in favor of agri-
culture being taught in the public
schools of Texas. If so, why so;
if not, why not. Please give all
the information you possibly can.
You will note 1 am a subscriber.
Reply: As we stated in our
article in last weeks issue, Texas,
with its millions of acres of unde-
veloped lands, variety of climate
and soils, must always be cousid-
cred, perhaps, the leading agri-
cultural country of the world. To
bring about progress and develop
ment of these arid, semi-arid nor
NAL possessions, it is advisable,
and, we might add, the duty, of
our state government to educate
its present population and influx
of immigrants to the very highest
state of agriculture. We are not
only in favor of teaching agricul-
ture in our public schools, we are
in favor of establishing a separate
and distinct department of agri-
culture, experimental farms in
every part of our state, in north,
south, east, west and central
Texas, in favor of small plots of
ground adjacent to public school
houses, where the practical rudi-
ments of agriculture may be taught
and shown to our children, even if
a large portion of the children
should III after life choose other
vocations. the practical knowledge
of agriculture once instilled would
create a love for nature and love
for our natural advantages. The
knowledge of our great resources
and possibilities of the farm would |
deter the young men from focking
to the overcrowded cities to exc
out a miserable existence. For
our young men agriculture pre-
5ents an inviting field for indie
wealth and honor.
Some of our greatest men came
from the farms. In past centuries
The farmer was considered a beast
Of burden-even slaves by the
nobility and more educated classes:
he farmer of today is the peer of
III. This evolution was brought
about by education. Scientific
studies, invention of labor devices,
which have reduced the manual
abor on the farm to a minimum
Until the business man of the city
works even harder than the aver
Ige up to date farmer.
The Investigations of Leading
Igriculturists have given US the
grape, the seedless orange;
rom the tops of potatoes, toma-
oes; turned the bitter almond into
he luscious peach, Chemistry has
hown us incubation of the soil,
he proper application of manure
or specific results. By irrigation
cience turned the arid West into
fruitful gardens. BY drainage,
ich alluvial swamps into fields of
waving grain.
Then why should not agriculture
'e taught in the public schools of
il the South? Could Texas, with
IS resources make a better invest
nent? Are not the most pro-
-ressive nations of the earth, like
England, Belgium, Germany,
france, teaching lis population the
cience of agriculture at every
'oint of the compass? AS all illus
ration note the forestry depart
nent of Germany. Texas has
IS, 500, 900 acres of land, with
My 10, 100000 improved in the
hape of $50, 100 farms.
If the population of Texas were
5 great to the square mile as New
FORK $ it would be 40, 49S, 22O, or
yer one-half of the population Of
be United States, and the state of
Jew York is not even densely
When Adam was
riven from the Garden of Plenty
he first lesson he learned and
trdied vras aoricI11tI1re his Golf