The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-01

AGRlCU
Conclusion 81 the Address Of J. Knapp
g Before ;the9C Conference forSEducation.
Ia tho South, at lexington, KY.
Human society IN It's organization.
presents this peculiar phase: some q q
the primary groups appear to be q
tached to mo system OF Niue nee, and.
hence, cannot be reached ~influentially
except BY direct contact. Rural society
In the South Is largely upon this plan.
SThereii Is d public opinion emanatfng from.
and moulded by the limited number "
the cantcn,Ebu t rarely reoched8o or moved,
Blythe larger public opinion OF tho State
or the nation. and then only by personal
contact. The general view point IS one.
of their umberTFca be induced to plant
q trial field, 5a,ll will watch II closely, and
II he succeeds. the people at once swing
from g. stubborn$doubt to an 5unreason-g
Ing faith, and they become the most zeal
Gus Of CONVERTS After you have proven.
your work for two or three seasons some
wny$tt is tnoised abroad among these peo-
9ple.aa and they are ready to accept at the
first opportunity.
Last DecemberB1 located asdemonHtR-
ton farm In central Texas. where there
white farmers from South Carolina and
Georgia. Conditions were as su~npropitious
as could often be found. BVery farmer.
as far as \ could learn..sswanted to sell
out.&8EThe overseer OF our DEMONSTRATION
farm commenced to PUT II in&iorder n
plant the crops. Nothing was said. Spe-3
:cinl effort was made not 10 tell our
plans and let curiosity have full scope
Last weeks%I visited that farm, and the
said: Cant you come and talk
TO these people some tims24 II they
(and 1t was large) would not hold the
farmers that8wouldS&co out TO see you
and hear5you talk about farming. With
In these limited circles Is considerable
local rivalry. II John Smith takes a
department u do monstration,S Sam Jones
thinks he can beat II, and quietly In
forms his n%eighbors that he Intends to
do So Others Join IN the competition!
Finally the whole neigfborhood3 Is ar
rayed on one side8or$ the $other. with the
result that all produce better crops. It
is an easy proposition to enlist the masses
in the armysof reform, II wisely man
aged but Impossible. II undertaken along
the lines usually pursued frequently
the first farmer In h community where
demonstration is to be made, is secured
by furnishing some improved seed and
showing how to plant and work 1t SO as
to maintain Its vigor and enable him to
sell seed to his neighbours, With SUCCESS
in his first trial, he becomesEan earnest
advocate OF the cooperative plan. Thus
the influences gather force, and soon the
reform has attained mighty proportions
and a State has been reYolutionized.
In tho main, the average farmerTre-
ceives our work kindly and adopts 1T
readily. There are some sections that
.objectsSlto our efforts to mako the aver
age farmer independent. fearing he.&will5
have farms of his own. These want
poor whites. and more OF them. Such
conditions are mainly confined to the
delta lands Even there time Will
our system, for the boil weeyil will app
profits will vanish. and new con-
dltlons must DO accepted, 8%Fg
The question may arise. How a
such large territories be successfully ham
died n be held under control by the
central Officer Easily. While there arc
thousands OF farms, they are all classi-
fled under q few general divisions, de-
pending upon the nature. mechanical
conditions n relative exhaustion at
the soil; the temperature, rainfall and
standard crops to- be planted Win
these carefully hooked, It Is
lively easy to give instructions that are
applicable. The field work Is managed by
travelling agents, who make daily reports.
In the central office 1t Is the work of
one man to attend to the business ana
CORRESPONDENCE. ~ There Is a large amount
Of personality about the work. The cen1t
tral office must keep in touch with each
co-operator and Impress him with5#a per-
sonal interest In his success,
., Th'AIs, zone, hys monthly Ietters \ g each
ords OF the Office show the condition and
progress OF every farm.
have outlined the cause for the low
average condition OF agriculture in the
South and the remedy that has been
effective. " IA a popularity OF our
humanity that there Isl an undercurrent
Of belief. nebulous but assured that some
how the people will to be helped. Soma
have turned the eye OF hope to religiou
e. the saving power that viii change cons
dlttons and, bring relief, Some look OK,
pectantly towards universal e%duoaton.
and assume that knowledge will accom-
pllsh all things. will build fences, ploW
the soil, ana insure the harvest, while
the 3~husbandman lies In the shade and !
builds his dream castles. Others have
great faith In sclence, Science
loudly Boosted its power TO unfold the
o. the soili It grandly pointed
to the water, the atmosphere and the
sunheams, and claimed the power to harrl
these to the chariot OF agriculture,
and bring To the EARTH wealth OF pro,
duction, fabulous and inconceiyabls;3 but
science In Ito relation to- agriculture has
az yet, been mainly q beautiful dream
and a gilded Vision, 80 farEas the masses
are concerned. It "a % failure OF appll-
and not Of merit, Relief came,
but In a. way never ANTICIPATED by the