The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-05-01

their graduates do not go back to the
farm. This does not of itself furnish
just grounds for criticism There has
been such a great demand for trained
teachers and investigators in the sub
ject that graduates have found it more
profitable to engage in this work than
to go back to the farm, but these same
teachers and investigators are con-
stant1y resigning their positions to
take the management OF great farm en-
terprises demanding the very highest
executive and business ability. The
demand for trained men to take these
higher positions has been SO great that
only the largest agricultural colleges
have been able to send any consider
able portion of their graduates back to
the farms. In the largest agricultural
college in the United States, however,
there are now 100 of it's graduates
actively engaged in farming, besides
hundreds of other students that took
ped out before graduation because Of,
financial reasons. These men are all
successful and many of them have
made national regulations for them
selves as livestock Or seed breeders.
All of them attribute their success
largely to the training they received
at the agricultural college. 1t must
be remembered also that the agricul-
tura1 colleges are colleges of engineer
ing as WELL and large portion Of their
graduates specialize in this department
instead Of agriculture.
The agricultural college teaches
many things besides agriculture. Its
aim is not simply to make farmers, but
to give a we1l-rounded training that
will bring out and develop all that is
in a student taking it's course. 1t often
happens that sons of farmers, gradual
ing from an agricultural college, find
themselves naturally better adapted to
some other profession than farming,
and it is a credit to the schools that
such men find it easy to qualify them
selves for such other professions, be-
cause of the broad general training re-
ceived in the college, The other pro-
fessions will always look to the farm
in the future as they have done in the
lest men, but nevertheless, there are
thousands of boys from the farm being
educated for other professions who will
never make as great success in them as
they would make if they would spend
the same time and energy trying to
learn how to make a success Of farming
For this reason the writer believes that
the great maj ority of boys from the
farm should be educated in an agricu1-
tural college, and after they receive
this training, if they find themselves
better adapted to follow some other
profession than farming, the time
spent at the agricultural college will
make them much better prepared to
specialize for the other professions
than they would have been had they
begun specializing at once; while thou
sands Of them will receive the inspira-
ton to go back to the farm, there to
become happy and prosperous citizens,
instead of choosing some other pro-
fession in which they can make nothing
but failures.
The College of Agriculture of the
University OF the State OF Florida
wishes to enroll hundred students in
! it's beginning classes next year. Two
boys from each county will give us
approximately the desired number.
| Are there not at least two farmers in
each county who have faith enough in
the boys whom they expect to become
farmers to give them an agricultural
college education? Is>it not right that
you should give the boy who stays on
the farm as good chance for college
education as you give to his brother,
whom you expect to become a lawyer,
a doctor, or minister? If you do
not feel that you can pay their ex-