The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-09-03
Heart-to-Heart Talk


With the Farmers Of North
Carolina---President Hill, of
Agricultural and Mechanical
College, Takes Them Into
His Confidence and Out
lines His Plans and Purposes
in the Conduct of the Great
Institution Over Which He
Has Been Called to Preside.
Progressive Farmer.
As enter upon my duties as Pres
dent Of the Agricultural and Mechan
ical College, want to ask for myself
and colleagues in the faulty and in
the Experiment Station, the hearty
cooperation and active help of the
farmers of North Carolina | shall
not be satisfied until the farmers feel
that the agricultural heart of the
State is beating at the Agricultural
and Mechanical College.
I.-WHAT THE COLLEGE AIMS
TO Do FOR ITS FARMER
STUDENTS.
In the development of the State,
the agricultural department of the
College has distinct, specific mission
This mission is to give to all who
come to it IL broad and thorough
training in both the practical and
scientific side OF soil and farm man.
a9ement, and to awaken in it's stu
dents a love for this most useful
work This the College will strive to
do with all the earnestness it can
command. To carry out this specific
work, the College has a good farm, a
modern dairy, workshops, a hand
some and splendidly equipped agri-
cultural building with laboratories
and convenient class-rooms and ten
teachers specially trained in farm
and animal management. To give
greater efficiency and unity to the
agricultural work these teachers
have Just been grouped into a spe-
ciala@ricutura school with a pro-
lessor of agriculture at it's head. The
scores of young men who have left
the College, and who are today quiet
ly but thoroughly carrying out on
we'll managed farms the methods
learned in College are the best evil
dences of what such training can do
for II farmer.
H.-WHATTHECOLLEG WOULD
LIKE To DO FOR THOSE
WHO CANNOT AT
TEND.
In addition to this specific mission,
the College has another aim of the
highest Importance to the farming
interests of the State, which the man.
agement hopes to see carried into
effect. | hope to see the Agricultural
and Mechanical College an inspira-
ton and a practical help to those
who cannot enter it's walls. The Col
lege desires to live in very intimate
relations with all the farmers of the
State. 1t hopes by correspondence,
by lectures. by bulletins, by articles
in farm journals, by institute work,
and by the breeding of fine stock to
enter very largely into the every day
life OF our hard working farmers. It
believes that in year or more it
may spare some of it's best workers
to specially visit such farmers as
may SO desire and suggest, after an
inspection of the farm, such improve
ments as may seem practicable and
desirable.
IIl.-FOUR OTHER THINGS THE
COLLEGE WILL TRY TO DO
FOR AGRICULTURAL
EDUCATION.
First the College hopes with the
aid OF the farmers to SO enlarge it's
accommodations that in a. few years it
may count it's students by the hun
dreds. When a man sees what GER
tain and what speedy money returns
can be obtained from improved farm
ing methods, it would seem that no
inducement, but only an opportunity,
would be needed for young man to
study such methods.
Second, it wants to see farming ex-
allied into a profession like any other
profession, and see the day when a
boy will no more think of beginning
to farm without previous training
than he would think of entering on
the practice of medicine without
special preparation.
Third, the College expects to strive
for the teaching of the first principles
of agriculture in all our common
schools. The boys and girls who live
on the farm are entitled to this train
ing: the law requires it; the farmers
should demand it.
Fourth, the College expects to lend
its aid to an effort to have an agri-
cultural high school in each con
gressional district. Under the new
high school law, it ought to be pos
slble for at least one high school in
each district to be set apart for the
art by which eighty-five per cent. of
| people earn their daily bread.
Such are some of the things for
which the College will immediately
strive. For some years past there
has been IA marked improvement in
the farming metho Is of our State.
Farmers are studying their business
as never before. They are reading as
never before. They are reading more
and better farm journals. They are
interested in farm bulletins, in insti-
tute work, i'll farm economy, in home
betterment, in improved machinery
in good stock,-in short. they are
arOusing themselves to a fuller reali-
cation OF the wonderful possibilities
OF their great profession.
From these wide-awake, thought.
kindled farmers, the College conf.
IDENTIFY expects the sympathy, the
help. and the love which it Graves
In return, it promises to give in as
full measure as it may a trained army
OF enthusiastic Young farmers who