The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-01

, not practicable to rely upon an orchard of seeding trees as such trees seldom pro- duce fruit of equal quality to that of the seed planted, however choice and care- fully selected, the tendency of such seed ling trees and their fruits being to revert to the wild, unimproved state. Even in the case of citrous fruits, the trees of which were formerly grown all most entirely from seed, there was such variation in size, shape and quality or
 the fruit that in later plantings seedlings have no longer been in use, but the de- sired varieties are propagated by either budding or grating.
 The two methods of propagation gener- ally used to perpetuate the desired variety of any fruit, as you well know, are bud ding and grating, and In cases where these methods do not serve as well, the plants are produced from cuttings and layers
 A brighter era for the farmer and fruit grower of the state was inaugurated when the last legislature, with the hearty sup port of Governor Conner, enacted laws appropriating liberal sums, not only for the common schools and higher educa- tional institutions-the State University and the Industrial School for Girls at Montevallo, one of our most worthy in stitutons-but also for the Alabama Poly technic institute and the district agri-
  stations. As a consequence the various branches of our educational system will have better buildings and equipment and more money for maintenance.
 Nearly every county is to have high 1 school.
 | Each one of the nine district agricul- | tural schools-an experiment station Is connected with each school-will by this I law receive from the state annually $4500, of rzrl,i ic ta noi fOr i! agricultural lines. This is unquestionably l a wise expenditure as the results of tests 1 and Investigations conducted at, the ex- I pertinent stations will certainly be of great value to the state.
 The agricultural colleges receive, along 1 with the funds allowed them by their | respective states also financial aid from l the United States government. We see that much is being done to ] awaken a greater interest in agricultural and horticultural work and to familiarize ! the people with the more improved meth 1 ods. ] The appropriation for the agricultural l schools will make it possible to increase 1 their efficiency and consequently their popularity, and to gain for them greater 1 recognition.
 In agricultural and horticultural pur- suits, as in almost all others, science has now an important part, and it need hardly l be said that he who keeps best informed l of the advances made in his particular | field of work and avails himself of the | improved methods stands far better | chance to succeed.
 Impressed with the great importance of | scientific and industrial education to the agriculturist I would direct attention to | the so-called Davis bill, now pending in |! Congress, and which, if enacted into law, | will usher in the dawn of still brighter | day in our educational system.
 l This bill, If passed, will carry an ap- propriaton of 10 cents per capita of the l population of the United States for the | maintenance of instruction in agriculture 1 and home economies in agricultural high schools of secondary grade, and instruc- tion in mechanic arts ana In nome economics in city high schools of second ary grade; also an appropriation for the branch agricultural experiment stations. The course of instruction in the schools named in the Davis bill is equivalent to that of a regular high school, except that 1 in addition stress Is laid upon especial in struction in agriculture, mechanic arts and domestic science, the object being to educate and train boys and girls to raise the standard of our farming conditions and so make that occupation more profit able and attractive.
 hope the society may see fit to take some action showing us hearty approval of this bill.
 Our Georgia neighbor, realizing the inn portance of such an<education, has fol- lowed Alabama in organizing agricultural schools in her congressional districts. Several of these opened this year with good attendance, one of them recently, l am informed, with 200 scholars. The dis trict schools in our own state are very well attended, some of them having 20 to 300 enrolled.
 The records of certain agricultural schools that have had greater financial support show that 90 per cent. of their graduates are engaged in agriculture. Re verting to the appropriation of the Davis bill, we already have the precedent es- tablished by the federal government aid ing the departments of agriculture and