The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-27
FARMER WILSON LIKES ALABAMA Secretary of Agriculture is
 Interested. URGES TOBACCO CULTIVATION Insists That Alabama Land is
 Suited For Crop. Pamphlet By President of soutAwest Alabama Agricultural School Is- sued By Depsrtment, Contains Informstion Concerning
 Educational system.
 
BY ALFRED J. STOPPER.

washington, NOV. Z6--(Speclal.l- For the greater part of the more than twelve years that Hon. James Wilson. of Iowa. has been Secretary of Agri- culture. he has shown both friend iiness and keen interest In the farm ing classes of Alabama.
 While he is generally popular with the Southern Congressmen, he Is espe- cially liked by the Alabama delega- ton, and on numerous occasions has gone out of his way to do favors for these Representatives. For these req sons. although nearly all the Congress- i men from the South are Democrats.
 they have, as a rule. been sorry to read from time to time reports that probably Farmer Wilson, as he likes to be tokingly called, might retire from the cabinet of President Taft at the end of the year.
 Those rumors were going the rounds at lively rate during the past spring and summer. but lately not much IS heard on the subject. and most people will now be surprised if they hear Tn the near future that MT. Wilson has relinquished the position that he has filled 50 long that he has broken the cabinet record for continuous service. At one time 1t was reported that ne
 was going to quit because he was tired of the hard work. and that his health was somewhat impaired. put this sturdy old Scotchman now cer- tainly looks as if he were in good trim physically and Is having no trouble on that score.
 Secretary Wilson has repeatedly fn- sisted that the day is coming when certain lands in Alabama will produce grades of Tobacco that will equal In flavor and value the best specimens of Cuban tobacco from which the hn- est cigars are made. This matter was once before referred to in, The Adyer- tiser Correspondence.
 Prnfaes AHnbama Tcbaeco. The storx was then related that MT Wiisors was one day smoking frA- grant cigar when callers of prosnt- 1 hence entered his office. One of the 1 xerltiemen remarked that the Secre- tary's cigar appeared to be genuine Havana" He said 1t was good one. and after further talk related that the tobacco was grown on Alabama land, and that he fully believed the time would come. from the investigations that had been made by the depart meut experts of the soil and climate Tn certain portions of Alabama would produce in large and paying quanti- ties tobacco that would equal tne Cuban weed. and In that event the State would Aoo BEeAtiS " AsS eo"s cultural wealth.
 rha department has issued an im- portant and interesting bulletin which is numbered 220. from the office or Experiment Stations It is an illus trated. pamphlet of more than thirty pages, and was prepared. by .. J. owens, President of the Southwest Alabama Agricultural School at Ap- bevilie. It Is entitled Secondary Az
 Gn ia m a
 MT. Owens emphasizes in the begin ming of his report that Alabama was the pioneer in bringing into existence A system of Congressional District Ag- ricuitural Schools. This work was begun in Alabama seventeen years be- fore the system was established in Georgia, and Alabama and Georgia are the only States in the Union which have as a part Of their educational system a branch agricultural experi- ment station and agricultural school for each Congressional District.
 In the review of legislation. Mir. owens has the following to say:
 Tells of Alabama System.
 '"The Alabama system of Congress sional District agricultural schools was initiated under the provisions of A Dill to establish a branch ag- ricuItural experiment station school in North AIaoains.' which was approved February 2s 1889. Under this act two branch agricultural schools and ex- pertinent stations were established The bill provided that the Commis- sioner of Agriculture and the Director of theExperiment Station at Auburn should locate the stations and schools. Accordingly one was located at Athens and the other at Abbeville. It was provided that the Board of Control for each institution should consist of the Commissioner of Agriculture. the Director of the Experiment Station at Auburn, and five progressive farmers. The five for North Alabama were to be farmers who were actually engag- ed in cultivating Tennessee Valley lands. and the i've for Southeast Ala bama those who were actually engag- ed in cultivating red pine lands. The Ave members of each board were to be appointed by the Governor. and three of them were to reside within ten miles of~the stations. The Boards of Control were given the power to elect presidents. teachers. and direct ors, and to manage the schools and stations as.they should think best. For the first year the State appropriated sa. 900 to each school. and for every wear thereafter $2.50o, payments to be made quarterly. The Board of Control was given authority to purchase lands. not exceeding forty acres TOT each sta tion, and to construct the necessary buildings and other improvements. It was provided that experiments should be made at stations to advance the ,in- terests of scientific agriculture and the chemical analyses should be made by the State Chemist. under the super vision of the Commissioner of Agri- culture.
 with one exception the schools and stations located at Abbeville and Athens by the above act were the first secondary agricultural institu- tions for whiteS students receiving state aid in the United States. The act establishing these schools was amended on February IS. 1893. the amendment providing that the schools should receive ss.O0O annually and
 that the Board ot Control be author ized to purchase eighty acres of land for each school
 After an exhaustive statement re- lating to the legislation and organiza-
 ton of the various schools. Mir. Owens calls attentin to the fact that the past eo.tr years have marked an epoch in