The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-06-30


To the Editor Of The News and
Courier: In August. 1886. I attended
= Joint meeting Of the South Carolina
/ Agricultural Society and state Grange
at Benrettsville. 8. c.. In Marlboro
County. az delegate from the Edge
field Agricultural Society. The de-
pressed condition Of agriculture in
south Carolina at the time. with the
Wall nigh bankrupt condition of a
large majority OF the farmers. includ-
ing myself. had caused me to think
very deeply on the subject of farming
- II was then conducted IN our State.
had begun the active practice an.
4 study OF agriculture In 1ssp. and had
made money up q, 1881. but the lands
which was cultivating wers hilly and
easily washed. and 1t became very
evident to me that our whole scheme
Of agriculture was wrong. The lack
Of rotation and the constant plowing
Of the soil--leavtng II bare. to the
winter rains. could only result In final
and complete iinpoverishinent. on
billy lands. with resulting rauperism
~ tho land owners. t
Knowing that I had deyoted my
best thought and energy tc agricui-
tire IN q pursuit. realized there was
= lack OF proper training In my own
education. which had been cut short
BY the war; and while I was far bet.
ter advanced than many college grad
yates was woefuily ignorant IN many
osssntials relating to stock raising and
the cultivation Of the soil az q means
OF livelihood. I arrived at the con-
cfosion that we needed In South Car
olina different system to that In
vogue. and above all the young men
and women Of the State should be
trained industrially. keeping the fact
~ vissw. that the head alone could not
supply the body. but that the hands
and tyss - well a. the intellect must
\ - trained together for the best re-
cnlts ! believed the false system of
1nymin|s which our people had been
1Dl1oWinG must BE- changed. II there
Veo "a - any Improvement In the
Gnoneial condition OF the agricultural
unensee. offered resolutions In the
yneeting advocating the establishment
- department of the South Caro-
s1ina University for this purpose. I
h.sds . speech In support of the reso-
lcsion which attracted widespread at
ttntion at the time and which met
the enthusiastic approval of a. great
majority of the farmers present.
Marlboro at that time. as II Is now
vas In the very forefront Of progress
sivs agriculture In the state. The
resolutions were voted down by the
delegates and returned home very
angry and much disguested.
Having failed to obtain the support
Of the then leading farmers OF the
state who were at the head of the
Grange. the state Agricultural De-
ipartment. and the state Agricultural
Society. I set to work TO map out a
scheme for communicating the pur-
p<ses I had been advocating. To-wi;.
thc establishment OF technical and
industrial school In South Carolina
, and begsn the discussion OF the ques-
ton In the columns Of The News and
Courier I'm series OF letters advocat-
ins a separate agricultural and me-
chanical college. Fuller investig alton
and study had taught me that the
jcining Of an agricultural annex to
an older literary university had prov
en- a failure In almost every case
where tried In the United States The
Michigan Agricultural College. Mt
lansing. and the Mississippi Agricul-
turai College. at Starkville. were so
far In advance OF any OF the other
, hybrid institutions. that I appealed
witr all the power possessed for the
founding OF similar institution in
south Carolina.
My letters I'm The News and Cour-
Ter. written November and December.
1886. received the endorsement of
many hundreds of men from all over
the state whom I had never seen.
who wrote me to encourage me: and
the result was calling Farmers con-
vention to assemble I'm Columbia, TO
take into consideration the whole
question OF the manage ment of the
agricultural department and the bet
tc-ment OF the farming Interests. This
convention met I'm April. 1885. aud
was attended by over two hundred
delegates. "A State organization was
formal nf which Cant q w ShnlI