El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-07

HHE Southern Educational confer
ence which begins its meetings
in Little Rock today is a body
representative OF practically all educa-
tional institutions in the south, public
and private, primary, secondary and
higher. 1t is, therefore. fact of ire
mendous significance that the confer
ence will devote it's entire attention to
the subject of agricultural education
The south has not yet entirely recover
eds from the devastation of war and the
anarchy of reconstruction; it has al
ways to deal with the race problem;
and it has not enjoyed a propOrtiOnate
share of the great prosperity which has
blessed the republic in late years. That
the southern farms and the southern
farmer must be depended upon to bring
the south up with the procession" is
the conviction of every man who has
studied the problems involved.
Professional Training.
The educators in conference at Little
Rock desire to make the calling of the
farmer profession by giving him a
professional training. Wherever schools
for farmers have been established. it
is the record that the graduate has
been able to produce twice as much as
the unedQcated farmer of a given
acreage
The south has 10000. 900 acres of i'm
proved farm land In some of the
northern states it has been demonstrat-
ed that scientific farming yields about
s14 per acre more Of profit than hap
hazard drudge farming. Down to date
at least four-fifths of the south's titled
acreage is being farmed by the drudge
farmer. Applying the lesson of the
northern experiment stations 10000
600 acres of sosthern farm land might
be made to yield s14 an acre more than
at present, a gain of more than half
billion dollars Take even half of It.
and still there is an increased value per
year amounting to $4,000. 600.
There are many instances of the hap
hazard ways that characterize the farm
ing operations of the south today-and
those of the north of yesterday But
the most striking is the experience of
a large number of southern cotton
planters. because it not only shows how
faulty the system has been. but also
that good may grow out of evil
In parts of Louisiana and eastern
Texas there has been great dread of
the boil weevil into the cotton fields
This has led many cotton planters TO
cease the cultivation of cotton and to
begin the growing of rice. The result
has been in many instances that where
$50 worth of cotton grew heretofore,
$50 worth of rice grew this year.
Crop Rotation.
Intelligent crop rotation has been
proved TO be boon TO land. enriehing
ii all the while it is producing direct
wealth. On the other hand. single-crop-
ping results in a positive drain on the
soil, in the end making it so poor that
even the proverbial black-eyed pea will
refuse to sprout in it. AS there is no
other section Of the country so favored
with long seasons and a bountiful sup
NV of hos nd <0II
that the methods which have been en-
ployed to make every northwestern
state q veritable empire within itself
might be followed with even more ad-
vantage in the south.
Worn out land is the bane of the
southern states. and yet schools for
farmers may work the redemption of
these waste places and make them flow
with milk and honey. 1t has been cal
culated that an educated farmer is worth
$4,000 more to the community than an
uneducated one, from an economic stand
point The great difficulty encountered
by those who would inaugurate scien-
tific farming methods in the whole
country has been to awaken the farmers
TO the importance of II all so that he
would lend hand in the effort to pull
him out Of the rut of impracticable
routine
For years scientific farming education
has been obtained as easily as an edu-
cation for the law the ministry. the
countinghouse or the medical profess
Sion Yet the son who was to remain a
farmer was 1sot sent to school for farm
ers as the che who was to become law
yer v 4s-sent TO the school for lawyers
Results of Demonstrations
To-day the educators are carrying the
evangel of scientific agriculture direct
ly TO the doors Of the farmers. Whs re
bulletins and other advice issued by ex-