The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-10-01
KEEPING The BOYS
ON THE FARMS
The Results Of Successful
Experiments.


ming the subject Vi serious. praC-
.ooI consideration in the present day,
.srs the Lynchburg News. Secretary
wilson accounts for high prices b.
..rng that the cause is fundamen-
ii one-so fundamental that il actu-
Xiv is in the land Itself. Accord
NO 70 his opinion. high prices pre-
.a, because IL there are TOO few
t.rmers in proportion TO the consum-
ing population, ana 90 the farmers
themselves do not get the most out
II the land that they care.
To obyiate the first cause, one Of
.be things suggested is keeping the
hov on the farm, SO that the future
will see a larger percentage Of farm
ers in proportion to the total popula-
Hon A MARYLAND farmer and legis-
later. Hon. W. Oscar Collier, in a
,ocent address, gave his experience
which might be read with profit:
~ had three boys, all normal, who
had strong love for the city, and
the gr4hest question | had to solve
was hC3 to interest them in farm
life. | was practically raised on
farm and know that farm life those
days. and in many instances today,
nossessed small encouragement to
the boys to remain on the farm. II
was drudgery from daylight to dawn.
It was work without sufficient
thought, by the exercise Of which
|, many of the sharp jagged edges OF
the necessary farm work could and
would have been broken and smooth
ed greatly.
MANY were the resolutions made
It not been for an afhiction that in
terfered with fathers activity, and
being the only son, some city might
have had another country lad added
thereto.
ITO make short story snort,
realized that something had to be
done to interest my boys in the
farm, or else they, too, would add to
some city population.
Various schemes were tried, al
ways with Indifferent success.
IAN invitation for the farmers Of
Maryland to visit the Maryland Agri-
cultural College and Experiment Sta
ton at a special summer meeting
was received by me, and | went. This
was my first visit to the institution.
was very favorably impressed with
what l saw and heard and concluded
that the solving of the all-important
question then with me could be pos
sibly accomplished by sending my
sons here.
my Oldest son was consequently
sent to this school and took course
in plant-breeding and general agricul-
ture, and in less than thirty days
the letters that l received from him
weekly began to take on another
tone. He began to find pleasure and
interest in the very things he had a
short time before detested. and by
the time his course endede he was |
the most ardent advocate of the |
farm to be found anywhere. He re-
turned for another term, and under |
no conditions could he be induced
to leave the farm.
THE second boy is two years
younger. Being of mechanical turn
Of mind, his thoughts were far re-
moved from agricultural matters, and
especially was he hostile to the COW,
often remarking that. if compelled
to farm, no cattle would be found on
his place.
"This fact was made known to
Professor Porter, who was then in
'tructor in animal husbandry at the
Maryland Agricultural College.
Within a month after | sent my
son to this institution, l received a
etter from him saying he believed
liter all there was more money in
,attle, and named several in my herd
nat were not pointed right for profit
lole mixers and advised disposing
II them.
ms boy was not only converted
o farming in general, but to the
ow especially. Now, by his request,
le mas full charge of the cattle, and !
must admit that my cows never
ooked as we'll at this season (March)
'efore. l have every reason to ex-
'ect like results with my third SON.
'no will be given the same oppor-
unlties his brothers received.
MY boys We're taught to use their t
eaos as we'll as their hands, to APP a
~ scientific methods in the opera i
ION OF the farm, thereby minimizing |
'nat used to be a drudgerv. il
with better knowledge of plant a
no animal life, profit and pleasure d
ave resulted, and, to my mind, here i
: nes the secret | am convinced a