Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-08-29
AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
work 9F IA N. COLLEGE
BY JAMES HAYS QUARLEs.

been for the last ten years growing
sentiment In favor of agricultural ed
ucation. A great many students have
graduated from agricultural courses
during thi slime. At first there was
general complaint that farmers boys
who graduated from agricultural col
leges were all taken away from the
farm because there was such a de-
mand for such trained men In scien.
tiiic work Of colleges and experiment
stations. In later years this condition
OF affairs has changed somewhat and
large percentage of agricultural
graduates are going back to the farm.
Wherever they have gone they have
created gerat deal of enthusiasm for
scientific study of agriculture lprob-
lens. This has created demand
among the farmers for at least part
Of this instruction, even though they
could not go away to attend college.
This has led to the creation of agri-
cultural extension departments by
practically every state agricultural col
lege in the United States. Many states
are appropriatlng more than $4,000
per annum in carrying this agricul-
tural instruction direct to the busy
farmer.
About year ago the Agricultural
and Mechanical College of Texas es-
tablished a department of agricultural
extension, with view of aiding the |
Texas farmer in securing scientific |
agricultural training. The department
was placed in charge OF c. NJ. Evans, |
who was reared on farm and ranch |
in Texas and graduated in the agricul |
tural course in the A. e. M. college of |
Texas. The first thing done in extern
sion work was to offer free correspond |
ence courses in agriculture for farm |
ers, also for teaches. To date over |
nine hundred applications have been
received and these nine hundred stu
dents are taking the correspondence |
courses. The demand was so much |
greater than had been expected that |
the department was literally swamped
with work, and as consequence the
courses have been sent out rather
slowly. The students in this work in.
clude people in every calling in life.
Teachers, bankers, railway conductors,
telegraph operators. postal clerks,
men. The Oldest student is eighty.
four years of age and the youngest
ten. A great deal of interest and en-.
thusiasm has been shown in the work.
The corn club boys have been given
courses in corn Judging and grain Sc
lection; the high club boys have been
given courses in breeding, feeding,
judging and management of swine. All
kinds of people have been taking the
HOuiAle tOui hAuuultuO VI oNuOOi |
teachers from the rural schools up to
some of the colleges and high schools
have been taking the teachers course.
The superintendent of one high school
has written to Mr.. Evans that the
courses are fine and he only wished
that he might be able to send the
courses faster than in the past.
Another line of work taken has been
the special agricultural trains. A dry
train was operated over the
Rock Island lines in the early spring.
Thousands of people listened to lee
lures and saw demonstrations on this
train in regard to conserving their
moisture. The selection of seed and
the preparing of land and planting
crops adapted to dry farming condi-
lions. The train operated in Texas
broke all records for attendance and
At a little town in the
Panhandle one man rode six miles on
/ cultivator to hear the story of how
o conserve the moisture
Another feature of extension work
s the educational exhibit and demon
trations that are being prepared for
he Dallas and San Antonio state fairs
'he farmers who attend these fairs
will have the opportunity of seeing
Iifferent kinds of crops growing in
oils taken from the various counties
4 the state and treated with different
ertilizers. There he may study and
ompare the real conditions and there
will be an expert in charge to explain
my detail that is not made plain by
he demonstration. Live hogs will be
N exhibition that have been fed in
he ordinary manner There will be
theirs exhibited that have been fed on
he most economical balanced ration
Texas grown feedstuffs. There will
% a model farm laid showing the
roper crop rotations for the different
ections of the state and many other
eatures that will be of practical in
crest to the farmer