Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-08-08
NEED. OF BETTER FARMING
Secretary Wilson Urges a Cam
paign of Agricultural Education.
Teach the Farm Childrcu-Iaud Now
worth Only $40 mn Acre Might
lie mndc Worth 300, lie
Says.

That a campaign Of agricultural educa-
ton Is badly needed in New England Is
the declaration of Secretary James Will
son of the department of agriculture in a
letter to Congressman Ebenezer j. Hill of
Conn, which takes up the re-
cent complaints Of Col. Charles NJ. Jar
Wis concerning the high cost Of living.
Secretary Wilson frankly admits that
1t does cost too much to live, and says IL
costs so much simply because we have
not been educating the children of the
farm. New England, he points out, is
now raising only - per cent. of the food
1. consumes, whereas 1t might produce
all. The fruits of agricultural ed
~ucation, he predicts, would be an Increase
In the value of lands noWAonly worth $40
acre to 800 an acre. His letter says:
"a little over half n century ago Con-
gross began giving the rich prairie lands,
mostly west of the Mississippi river val
ley, to the people. first at very low prices
and then as homesteds without charge.
Railroads at that time We're being ex-
tensively constructed into the great prai-
rie States, and food came eastward at
such prices as New England farmers
could not compete with.
New England then began doing ex-
tensively what the western people want
ed them to do-that is, they went into
manufacturing 1t is not necessary for
me to say how successful they have been.
They are sending manufactured articles
into all countries of the world. Compel
ing both at home and abroad with great
success.
about that time-say. half a century
ago-western farmers were getting very
low prices. They sold to the manufacture
ing East what it required and shipped
the rest to Europe.
Successful manufacturing depends up
on comparatively cheap food. and the
great West produced cheap food for the
manufacturing East. Population has very
greatly increased during the last half
century. The method Of producing on
the farm has improved through the use
of the finest farm machinery Of which
the world has an knowledge.
Speaking briefly, the result Of the
cheap production of food in the West and
the almost exclusive devotion Of the East
tc manufacturing has had striking re-
suits with regard to the prices of land.
Eastern farms were neglected and went
uOWu III Nhlut. IL Easily cultivated
p~rairies. with gradually improving facili-
ties and increase in population, raised the
price of western lands.
$40 LAND IN CONNECTICUT.
II have been Informed that much of
the land in Connecticut may he bought
for $40 an acre. | know personally that
the average price of land in Iowa might
be stated at s125 an acre, running all the
way from 80" to 5000 an acre.
Now We have the conditions spoken
of by Mr.. Jarvis. ! do not hesitate a
moment in reaching the conclusion that
the people of Connecticut could raise all
the food they require from their own
soils, hut 1t evidently is not being done
under present methods of management.
1.-The United States department OF ag-
ricultuYe has had some experience along
the line of helping people who were in
\ great straits with regard to agriculture
This Is the story: When the boil weevil
came up to us from Guatemala the people
in the cotton States greatly feared that
total destruction had come upon their
agriculture. They were a onc-crop peo-
pie. Il cotton-growing people, and the boil
weevil is a creature with which the scien-
fist could do little in the way OF exter-
mination.
Congress gave authority and apprOpri.
ated money to the department to do what
might be in the power of the department
to help the people In that emergency
The department had plenty of literatur,
on agricultural subjects. 1t is now send.
ing . 1905 600 pieces of reading matter q
year to the farmers and whoever els,
cares to read 1t.
But the class of people who were
growing cotton in the South needed some
thing else. and this the department yer,
soon realized. Away back in the earl,
sixties Congress gave appropriations o
the public money. and later money to or
ganize agricultural colleges and expert
ment stations TO enable farmers to tax,
care of their soils n produce food a
reasonable rates.
Much has been done along these lines
But very little that has been don,
through these instrumentalities could b.
applied In the emergency I nave de
scribed 1t was too late to send the far
mers to college. had there been room
enough, or had the farmers possessed tn
means and the time to 20 to college
one " ttteo "A'sr WIS - ti' islo
Of the farmers nor could they employ col
lege graduates. had they been obtainable
to give them instruction along agricul
tural lines. Nor had the education o
those who went to the agricultural col
leges been given with n view of meet
ing emergencies of this nature
1.-The department called upon the bes
pra ctical farmers in each county Of tn
South who had succeeded on their ow
farms, and there were many such, an
made agents of them to help the farmer
who had not been successful on thei
own farms.
Some 800 such agents were employed h
the department The result has been YER
satisfactory.
1.-The Southern States grew more cot
ton last year than in any other year |
their history. They grew more corn Ia.
: year than in any other year In their hi
tory. The agents of the departmer
brought into sympathy and activity til
Intelligent, broad-minded citizens OF tn
South OF all classes to help IT. the ne
agricultural movement.
. 1.-THE agricultural colleges OF the South
ern States were brought into sympath.
A II classes of people In the South COZ
tributed toward our expenses. Philai
thropic gentlemen In New York city col
z tributed heavily to the lines of work v
i%naugurated In the Southern states.
1.-THE farmers boys were organized ar
set at work TO do what they could. 30,
e OF 16 we're set at work growing acres
! corn or cotton or tobacco or whatev
y thew had n desire to grow. Each neigl