The Colorado statesman., 1912-04-06

considering the question of discontin-
uing the farmers institute work for
the lack of funds. Mr.. Dawson step
ped forward and said, Il am willing to
put up 5000 to see the work go on,
as l have attended institutes for four
years at this school and know their
worth" In this way Mr.. Dawson is az
example to his community Dawson
is man of 30 years, and belongs to
that type of negro farmers who have
grown up since slavery.
P. d. Johnson is a negro farmer.
owns about 125 acres of farm land
and operates three plows. He has
been a rural school teacher and
farmer for about Is years He has
not made money as fast as some 9TH
er farmers in his community, but
there are none whose influence for
good is more powerful than that of P.
d. johnson. January 10, 1908, the first
farmers institute ever held in Georgia
for the benefit of negro farmers gave
to P. D. Johnson a new vision of his
work as teacher in the rural dis
tricts of Georgia. He began at once
to do some work outside the school
room, and was so successful with his
work that the next year we persuaded
the late lamented Dr. Seaman A.
Knapp to appoint him as cooperative
demonstrative agent for the negro
farmers of Newton county. I am told
by the state agent for this work, Mr..
E. Gentry. that Johnson is among the
best of the 65 agents engaged In this
work in the state and is the only col
ored agent up until this year | will
read the letter received from johnson
a few years ago
"Covington. Ca
Dear Prof. Parks: Your letter of
fully noted. I am glad to comply with
your request in giving you some data
of our work among the negro farm
ers. have 40 demonstrators who are
cultivating go acres in cotton accord
ing to the governments methods. 1
think we will be able to gather from
these go acres more than IS bales of
cotton. 1t points that way now.
have not taken all the reports yet, but
those l have taken are very encour-
aging. Rev. G. w. Wyatt has two
acres from which he has already gath
cred 3,870 pounds seed cotton; HUI
bert Howelle reports 2,15S pounds seed
cotton on his acre; Fletcher Nelson
reports nearly three bales from two
acres and r. B. Shepherd 3,9O5 pounds
from one acre. These are only sam
pies of what we are trying to do.
None of my demonstrators will come
less than bale of cotton to the acre.
OF course, the drought has cut our
corn crop short, but we have about
dozen men who will make from As to
80 bushels of corn on their acres.
think 1t safe to say that "a acres will
average about 35 bushels of corn to
the acre. I am truly yours,
"P. d. JOHNSON"
What can be done to increase the
number of negro farmers of the Jack
son, Dawson and Johnson type? l
would suggest % that united effort
be made on the part Of the state and
national government to rouse the ne
gro farmers to a sense of responsi-
bility Of self-improvement and better
methods of farming. There are
number Of negro farmers who can see
the need Of this effort and are willing
to do what they can to bring about
the desired results; (2) united effort
be made to have the masses of white
farmers in the south to see the wis
dom and economic value of helping
the negro farmers as a mass, to better
methods OF farming.
There are large numbers of white
farmers who see the wisdom of this
effort and are willing to lend a help
ing hand; (3) to have the negroes who
are Interested In good farming to CO.
operate with each other in bringing
about better methods in farming
among the masses of negroes. This
could best be accomplished by come
agency which could express collec-
lively the wisdom and power of both.
II in some way a person could be an
pointed by the national government
and co-operated with by the state TO
supervise the work. who is thorough.
ly interested in 1t, and who is force
full enough and at the same time tact
full enough to organize and coordinate
the work with the agencies already
at work in the various states without
arousing opposition, believe a great
good would be accomplished for agri-
cultural education among the negroes
OF the south. l believe a large num-
Der Of the southern white people are
ready to cooperate with the right