The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-16

whose services extend over Alabama, Mis- sissippi and Louisiana, has just finished tour of Mississippi, in which state he held farmers conferences. Leading negro farmers who attend those conferences have written letters highly indorsing the work of the demonstration district agent.
 Wallace A. Battle, president of the farmers conference, Okolona, Miss, wrote: Please let me thank you for the visit made us Thanksgiving Day and for the great good you have done the farmers in this community in showing them how to make better crops on their farms.
 "1'he matter of instructing farmers how to take better care of their stock, how to get more out of our rich soil in Missis- sippi, is the real gospel of the hour for the farmer"
 W. w. Cox of Indianola wrote: 'The demonstration work is infusing new life in the colored farmers in this section of the state"
 ]. E. Walker of the same city wrote: ''The information the colored farmer has received through the demonstration work in this part of the delta has encouraged as well as enlightened them."
 Charles Banks of Mound Bayou: 'lt is surprising how much benefit has been derived by farmers of this immediate vi- cinity by reason of our demonstration agent here"
 Isaiah T. Montgomery, founder of the Mound Bayou community: "The inaugu- ration of the demonstration work under the auspices of the United States ag- ricultural department has contributed more than any other factor toward arous- ing our people to the importance of im- proved methods of farming.
 w A Attaway. Greenyille: ITO my mind no department of educational work is more necessary just now than the in- struction they are receiving through such men as yourself"
 As a further illustration of the growth and intelligence of negro farmers and the part they play in the material ad- vancement of the south it should be borne in mind that they have organized hun dreds of farmers conferences and sev- eral state agricultural fairs Annual farmers conferences are held at Tuske- gee institute, Tuskegee, Ala; Hampton institute, Hampton, Va.; the Georgia State Industrial college, Savannah, Ga.; Lane college, Jackson, Tenn; the Agricul- tural and Mechanical college at Greens boro, N. C.; the Utica Normal and Indus trial institute, Utica, Miss, besides state fairs held by negro farmers in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ken lucky, Tennessee and Alabama and add ed to this should be the work done in more than 300 other industrial and agri- cultural schools ip the south.
 l The influence of these schools and con- 1 ferences. coupled with the good work of 1 the negro demonstration agents, has not only increased the yield of the negro
 farmer, but it has developed his desire and capacity to become manufacturer oi | raw material.
 On November 25 Booker T. Washington made the formal address at the opening
 and completion of sl00,000 oil mill plan
 at Mound Bayou, a negro town of Mis-
 sissippi. The address was listened tC
 not only by thousands of his own racs
 from New Orleans. Memphis Vicksburg i Jackson, Natchez, Greenvlle and th'
 surrounding country, but by hundreds o
 white citizens, including county officials judges, professional men, newspaper mer
 and most notably MT. c. P. J. Mooney
 editor of the Commercial Appeal. 1 In the presence of thousands who stoot
 before him in the open, Dr. Washington
 said, among other things: II count i
 great privilege to be permitted to talk l part in the formal opening of the Moun'
 Bayou oil Mill and Manufacturing com | pany. The opening of this oil mill mark | unioue and distinct step in the prog
 ress of the negroes of America It repre-
 seits in my opinion, the largest and mos
 serious undertaklng In a purely coihtner
 cial and manufacturing enterprise in th'
 history of our race. l congratulate Charles Banks and his board of director
 and stockholders upon the success tha
 they have attained to in bringing this en terprise to it's present degree of complete ness. MT. Banks and those who hav' stood by him In this movement are en titled to the lasting praise of the peopl' of this community.
 "I am glad that this oil mill, the frs | in the history of our race. is located II the heart of the south, where It will be ; perpetual demonstration of the fact tha our people cannot only make progress but whenever they make progress aiont | legitimate and helpful lines that the whit man is willing to stand back of them an, encourage them right here in the hear of the south." T. T. oW FINS. Tuskegee Institute. Ala. December II lsl2