The Washington herald., 1912-03-23

On the afternoon Of April 9, the
hosts assembled in Nashville for the
fourth annual convention of the South
srn Commercial Congress will do honor
to the memory of DR.. Seaman A
Knapp, who died April I, 1911.
The first feature of the Knapp me
moral exercises will be a parade of
!, hofor through the streets OF Nashville
by farm boys, whether members of
corn clubs or not, by demonstration
farmers; and the eminent leaders OF
American thought gathered IN Nash
Vile
The second feature of the Knapp
memorial exercises will be q public
meeting in the great auditorium. The
presiding officer will be Walter H.
Page, editor of Worlds Work, a son
of North Carolina, who has rendered
national service and whose admiration
for DR. Knapp was deep and enduring.
As the means originally provided for
the work of DIR. Knapp In influencing
Southern agricultural conditions came
from the general education board, DR..
Wallace Buttrick, secretary of the gen.
eral education board, has been invited
to define the nations estimate OF DR..
Knapp.
AS the success of DR.. Knapp in
Southern territory depended upon the
effective cooperation of many men IN
many places, and as the printed page
carried news of his work further than
DR.. Knapp himself could travel, MIR.
Clarence Poe, editor of the Progressive
Farmer, of Raleigh and Memphis, has
been invited to define DR.. Knapp's posi-
ton in the Southern States, and to
place on the printed page forever the
South's estimate of his work.
Then each State particularly bene-
fited by the investigations and efforts
of Dr. Knapp will be represented by a
man chosen for his deep interest IN
the work which DR.. Knapp organized.
The speakers will be: 4
Alabama-Prof. ]. F. Duggar, direc-
tor experiment station, Auburn. -.
Arkansas-John c. Small, editor Ar
kansas Homestead, Little Rock
Florida-Duncan U. Fletcher, senior
Senator from Florida. =
Georgia-Charles S. Barrett, presi-
dent Farmers Union, Union City:
.Kentucky-Dr. Fred Mutchler, State
Normal School, Bowling Green.
Louisiana-Joseph E. Ransdell, Sena-
tor-elect from Louisiana.
Mississippi - Chancellor Kincannon,
University of Mississippi.
North Carolina-Dr D. H. Hill,
president A. & NJ. College, Raleigh.
Oklahoma-Senator T. P. Gore (in-
vited).
South CaroIina-Dr. S. c. Mitchell,
president University of South Carolina.
Tennessee. P. J. Mooney, editor
Memphis Commercial-Appeal (in-
vited).
.Texas-Dr. S. P. Brooks, president
Baylor University. Waco.
Virginia-J. D. Eggleston, State
superintendent public instruction, Rich
mond.
During the progress of the exercises
the fayorite hymns of DR.. Knapp will
be sung by Nashville quartet.
There is no necessity to explain to
the progressive agricultural elements in
the South why such a signal honor
should be conferred upon the memory
of DR.. Knapp, but as these pages will
BE- placed in the hands of some who
perhaps never heard the name of the
good doctor, IT seems best to state here
the underlying reasons for these unique
memorial exercises.
DIR. Knapp's Age.
DR.. Knapp lived seventy-Seven years.
As child he moved to Iowa from New
York State. In Iowa his thoughts and
ambitions gradually became directed to-
ward the proper use of soils. He al
ways took a broad view of the dignity
and importance of agriculture. When,
after years had elapsed, he became
president of the Iowa State Agricul-
tural College at Ames, the simplicity
~ he
work affected the lives of many of his
students. These Ames boys are now
many of them occupying eminent posi-
tionS in the educational institutions of
the country devoted to agriculture.
One of them, Hon. Willett NJ Hays,
is Assistant Secretary of Agriculture
under Secretary Wilson.
In process of time DR.. Knapp moved
to Louisiana, and with the same en-
thusiasm that had characterized his life
in Northern States, he threw himself
into the problems of the Southern
States. He quickly came to see that so
long as agriculture depended upon one
crop, with the risk of fuctuation IN
price and possible failure, due to sea-
sonal influence, then Southern sgricul
ture could never be strong; for the
money secured from the sale of cotton
was quickly spent for foods and feed
stuffs shipped in from far which, in
many cases, could just as well be grown
in the South. When DR.. Knapp saw a
defect he Immediately attended to its
correction. He himself undertook in
vestigstions regarding rice culture in
the Gulf country, and out of these in
vestigationS has come the fact that
thousands of acres in Gulf States now
grow rice He also saw that mems
minds are so constituted that they must
see the demonstration, rather than be