The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-18
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Here is a farm of 1900
acres equipped with the latest agri-
cultural machinery. On it are car
ried on general farming, truck
gardening. fruit growing, poultry
raising and dairying.
The farm Is divided about as fol-
lows: $40 acres in the general farm,
so acres in the truck garden, so
acres in the orchard and the re-
mainder in pastures and wood
lands The work on the farm Is
carried on by 225 students who, at
the same time. are receiving practi-
cal training in agriculture. These
students during the past year raised
or the general farm $50 tons of hay,
500 tons of ensilage, 5000 bushels OIL
corn, 5000 bushels of oats and 1000
bushels of sweet potatoes. In the
truck garden they raised enough
vegetables. about $4,000 worth. to
supply the institution. the school
community and the town of Tus-
kegee. In. the orchard, which con-
tains, besides grapes and strawber-
ries, $4,000 trees, largely peaches
nlums. and pears. enough fruit was
produced to supply the school, the
imm ediate community, the schooi
canery and for shipping. The peach
crop amounted to 45o0 crates. There
are 20 acres in Strawberries. which
each year produces from 10000 to
10000 quarts.
This years crop will probably be
the largest in the history of the
school In the school cannery stu
dents, under the direction OF an IN
structor, put up 64,510 cans of fruit,
or 2e.s3s gallons distributed as fol-
lows: gallons of corn, Is gallons
of peach butter, "a gallons of peas
So gallons OF figs, 492 gallons OF
blackberry jam. 600 gallons of
blackberries, 637 gallons of plums,
COOS gallons of peaches, 6,614 gal
Ions of sweet potatoes and S,3e7 gall
Ions of tomatoes.
The students. while doing the
actual work on the farm. are also
receiving practical asricui.ura.
training. For example. the students
on the general farm are learning
i how to apply various+kind of man
,ires and fertilizers, how to handle
different kinds of soils. how TO make
ditches and terraces, what crops can
be rotated most successfully, meth
DDS of cultivating crops, how to
breed corn, potatoes, etc. how and
when to select seed, and how to save
various crops after they are made.
one of the problems which farmers
in the south have Is how to keep
large quantities of sweet potatoes
during the winter. This problem has
been successfully solved at Tuske
gee Institute. The large sweet po-
toto crop is cared for without loss
by rotting or spelling in any way.
The institution now has on hand
from last years crop four thousand
bushels of potatoes. About TWO
Thousand Of these Will be used IN
the Boarding Department before the
close OF school in May. and the re-
niaiuder will be sold. The students
learn this method of caring for the
potato crop, which by the way Is
not costly and can also be used in
Keeping small quantities.
The student working in the or
chard learns about the cultivating,
of different fruits, how to prune and
graft trees He helps to spray the
trees He comes to know about the
value of different sprays. the dis
eases
diseases, and what to do to cure
The student working in the dairy
4 division gets up at o'clock in the
morning and starts delivering milk
and butter TO the dairy's customers
in the town Of TuskeEee, re- ! In this this
marketing dairy products. Later In
the day he assists in making but
ter and cheese and helps to prepare
n shipment of butter. Thus he
learns more about preparing and
marketing dairy products He is
also taught how to test milk for
butter fat. how to manufacture
dairy products according to the
latest methods, and how to keep a
dairy in sanitary condition.
TO do the work on the farm, the
hauling for the school and so forth,
about one hundred head OF horses
and mules are kept. The care of
these animals becomes an important
item In the schools economy. In
order to properly look after this
matter, special division was
created. In connection with this,
course has been developed In the
care and mana cement of horses and
mules Here the students, while
caring for these animals. receive In
struction as to the kind and quaint
ity OF food for work animals. and
their general care. He also is
taught how to care for harness. for
wagons and carriages. In this same
connection. veterinary surgeon
{ nhad to be employed. and a course In
veterinary science was also devel-
oped.
Z. For the purpose of further in
structing the student, special courses
are provided. These courses are
based on the various farm opera
tions and are eminently practical.
There is a general four-year course