The Colorado statesman., 1913-02-15
AFRO-AMER|CAN CU[L|NCS

The question is often asked as to
he extent the former students and
graduates of Tuskegee Institute en-
gage in actual farming operations. 1t
should be stated, that the teachers of
the institution itself keep constantly
in mind the fact that the south is
largely an agricultural country, and
that at least eighty per cent. of the
colored people depend upon farming
for their living, and, furthermore, the
negro race as a whole is far better
off when in cultivating the soil than
In any other occupation. For these
reasons no pains are spared to i'm
prove each year the training given in
farming and related occupations so as
to keep the student close to the soil
and lead them to love farm life to the
extent that large proportion of them
will take up work Immediately in the
country. AS an immediate result of
this teaching the school has been able
to produce the best crop on it's farm
during the past year in the history of
the institution. This within itself has
the sixteen hundred students in farm
ing. AS a further illustration of the
result of this training, in Macon coun-
ty alone, in Alabama, in which the
Tuskegee Institute is located, there
are three graduates of the school, to
say nothing of hundreds O. others en-
gagged in farming, who have more
than hundred farms or that number
OF colored farmers under their super
vision. This one case, out of many
that might be referred to throughout
Alabama and the south. And, too it
Is safe to state that at least half of
the men from Tuskegee Institute,
who are classed as school teachers.
engage, to some extent, in farming
while engaged in teaching their pu-
pills. Thirty of the graduates and for
mer students of the institute are
teaching agriculture in various
schools, Some of these schools are
located at Snow HILL Ala; Prentiss,
Miss; Tallahassee, Fla; Lawrence
vile, Va; Denmark, S. c., and at the
University of Porto Rico. Porto Rico
Eight of the graduates are working
for the United States department of
agriculture as agricultural demonstra-
tion agents in the states of Alabama,
Louisiana Mississippi, Oklahoma.
South Carolina and Virginia. The
government experts induce colored
farmers to set aside small portions of
their land and plant and cultivate it
under their direction These small
plots serve as object lessons for the
communities. Thus, where farmers
raised from five to fifteen bushels of
corn per acre, they are now, because
of this teaching, raising from thirty
to sixty bushels per acre. Where from
$50 to 200 pounds of lint cotton were
produced per acre. now from $50 to
600 bushels per acre. On what is
called very poor land Tuskegee stu
dents raised on the institute farm last
year 500 bushels of sweet potatoes
per acre. These demonstration agents
do not confine themselves to teach
Ing improved farming methods, but
they also assist the colored farmers
in getting better live stock, in having
better gardens, and in improving
their homes. In community where
one of these agents is at work a visit
was made recently to forty gardens of
farmers bv competent committee.
The committee found in these gardens
peas, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, mus
tard, pepper lettuce and carrots Be
sides, the gardens were in good con-
dition. This resulted from the teach
Ing of one graduate of Tuskegee insti-
tute.