Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1915-10-07

AGRICULTURE AND IGNORANCE.
The Dallas News and Farm and
Jlnnch have been engaged Oh and on
for several pears In . controversy -
% vhich Il entitled to nrst rank In
~ march Of agriculture develop
nent each claiming to be the author
snd originator Of liberalization and
rotation Of cropa The truth Of the
whole matter Il that these principles
II farming date many thousands OF
years anterior to the birth Of these
papers The Egyptians. Jews. Gre
clans and Romans were diversihers.
The Jews were from the dawn Of
their civilization up to the end OF their
National existence a stock farming
people. The principal crops Of the
Jews we're wheat. barley. various
kinds Of peas and beans, pepperwort.
cummin. cucumbers. melons. fruits OF
many kinds. iiax and perhaps cotton.
The fertility Of the soil they main
tanned by rotation OF crops. the
manure Of livestock. and in the neigh
borhood Of Jerusalem the blood OF
animals was used to enrich the soil.
They understood thoroughly the adj
vantage Of irrigation and conducted
water to the plants by means OF aque'
ducts communicating with the brooks
and rivers. All the inhabitants
whether they dwelt in the country OF
N town, were agriculturists. except
the priests and Levites. and persons
Of great wealth and distinction nc
tually worked In the fields.
These ancients. however, wer
practical farmers. and like the New
and Farm and Ranch. learned grea
deal in the hard school OF experience
IN the absence Of scientific agricultuI
al schools and farm experiment sta
fions. During the ages, dark an
otherwise. that followed the ancien
civilizations. a system OF agricultur
necessarily existed. But II was ofte
crude and little encouraged.
Scientific agriculture as we term
the modern scientific school Of agr
culture-is largely due to Bacon. Ke
Ter. Newton and host Of others WI
by the discovery OF exact scien'
made applied science possible. b
before our statesmen dreamed
agricultural colleges and experime
stations the intelligent farmers
America we're rotating and diversii
ing their crops. The first farmer
America who worked out systemaI
plan Of crop rotation and placed
On record was George washingtt
His knowledge Of farming was marv
Gus. yet he could not have been 9TH
wise than ignorant Of the great sci'
tinc principles that underlie agric
ture ~ understood and taught at !
present time. The student OF az
culture. however. and the mode
teachers Of agriculture viii be int
ested IN the elaborate system OF div
sIhcation and rotation Of crops VIII
he planned and placed on record
his numerous fields" as he cal
them. at Mount Vernon. The M
and Farm and Ranch can find
plan by reference to THE Writings
Washington" volume ~. page
They will contribute a rare lesson
high class agricultural education
copying II for their many readers
The man who first conceived
great school Of agricultural educa'
and with power. eloquence and
suasiveness OF speech rarely equi
and stood behind II until law
been passed by the Congress OF
United States providing for the
grant colleges. was Prof Jonathan
Turner Of Illinois. He conipreher
tural education. including the mat
preservation. composition. adapta'
and regeneration OF soils; the
cmy. physiology. the nature, insti
and habits OF animals, insects. I
end plants: their laws Of propaga
primogeniture, growth and decay.
ease and health. life and death
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