The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1916-11-23
South Leads in
Good Farming
SECRETARY WILSON, OF PRESI-
DENTS CABINET, SPEAKS
HIGHLY OF TENNESSEE'S POS
SIBILITIES.
SAYS THE NORTH HAS MANY
THINGS TO LEARN FROM
SOUTHERN FARMERS GOOD
METHODS

Knoxville, Tenn, Nov. 18, 1916
Former Secretary of the U. S Depart
ment of Agriculture, James Wilson
spent Friday on the campus of the
University of Tennessee and on the
Tennessee experiment station farm
here in the interests of the National
Agricultural Society. While at
Knoxville he made some remarks
concerning the farm development of
Tennessee which has a direct bearing
on every farm in the state,
DIR. Wilson spent sixteen years of
his life organizing the greatest agri-
cultural department the world has
ever known. Because of his useful
ness as secretary he served through
four administrations, and as result
of his efforts, together with con-
tinuation of policies by the present
administration, agricultural education
has undergone development that is
resulting in farm prosperity through
out the country.
The South is teaching the NORTH"
says DIR. Wilson. Il have seen the
agricultural educational work of
every state in the Union, and while
some men remark that the South does
not know how to farm, tell you that
the North has yet to learn how to
farm. Northern farmers, as well as
Southern farmers, are holding back
the progress of this country In
demonstration work the North has
learned from the South, and is put
ting into practice some of the things
that you have been doing down here
for years"
"What a wonderful farm this is
.Yoa Ihapa here" he commented, as he
looked oV>r the 750 acres belonging
to the Tennessee experiment station
AThe addition >f Cherokee farm to
your work is goilg to make a great
deal of difference.~ | am proud OF
the citizens who have laade possible
the purchase Of this farm for the use
of the agricultural educational work
of the state"
And then, as he walked through the
barns, and saw the head Of the Per
cheron stud, the imported stallion
Mazarin, he remarked: 81 don't be-
iieve that | have ever seen a better
horse. ] am glad to see that the
South is taking an interest in more
live stock. / can see a big change
since | was in Tennessee the last
time. 1t is wonderful development
! am glad that you have this live
stock here at the farm for the stu
dents of the university to study. II
is a wonderful training that these
boys are getting"
GLOW many students do you have
in the College of Agricultural" he
asked.
The answer was: "Two hundred"
"Well l come from the State Of
Iowa. We had over one thousand
freshmen this year at Iowa College
of Agriculture. You may think thai
we have a much larger school thar
you have. We have, but we ough'
to have more students than you have
We don't know anything else il
Iowa except farming. There may be
some manufacturing done. | do re
member that a few wash tubs are
manufactured at one place, but We
depend almost entirely on farming
as a state industry, and our farm
school has got to be b,% one. Tenn
essee, on the other hand, has diversi
fed interests. You have your agri
culture, and are training your boy
at the State university to improve
that, but you also have your indus
trial activities and all Of these maxi
the State doubly useful to the citizen
ship of the country"
"Does the legislature support you
college?" was one Of the question
he asked, and the reply made by
friend of the university was: "No
very much"
"Why they have got to support it,
he said. 81 remember, when l wa
director of the Iowa experimen
station, l went before the legislator
of Iowa and after explaining tn
crowded conditions under which tn
boys were working and the fact tha
we had not been able to accommodat
many who applied for study, l aske
them if they were going to tur-
young men of the state away fror
an institution that was establishe