The Mena weekly star., 1919-07-31
BRADFORD KNAPP
/ INTOCONTROVfRSY
Scores Both Work and Attitude of Lit
tie Rock Profitable Farming Com
mittee-Goes Into the Recent
Peanut Propaganda.

a message informing him that a
circular lettero "Safe Farming,
issued by him, was being quoted as
authority for or endorsement of
campaigns conducted by the Little
Rock Profitable Farming Committee
in the spring of 1919:
Members of the Profitable Farm
ing Committee ought to know by this
time that | have never approved of
their employment Of an agricultural
man to conduct agricultural cam
paigns. have spoken to many bust
ness mems organizations, bankers as
sociations, etc, and all the burden of
what / have had to say upon all occa-
sions has been that business men had
no business to be giving agricultural
instruction to farmers any more than
farmers should be giving banking in
struction to bankers. These men know
that have fought hard against great
business corporations conducting cam
paigns of agricultural propaganda.
The principle upon which / have pro-
ceeded at all times is now, am
thankful to say, embodied in the law
but has been the rule of my office for
more than ten years, and the law now
is that anyone cooperating with the
Department of Agriculture must pay
their money over without any strings
tied to it, either to the Department
or into State, County or College
treasury.
They should also have known that
the methods pursued in their cam
paigns would not have received the
endorsement of this office. Such agri-
cultural advancement as we have been
able to bring about has been done by
the expenditure of large sums of
money for seed and a general harang-
uing of the farmers to plant such and
such a crop. 1t has been accomplish
by the demonstration method, namely,
by getting farmers in every county to
demonstrate the value of new crops
and improved methods of raising old
crops.
Absolutely nothing is said in nay
circular on the subject Of production
of sweet potatoes to replace corn as
hog feed. The figures used by Mr..
Cottrell in the campaign regarding
the cost of production were certainly
never obtained from my Office. Moth
ing was said in my circular on the
subject of SWEET potatoes for CONNER
cial purposes for the simple reason
that there is tendency to overdo that
in some sections at the present time.
81 understand they had campaign
on the subject of peanuts and pur-
chased large number of carloads for
planting purposes. In the circular in
question l used the following language
regarding peanuts:
Peanut acreage has greatly in
creased in the South in the past few
years. To the extent of the farmers
need for feed for his increased hog
production, acreage in peanuts may
well be increased. In territory where
they have proven successful increases
should be advocated mainly by ex-
tending production to farms beginning
hog production, but on which peanuts
have not been grown. Acreage for
commercial purposes should only be
increased as fair contract market
prices would seem to warrant. This is
a matter which should be approached
with caution
you win please note that distinct
word of caution regarding the plant
ing of peanuts for commercial pur-
poses was embodied in this circular.
Any careful reading of the circular
would lead fairminded man to the
conclusion that peanut acreage ought
not TO be increased except as farmers
needed more peanuts to feed their
hogs or where farmers were raising
hogs in good peanut territory and
had not produced peanuts so far.
Nov permit me to say that | have
never been consulted regarding the
Profitable Farming Committees cam
paigns in Arkansas this spring.
never gave any such campaign my en-
dorsement because / knew nothing of
them. was shocked and surprised to
find that the Extension forces in
which the University of Arkansas
College of Agriculture, and this De-
partment are so vitality interested,
permitted themselves to be whipped
into line in the campaigns which were
i'll advised and also had stood mute
when misinformation was being ped
died out to the farmers. Instructions
thru the Director of Extension are
being sent to them and to all other
States to say that the Department
does not wish to enter any relation
ships whatever with any organiza-
ton which proposes to dictate cam
paigns to be conducted in the State
and that it will censure its employees
who fail to correct cases of so-called
agricultural information peddled out
to farmers, no matter from what
source they may emanate.
"The propaganda type of agricul-
tural education went pretty well dur
ing the war because people were
aroused to a patriotic ferYor beyond
that of ordinary times. Some people
have been deceived into thinking that
this type of education had come to
stay. 1t did not succeed in time of
peace before the war, nor do / think
it will succeed in time of peace after
the war.
"The Profitable Farming Committee
also seems to be mistaking the atti-
f,rda ~ tha farx,ar To nloca on aIIf