The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1920-11-20

let us give the boys and girls fair
chance to prepare for life on the
farm.
/ If this county would establish a
good Agricultural High School and
employ more efficient teachers that
could be with the students at all
times to show and direct them In
their valuable work, this country
would be in a very different condlt-
ion than it really is today.
BAY ST. LOUIS-THIRD PRIZE.
Why we need Agricultural High
Schools in Hancock county is mani
tested more plainly each year be-
cause of the increased production in
those sections where scientific agrl-
cultural methods are used as COM
pared with sections where they are
not used. In this age Of specialists
man must know all about his pro-
fession in order to be successful.
This is the same IN the case OF the
farmer. To get the most out of his
land at the least cost farmer must
know something about nature, for II
he wishes to make a success he must
learn to work in harmony with
nature.
While Hancock county is well
adapted to farming, 1t is a very un-
productive country. Here we have
mild climate, a rainfall OF from
fifty to seventy-tive inches, and long
growing seasons, still it is poor sec
ton. Some of the richest land is
noW idle or half cultivated when it
ho do fToh hi no
owner or farmer had been trained
in an Agricultural High School
There are many pests IN these
warm Southern states which do not
infest colder regions. The weather
here seldom gets cold enough to klll
these pests, therefore the farmer
should be taught to kill them by
other means, such as spraying and
crop rotation. All of these things
are made plain in an Agricultural
nigh School.
In the South there is a great sup
ply of labor, both white and colored,
and this is very important since it
takes great deal of labor to do
trucking, fruit growing, dairylng
and poultry raising for which Han
cock county is SO admirably located.
These products would distribute the
labor throughout the year and bring
greater reward to both the farmer
and his hired help.
The transportation here is also
very favorable for the farmer, and
especially the truck gardener. We
are so situated here that a man could
place his products in the markets of
the larger cities all over the country
within twenty-four hours, and SO get
it there fresh and realize the best
market price for his product.
The purpose of this Agricultural
High School is to teach the pupils
to work in harmony with nature,
and by doing this, make more and
better products with less labor and
least cost. For instance, many far
mers buy commercial fertilizers each
year in foreign markets and have it
shipped here to use, while if they
would use barn yard fertilizer they
would save much labor and time and
all of the expense. Barn yard ma
nure costs nothing and is used once
in three years while commercial fer
tilizer is very expensive and must be
used every year.
The result of this is that where
Agricultural High Schools are loca-
ted the farmers produce more and
better products at least cost and ex-
pense, farm houses are made more
attractive, roads are graveled, bet
ter educational interest is manifes-
ted and all are happier. Hancock
county should have an Agricultural
High School to keep girls and boys
on farms.
WILLIAM LAWRENCE.