The log cabin Democrat., 1921-07-26
KIND OF FARMING
 RULES EDUCATION COTTON COUNTIESLOWEST County Agent Shows Relation o( Farming to Literacy-Truck
 Counties in Front.

Does an improved type of farming
 followed in given community ele.
 vate the standard of public schor,
 education and reduce illiteracy, or is
 the reverse true, that development of
 education brings on an improved type
 of farming? The question is asked
 by County Agent T. M. Williams in a
 survey of illiteracy in Arkansas,
 based upon map recently prepared | by the state department of education and sent to county superintendents. 1 It shows the standing of counties in Arkansas on the score of llliteracy.
 MT. Williams compares the agricul-
 tural development of the counties with their standing on the illiteracy
 column.
 Benton and Washington counties are ranked first and second,' MT. Vii
 lams said, "as having the lowest per cent of illiterates within their bord- CTS. It is a well known fact that these two counties are considered to have the best type of farming found in Arkansas and that today, the farmers there have money on deposit while cotton counties are borrowing
 ''To proceed further. Next to Ben ton and Washington comes Boone as third, Sebastian fourth, Green fifth, Polk sixth, Carroll seventh, White eighth and Logan ninth, as having the smallest per cent of illiteracy, | Boone county produces an abundance of hay, corn, wheat, oats and live stock with no cotton. Seh&s an county, of which Fort Smith is the county seat has diversified crop system. Shipping more Irish pota toes than any other county in the state, it also ships hundreds of car loads of strawberries, many car loads of chickens and it's dairy pro- ducts run high. Green has less than one-ffth of it's acreage in cotton and the major portion in wheat. Polk ships berries, potatoes, poultry and other diversified products. Carroll is a northern county and hence ID cot ton and much grain, live stock and the necessary crops for their feed ing. White county, our neighbor, has ! a reputation for the growing of | strawberries. Logan is well known ! for livestock with plenty of small grains and pastures
 "On the other hand, the following | counties rank lowest as having the 1 highest per cent of illiteracy: Crit tenden seventy-ffth, Chicot seventy | fourth, Lincoln seventy-third Desha [ seventy second, Lee seventy-first, lief ferson seventieth, Ashley sixty ninth, Phillips sixty eighth, and Little River sixty-seventh. These nine counties raise cotton as their major if not sole crop. A further comparison is given | in Pike county, in which the great Higland orchard is located, Pike has a rating of thirteenth.
 "Faulkner county is rated thirty ! sixth from the top. The question again is would a change in the crop system of the county have tendency | to reduce the number of illiterates, or would education tend to change the | pItStHt az al
 State campaigns in behalf of di- versifed farming and also for the public schools lend additional interest | to Mir. Williams study of the Ar kansas situation. While it is undoubt- edly true that cotton growing coun- i, ties attract high per cent of negro ! population, in which illiteracy is high, | other counties having approximately | the same per cent of white popula- tion follow different types of farm | ing and hold different standings on the illiteracy column. His question is whether the improved farming came first and resulted in a higher standard of education, or whether education was elevated and illiteracy ! reduced, bringing on a better class of farming. Probably the counties to which the question is most appli- ! cable would be at variance in their |