Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-10-26
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
~ Or. ANDREW ri. SOULE

| gree of progress, Institutions of the
| type l represent need to be endowed
| on a basis which has hitherto never
| been appreciated. This is not a self
| iSh statement as some may suppose,
| but It represents the conclusion of
one who has given Twenty-Five years
of work to the cause. Then. We must
| support and encourage research.
| Progress is incident to the correct in.
depreciation and utilization of new
| information. If we could make 250,-
600 of our farm operators understand
next year all the facts known about
the uses of calcium arsenate, we
could raise a half-bale to a bale OF
cotton per acre on all the land devot.
ed to this crop in 1923. The fact that
few thousand farmers did this in
1922 demonstrates the correctness of
this statement. It is difficult to con-
ceive of the psychological transfer
nation which would follow the at
tainment Of the end Indicated.
We must have some means of con-
Veying information to the people
and, for this purpose, We utilize what
is known as the extension method of
teaching. To this end, we are en-
ploying men and women county
agents in agriculture and home eco.
nomics. AS yet, the funds available
for this purpose are totally made
Quate to meet the needs of the state
Of Georgia. That this sort Of work is
productive of worth while results is
illustrated by the fact that in one
county every purebred pig plpaced on
a farm came through the agency of
a pig club boy or girl. On the other
hand, there are 100000 farms in
Georgia on which brood sows are not
maintained, and $4,000 on which
hogs are not raised. Nevertheless,
we are importing into the Gtate each
year $50,000,00G worth of meat prod,
ucts Is it surprising that we feel
the pinch of hard times?
This institution is receiving $780,
900 for the maintenance Of it's
courses Of instruction. 1t had an en-
rollment last year of more than
eleven hundred men and women. 1t
was not given as much as it takes to
support the high school in many Of
our towns and cities in Georgia. Is
it not surprising that it should have
functioned so we'll or accomplished
so much, and is it not obvious that
the state should quadruple the funds
made available for technical and pro-
fessIonal courses of instruction in az
riculture? I am appalled, at the mag
nitude of the task, and hope that
some agency may be discovered that
will shake our people out of their
conlp!acent lethargy with reference
to our educational needs as they per-
tain to the agriculture and home
making industries Of the great state
of Georgia.
You may imagine that the reason
for larger investments not having
been made in agricultural education
is due to the meagerness of the re-
suits obtained. The records show, |
however that the number of hogs
on Georgia farms was increased by
a million head in a comparatively |
short time. TIE 10000 pig club boys
m the state of Georgia deserve the /
chief credit for the attainment of !
this end. This is but one illustration [
Of hundreds that I might bring to !
your attention showing the marvel |
Gus results and benefits which will
be conferred upon our state through |
the adequate support and consequent |
expansion Of the various lines of edu- |
cational and welfare work which this
institution has in charge.