The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1922-07-15

states HehutkOmA service OlAlclUAAg nOaM
Federal and state, Make PrOgress
ReDssts.
BY VIM Anthony Aery.
Hampton. Va. July iS.-John B,
Pierce. field agent Of the States Rela-
lions Service, who supervises the Ner
gro extension work in Virginia and
seven other Southern states, reported
at the recent two-day Hampton IN
stitute Farmers Conference that there
are at work among Negroes in Vim
ginia "a farmland z home demon
stratlon agents. who are In touch
with $4,000 Negro farm families and
who with % county advisory boards,
have organized S05 community clubs
IN which there are enrolled, 74OO ram
lilies In 81 Virginia counties there are
Negro farmers conferences. whose of
ficers are the officers of county adj
viaory boards, which cooperate with
the extension workers to help improve
the economic and educational condi-
tions OF rural Negroes. Every year
in Virginia there are held twenty -odd
county fairs, which serve as educa-
tional exhibits for the work OF Me-
80 Conference Membership.
Charles w. Pugsley, assistant Sec
rotary OF agriculture; DR.. G. b. Smith
chief of extension work for the States
Relations Service; William B. Mer-
cier, agriculturist, extension work, and
Miss Grace II. Frysinger, who Is In
charge OF extension methods In home
OF Washington. d. c.
represented the y. $. Department OF
John r. Hutchinson and w. p. Moore.
both of l3lacHsburg. Va, the State and
assistant State directors of extension
work. represented the Virginia Col
lege Of Agriculture and Polytechnic
d
The remainder Of the official con-
ference membership of 146, in addi-
ton to the demonstration agents, was
distributed as follows: I Field Agent;
District Agents: 40 Representatives
OF Clubs: 1s Members of County Adj
visory Committees; 40 Members at
Large This conference represented
the vital interests Of Negro farm
families in 25 Virginia counties.
Rural Life improvements.
The homo and farm demonstration
agents gave detailed progress reports
on the constructive work which has
been done in helping rural Negroes
screen. paint. whltewash. and repair
their homes; buy better livestock;
improve their flocks OF chickens and
their poultry houses; buy labor-saying
devices for the home: can and pre-
serve vegetables and fruits; cultivate
home gardens; organize clubs for boys
and girls, as well as for men and
women: hold outings for boys and
girls: buy pure-bred seed-corn;
preserve eggs; arrange attractive eN-
hibits; develop cooperative buying
and selling Organizations; build new
and extend school terms.
Need of Trained Lenders.
Secretary Pugsley outlined the policy
which teachers and other leaders
should take in guiding rural pupils
into the study Of agriculture and the
ant nf n
declared that In no other line of work
are there as many opportunities for
culture and for delving into the ser
crets of nature as in agriculture,
recognize as the foundation of all
other things. including business and
national life.
Who In America" which contains
about 10000 names OF people who
attained some distinction, stated that
OF those who have had no school edu-
cation. there is only one man out OF
10000 men; of those who have gone
through the grammar grades, four out
of 10000: those who have gone
through high school. 81 out Of l5O.s,
OO0 those who have been privileged
to go to college, $50 out of 10000.
He smoke in favor of increasing the
number of consecrated, competent Ne
gro teachers and advocated the es-
of COMMITTEES, including
business men and farmers, which
should encourage promising boys and
girls to get q higher education
EducntioB for the Masses.
w. B. Mercier summarized the history
of agricultural education from the
time that Congress first appropriated
money for the organization OF agri-
cultural or Industrial schools in the
several States through the period
nj cfn
established in connection with ag-
ricultu-al colleges, and later through
the period OF farmers institutes, when
1t became clear to thinking people that
on account of the cotton boil weevil,
for example, masses of farmers need
ed to have brought to them the fun
damental principles of agriculture.
Today there are 1000 county agents
and 725 home-demonstration agents.
about 276 of whom are Negro agents,
both men and women There are about
$500 agricultural counties, and still
about one one-half the territory Is
uncovered. The total amount of money
which is spent for demonstration work
ranges between s15,000.00O and $lS.-
100000 each year. He referred to the
excellent work which has been done
since 1906 by two Negro agents-John
b. Pierce Of Virginia and T. NJ. Camp
bell of Alabama About 100000 each
year are spent for the salaries of the
Negro agents.
Conference Progrnm.
Warren X. Biodgett. director of the
Hampton Institute Agricultural School,
welcomed the delegates. The confer
ence program follows:
First Day--Inspection of the Insti
tute dairy horticultural department
new poultry plant. students agricuf-
tural projects, greenhouses: ]. l.. 3.
Buck "Hamptons Extension Work;
round table discussion of Farmers
Problems" led by John b. Pierce; p
Y. Skofield; Lining the Land; spec
cial programs for boys and girls and
for women with an address by Leigh
Richmond Miner, sDecoration as APP
piled to the Home; round-table dis
cussion OF THE Farm Loan Act" led
by Allen b. Doggett. Jr., who also
spoke on what Does 1t Cost to Pro-
Iduce on the Farm; and two demon
strations-G. s. Bote, How to Build
a Sanitary Privy" and d. f. Fem
s'Water supply and Septic Tanks"
Second Day-Inspection of Trade
School; Peter Kingdom. Use of Flow
ers'': Thomas w. Turner. Common
Plant Diseases; round table dis
cussions of Poultry Problems" and
Trucks Crop Problems" led by b. s.
Gammack and #. S. Lippincott; special
|rTogram for women's section, with
IN address by L. r. Miner, "recora-
ton as Applied to the Home; trip to
Shellbanks Farm. which is tho In
stitute's large dairy farm, with an adj
dress by w. T. Wartman' Getting
a Good Stand of Grass and contest In
Judging dairy cows, with address by
~. tAf Tor n n fyf.wnr