San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-16
TRAVIS
FARM WILL Be
DISCONTINUED
Recruits No Longer Join
Army to Learn How
to Farm.
LIVESTOCK
Project Was Started by
General Hartford and
Was Big Success.
SELL LIVESTOCK

Due to the small number OF soldiers
who now seek training on the post
farm at Fort Sam Houston, one Of
the vocational schools of the army,
and the lack Of sufficient appropri.-
tons for the educational and voca-
tional army schools, the Fort Sam
Houston farm is to be clcc,l out. it
was announced Tuesday morning. Ap.
proximately $1,000 worth of livestock
and poultry will be sold 70 civilians
by informal bid while the equipment
will revert TO the Quartermaster corps
and sold at public auction at later
date.
The sale of the livestock is being
made under the direction Of Capt. Wal
ter L. O'Brien. the schools officer at
Fort Sam Houston, and it is expect
ed that bysNovemb r /, bids will have
been offered on all the stock for sale.
At this time there are 81 Jersey mich
cows on the farm. eleven heifers, two
calves and seven bulls. The entire
Jersey herd is either registered or sub.
ject to registration. In addition to
these animals, 249 hogs and 800 chick
ems will be sold.
| The horses and muels that are used
on the farm are the property of the
regular army.
Sold Milk and Eggs.
The closing of the post farm will
mean the discont;nnance of approx
mately n $4,000 industry. A con-
sentative estimate on the value of the
| livestock TO be sold is $1,000. while
the farm equipment and buildings
amount to $4,000. The dairy barn
is considered one of the best in the
Southwest. while the chicken houses
and silos are of the latest types. The
farm equipment also includes four
tractors. binders, planters, cutters and
| cultivators. 1t cost the government
S33, 600 TO put the farm into opera
| ton.
Since its beginning in 1920 the post
farm has been run by ]. b. Mycr.
a graduate of Texas A. and NJ. Col
lego. an an expert in agriculture and
stockraising.
The post farm was started by Mai.
Gen. James G.. Hartford. when he was
in command of the Second Division at
Camp Travis. The general took ex-
ceptional interest in the project. and
it became the largest and best equipped
vocational school of its kind in the
army. II has also lived to be the last
vocational farm of the army, as all
others have been closed out.
The closing out of the post farm
will be felt the keenest by families
at Fort Sam Houston in which there
are small children. as these families
have been given the first option on
buying fresh milk from the farm dairy.
The milk was sold at ten cents
quart. and was a special benefit to
the enlisted personnel of the post, as
this price is much lower than that for
which the same amount of milk can
be bought from a commercial dairy.
Was Self-sustaining.
Through the sale of milk. eggs, but
ter and poultry the vocational farm
was virtually self-sustaining during its
entire life.
In addition to raising livestock and
poultry on the post farm. there are
90 acres of land there under cultiva-
zion, on which was raised feedstuffs.
4 nursery was also maintained which
supplied the post with shrubbery and
trees.
1t was explained that the farther
the country gets away from the war
| that virtually all the men who come
to the army came there to soldier and
not to farm. The result has been that
each year the class on the vocational
| farm has steadily decreased in num-
bers. Now there arc only % men
working on the entire farm, including
those engaged in stockraising, dairy
farming and agricultural farming. At
one time while General Harbord was
at Camp Travis there were as many as
so men working on the vocational
| farm at one time. II should also
be remembered that when the farm
was instituted there were $4,000 men
Mt Camp Travis. Now there are only
COCO men occupying the same post.
the name of which has since been
changed TO Fort Sam Houston.
Although the farm il being closed
out. officers at Fort Sam Houston
state that it has already performed a
great mission in the lives of hundreds
of men, and has reacted beneficially
| 10 the country rs 4 whole. The farm
was miniature agricultural college,
and it is estimated that several hun
dred men have gone through it and
graduated since its beginning. Most
| of these men, it was said. have been
discharged from the army and Gre now
making successful farmers for them
selves and the country.
The post faru is located northeast
of The cantonment garrison area at