Afro-American courier. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1926-19??, 1933-07-01
BACK TO THE FARM.
By John A. Thompson, Central Miss College.

From the beginning nature has been sufficiently full
and abundanty able to for both man and beast In
mans prmeval stage he hunted ished, ate nuts Toasted
the fruits and trees and spent his life
esurely and
Mere existence his objective and instead of work
ing for it he looked and hunted for it. The word work
not in his program and it among the last ideas
that into his mind Food was his first and prime
need if could be had without work-why should he
De disturbed?
Work is Of mans natural appettes it is
result that either from obligation condition
vIonment and must be motvaed by actual need by
a supreme desire possess They who live to eat
promised long life and their smoke houses cribs
and barns both few and empty. In the beginning
mans vision extended further than his natural
could see; he didn't need much; he didn't want much
other than eXsence-and he didn't get much
The advance guards in accommodating possessing
than actual and every day needsor rather the
emulation of wealth those who engaged in collect
ms or herdng of domestic anmas-the the sheep,
The goat and the swine. Even during this day
Of improved methods and ideas, or
is the surest and quickest asset for financial
The farm the fields the forest and the woods are
mans first and natural home. The villages, and
cities necessities growing of a substantial develop
eff the former He who ls the soil cutivates the
fields, fes the forestves closest to nature and should
know about God.
Civilization of the highest type advances orderly and
ematicay-with the first things coming first. What
mans occupation is and wherever he chance to
Ve}et it be in the towns, in the cities the water or
in the ar-ne must be fed from the farm.
The farm is the one necessity and main dependence
the human family the larger the city and the greater
It's activities the intensive must be the farming in
ercst around t-and there must be
where.
Sophisticated on the Nile, where got his first
lesson in agriculture and where they have only
during year-farming it the in the days of
old-save the Irrigation system-which Britain installed
for growing cotton. China the most theky populated
section the world continuously disturbed by confusion
and devastated by warfares-coud not feed its millions
exist it not for her intensive farming methods
and asute practice of economy. Almost every inch Of
farming land is in service; ferze-to the PARTICLES
saved and utilized and practically nothing is wasted or
thrown away. They do not boast of a machine age
but of intensive cultivation and preservation, Japan isl
less aggressive and preserving She has land to
lie idle and nothing to throw away.
The German farmers among the intelligent
and industrious in the world 1t is said that they know
about fertzng and how to get large production
TO the than any other people
In fact the farm is the back bone and back ground
of all nations Deserted farms and uncutvated farm
lands by signs of industry and prosperity
Considering the weather conditions the seasons and
y OF the soil for agricultural pursuits, America the
garden spot of the world.
Not many years ago there was quite an upheava and
exodus of group from the and sections to
the towns and cities In quite few there may have
been and sufficient provocation, but regarded
as unfortunate condon-and happening at an in
Opportune time
Not until the latter part of the nineteenth century
the effort made to put Americas agriculture on a
scientific basis and to make it profession instead an
occupation.
Some call this the machine and book farming age.
Be that maywe must all admit that science linked
with and experiences has brought mprov
cd methods ideas, brighter day, and better results
Away with the idea of the machine age and produc
ton for the best interest and most substantial develop
nent for group. There should be Negroes on
the farm and farms owned by Negroes throughout
America.
Visit if you will France, China Japan Germany,
and other foreign andsvew their congested and crowd
ed condition, the struggle that the of their
dense population must make for exsence-and have
a vivid picture of Future America.