The Washington times., 1937-11-17
Washington in Favor of Farm
Aid, Says Presidents Message
Lauds Pioneering of
Predecessor

NNSJ.-FollotOing Is the tert
OF a speech prepared By PreSi.
dent Roosevelt for deliUery today
before the presidents OF the
land grant colleges and uni.
verSitteS meeting at Mt. Vernon.
Because of the Presidents ILL.,
ness, the address UaS read by
Secretary of Agriculture Wal.
lace.
Today, here at Mount Yer
non, we are paying tribute to
George Washington-not as the
general who won the War for
independence, nor as the states
man who welded the former
colonies into one strong nation,
but as the outstanding farmer
and farm leader of his time.
SERVICE TO NATION
When the call of duty came,
Washington was glad to give
himself for years on end to the
service Of his country; yet his
heart turned always homeward
toward his beloved plantation.
While he was leading the Amer
lean Army in the Revolutionary
War, he could seldom visit his
home. But during the years he
was President, he returned to it
as often as he could from the
capital at New York. Over a
span of 40 years, from 1859 I'M
til his death in 1899, the farm
at Mount Vernon was the cen.
ter of his interest.
For him, farming was both a
business and hobby. To farm
ing as a business he brought
the talents of a great executive.
To farming as a hobby he
brought the adventurous mind
of a pioneer.
His 8,00O-acre estate at Mt.
Vernon was divided into five
separate units. His methods of
management and his careful
keeping of accounts are an in
spiration to farmers of the pres
ent. He knew how to merchan-
disc his products so as to get a
premium price - for example,
the wheat he shipped under his
special brand to the West Indies
was rated as the best to be had.
PIONEER WORK
But more striking was the pion-
eering he did in the arts of hus-
bandry. He was not satisfied
to do things as they always had
been done. When he found that
one-crop tobacco farming was
wearing out his land, he cut
down his output of tobacco from
$4,000 pounds to 5000 pounds
and replaced it with wheat, Eng
lish clover and a variety of
other crops. He took measures
to stop Outlying and erosion. He
continually tried to improve his
strains Of livestock and from his
sheep got more than twice as
much wool per fleece as his
neighbors got from theirs. He
made a tour through the Caro-
linaS to exhibit one Of his mules
so as to popularize the use of
mules. He tried out a threshing
machine invented in Scotland.
He was constantly exchang-
ing ideas by mail with others
in this and foreign countries
who were interested in better
farming. To what extent he
foresaw the evolution that
would take place in agriculture
in the next century and a half,
we do not know. But we do
know that he himself sold some
OF his farm products in inter-
state and foreign commerce.
We know that he was active in
the building of canals that
would connect the seaboard
with the great regions to the
West. He must have sensed
that the development of trans
portation, together with more
productive + FARMING g methods,
would bring a sweeping change.
He must have sensed that farm
workers would be released to
engage in the manufacture and
distribution of many useful
things and thus raise the stand
ard of living for all.
URGED U. S. AGENCY
Sensing this, it was natural
that he shnl1ld urge cnnnrnss to