November, 1911.] 



449 



Agricultural Education. 



Better Conditions among the 

 Coloured People. 

 It was* mainly through the influence 

 of Dr. H. B. Fissell, President, Hampton 

 Institute, Virginia, and Dr. Booker T. 

 Washington, President, Tuskegee Insti- 

 tute, Alabama, that demonstration work 

 was inaugurated for the coloured, 



Where large sections of country are 

 tilled mainly by coloured farmers own- 

 ing their lands, it seemed advisable to 

 appoint coloured agents. In Virginia 

 there are four, in Alabama two, and in 

 Mississippi one. In all other cases the 

 white agents look after the coloured 

 farmers, and do it faithfully. 



In the main the coloured farmers res- 

 pond as readily to the demonstration 

 work as do the whites. In Alabama and 

 Mississippi the coloured agents are 

 graduates of the Tuskegee Institute ; 

 in Virginia they are mainly graduates 

 or have attended the Hampton Institute. 



In an article in the World's Work for 

 July, 1908, entitled " Teaching a Man his 

 Job," Booker T. Washington stated : 

 "If I were to name a single instance ot 

 this new policy of taking education to 

 the man on the job, an instance which 

 seems to me more thorough-going and 

 more fruitful of good than any other 

 of which I know, I should refer to the 

 work that the General Education Board 

 is doing in conjunction with the Agri- 

 cultural Department of Washington, 

 in order to instruct tbe farmers of the 

 South, by practical demonstrations on 

 their own farms, in the newer and 

 batter methods of cultivating the soil. 

 No other single agency, 1 am sure, is 

 destined to do more in the task of 

 creating the New South." 



The following Report, selected from a 

 large number, is a faithful presentation 

 of the work accomplished among the 

 coloured people :— 



Tuskegee Institute, 

 Alabama, September 23, 1908. 



Dear Sir,— (1) The demonstration work 

 is advancing very rapidly. I feel safe in 

 saying that 45 per cent, is the minimum 

 of the farmers who have adopted the 

 intensive method of farming in my 

 territory. 



(2.) The farmers in my territory have 

 come into possession of better breeds of 

 hogs, a better breed of cows, and also 

 for the past two years they have raised 

 more chickens than ever before. I am 

 sure in saying that prior to the intro- 

 duction of the demonstration work only 

 25 per cent, of farmers practised the 

 above, and now 35 per cent, is the lowest, 

 57 



(3.) The Jesup agricultural wagon (a 

 team and wagon donated by Hon. Morris 

 K. Jessup, of New York, for this work) 

 has played a prominent part in the 

 demonstration work. 1 fitted up the 

 wagon with a portable garden and 

 drove to various meeting places, as indi- 

 cated on demonstration map, and here 

 gave concrete illustrations of how 

 gardens should be made. A storekeeper 

 informed me the other day that he 

 sold more vegetables for eating pur- 

 poses, such as cabbage, potatoes, peas, 

 onions, etc., in three months last year 

 than he has sold during all of 1908. This 

 is due to the fact that in every meeting 

 the farmers are urged to make better 

 gardens. 



(4.) In my territory the percentage of 

 pasturing is very low, since farmers 

 generally let their stock run out after 

 the crops are gathered and " tie them 

 up" while the crops are being made. 

 Prior to the beginning of the demon- 

 stration work there were about 10 per 

 cent, of pastures. There are now 12 per 

 cent. 



(5.) The farmers in my territory are 

 just beginniug to leave the old rut of 

 buying corn and hay to tide them over 

 the cultivation period of their crops. 

 Prior to the introduction of the demon- 

 stration work the average of the farm- 

 ers who raised enough corn to last 

 them through the season was as low as 

 7 per cent.; now it is about 12. 



(6.) The small farmers are showing a 

 marked improvement in the matter of 

 getting out of debt. A farmer living at 

 Tuskegee, Alabama, tells me that last 

 year was the first time he was ever 

 gotten out of the debt, and says it is 

 due to the fact that he attended 

 the farmer's meetings ; and another, 

 at Notasulga, Alabama, sold enough 

 butter, eggs, and vegetables to buy 

 the necessary things from the store, 

 thereby saving the high price charged 

 for advancement. About JO per cent, of 

 the farmers are out of debt . 



(7.) The increase of teams has not been 

 so perceptible, for as a general rule the 

 small farmer tries to keep a pretty good 

 mule or horse, even at the expense of 

 some other very important phase of 

 farm management. But with reference 

 to tools and farm machinery the work 

 has accomplished great results— an 

 increase of at least 28 per cent. 



(8.) The rural school condition in my 

 territory has been greatly improved, 

 yet I find that the schools which I touch 

 directly are some better than the 

 average to begin with. The early varie- 

 ties of cotton have aroused great enthu- 



