The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, June 01, 1900, Image 30
26 THE BATTALION. and, putting faith in your stock of such learning, reap the rich harvests that we know await the improved meth ods of cultivation of the soil and the greater values to be derived from propagation and production of all kinds of earth growths. Of what value has your training to you or youi- coun try if you can’t surpass your fathers in the selection of soils and seeds—in the times and tools for cultivation? If there’s anything in your agricultural education, put it into practice and an swer the question yourself, “How can Texas fortunes be reached tb-day?” There are fortunes hidden in Texas soils to-day for everyone of you if you will but dig for them. They no longer lie on the surface. There are millions in the home manufacture and pre serving of Texas soil products. Why should we use northern canned fruits and vegetables? All we need to turn the traffic from one of imports to one of exports in all these lines is the in vestment of a goodly amount of intelli gence with a little grit and energy. We need not argument, but action. There are thousands of .dollars sent from Texas annually for rose plants alone, saying nothing of the more expended in northern markets for the many other shrubs that grace our flower gardens. Why not keep these dollars at home by propagating these plants in their native soils? Hundreds of ignorant bunglers are trying in their way to do these things all over the State, but your knowledge they are lacking to make that success that na ture has guaranteed to our soils and clime. Why not you become our nur serymen? There are hundreds and hundreds of carloads of potatoes brought to Texas every year. We can raise them at home. Can you tell how to keep them for winter use? ’Tis not the man of muscle nor the man of dol lars that is needed in Texas to-day, but the man who knows the why, the what, and the how, and who thinks it not a disgrace to soil his shirt in applying this knowledge. Young men of the agricultural department, there are yet many fortunes in Texas for you if you will but apply the brain power you have acquired here to get them out. By scientific fertilizing the wornout hillsides will produce again, by proper ditching and levying thou sands of acres of swamp and glade lands will yield their abundant income, by a little experimenting hundreds of untried crops will be found of surpass ing value. Brains, properly applied, is the great demand in the Texas agri cultural industries to-day. Thro’ the waste channel of ignorance the Texai farmers and stockraisers lose every year enough to support their families. In the face of this our best young men have, under a false lash., been driven from the farm and ranch to the city life and the professions. In the past as fast as country boys could prepare themselves for college work, they hied themselves off to the city to be a law yer, a counter-jumper, a doctor, or a school-teacher. Some have been wise in their choice and successful in their practice, but many have but spoiled a good farmer or breeder. The time has come when this must stop. And the entire State of Texas is looking to this institution as the leader to ef fect the great victory of turning the tide of the intelligent and scholarly from the professions to the farm life. We are looking and pointing to you from every point of the compass as leaders to lift us from the misery and poverty of misspent energies and ig norance in our farm life into the pros perity and content of the scientific strokes and well chosen seed of the en lightened brain. The time is upon us when we must have no limited num bers of country people who may be