Booker T. Washington, Builder o - African American History

Booker T. Washington, Builder of a Civilization. 60
Long before the University of Wisconsin had, through its extension courses,
extended its opportunities in greater or less degree to the citizens of the entire
State, Booker Washington, through similar means, had extended the advantages
of Tuskegee throughout Macon County in particular and the State of Alabama
and neighboring States in general.
The extension work of Tuskegee began in a small way over twenty years ago. It
preceded even the work of the demonstration agents of the United States
Department
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of Agriculture. There was first only one man who in his spare time went out
among the farming people and tried to arouse enthusiasm for better methods of
farming, better schools, and better homes. He was followed by a committee of
three members of the Tuskegee faculty, which committee still directs the work.
One of the first efforts of this committee was to get the farmers to adopt deep
plowing. There was not a two-horse plow to be found. There was a strong
prejudice against deep plowing which was thus expressed by a Negro preacher
farmer whom one of the committee tried to persuade: "We don't want deep
plowing. You're fixin' for us to have no soil. If we plow deep it will all wash
away and in a year or two we will have to clear new ground." Not long after this
a member of the committee with a two-horse plow was practising what he had
been preaching when a white planter who was passing stopped and said: "See
here, its none of my business of course, but you're new here and I don't want to
see you fail. But if you plow your land deep like that you'll ruin it sure. I know.
I've been here."
After a time, however, the committee persuaded a few colored farmers to try
deep plowing on a small scale as an experiment. One of the first of these was a
poor man who had had the hardest kind of a struggle scraping a scant existence
out of the soil for himself and his large family. He was desperate and agreed to
try the new method. He got results the first year, moved on to better land and
followed instructions. In a few years he bought 500 acres of land, gave each of
his four sons 100 acres, and kept 100 acres
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for himself. Since then father and sons alike have been prosperous and
contented and have added to their holdings.
24.03.2006