Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-24
FACTS FOR FARMERS
Agricultural Department Methods and
the Industrial Commission.
WORK OF EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS
Director True Tells of the Benefits
Accomplished.
MR.. HOLMES GIVES FIGURES

Mr.. A. c. True director of experimental
stations of the Department of Agriculture,
was before the industrial commission to-
day. he told of the work Of agricultural
stations and the educational work they do
for the farmers of the country. Mr.. True
mas visited every state and territory of the
United States, besides going to Europe to
see what has been done there for the adj
vancement of agriculture.
The movement for agricultural education
abroad in some respects has reached its
highest development. Even in countries
that have been counted as unprogressive
there is movement in this direction. In
Egypt there is an agricultural college, and
recently the Sultan of Turkey has called
on the Secretary of Agriculture to suggest
a form Of such education for his subjects.
In the United States there are three
agencies for agricultural education and re-
search, the agricultural schools and col
leges, the agricultural stations and the De-
partment of Agriculture. The last named
Is really great experimental station. Mr.
True said he would confine his remarks to
the system of agricultural education in this
country and the work of agricultural sta
tons. He referred to the various means
for the education of farmers; besides other
establishments for such purposes there Is
now movement for nature studies in rural
public schools.
Agricultural Colleges.
The agricultural colleges were organized
under what is known the land grant
act of 1852 The fact is that at Amherst,
Mass, is the only purely agricultural col
lege in the United States, though in twen-
ty-seven states there are agricultural and
mechanical arts institutions. In twenty
states these land grant colleges are the
state universities in which there IS a de-
partment of agriculture, though these in
stitutions take in all branches of instruc-
ton that their means will permit.
At the University of Wisconsin there is
a special dairy school, which has sent out
800 butter and milk specialists, besides
1900 graduates skilled in butter making
on the farm. The graduates receive more
money for their work on the farm because
of this special training.
In this country at present there are land
grant colleges in all the states and ter
ritories except Alaska and in the south
there are separate colleges of that kind for
colored people. There are siXty-four of
these institutions, sixty-one of which have
special instruction In agriculture. These in
situations have incomes from various
sources aggregating lover s6,U0,O00. In the
last year they added to their college plants
to the extent of s., $4,000 These institutions
had 2,611 teachers. of which ,722 were in
the agricultural and mechanic arts depart
ments. They have 81 $50 students, of whom
4,1S1 are in the departments of agriculture
dents in these,.scheols is not a complete
index of the influence of these colleges, for
they yearly sending out body of
trained men. The schools for colored peo-
pie the Hampton School of Virginia and the
Tuskegee School, the later under Booker
Washington, are developing agricultural in
struction. Then there is a Jewish school
in Pennsylvania, supported by the Baron
Hrsch fund.
Instruction in Rural Schools.
conclusively that there is need for the de-
velopment of secondary schools for agri-
culture. There should be special schools
run economically, and scattered, SO that the
students would have easy access to them.
There should also be a department of agri-
culture in the high schools in the rural dis
tricts. The cities are developing business
and manual training departments, and the
same thing should be done in rural schools
for agriculture.
There has been a rapid increase in the
number of farmers institutes in the United
States. There were exact statistics
this subject but he had aScertained that
they are now being held in thirty states,
and in the last year 1000 such institutes
We're held and attended by about half
million farmers. At first the farmers at
tending these institute meetings preferred
hearing men who were informed agri-
culture in their own section, but there
is a greater and greater demand for ex-
perts, whether they were from their
neighborhood or not. This movement had
been far developed that there
great a demand on some of the speakers
that they could not fully respond to the
calls made on them.
Paid Lecturers for Farmers Institutes
Mr.. True thought the time had come for
paid teachers for this work which is the
plan adopted in France. These paid teach
ers for the institute could travel, visit the
Department of Agriculture in this city and
go elsewhere whenever they saw an oppor-
tunity to gather information of interest to
the farmers. In that way a trained corps
of teachers could be established, and they
would do much to instruct the farmers on
advanced methods of agriculture.
Another means for such education is now
being developed by the University of Penn
sylvania This is to furnish courses of
home reading for farmers, who are request
ed to undergo an examination by replying
to questions furnished them, and their an
swers had in many instances shown great
knowledge on the part of the home readers
There are now between 400 and 800 of these
home readers in connection with the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania.
Another means for this class of education
is the travelling school, which has been sue
cessfully in England, but which has
not yet been put in operation in this coun-
try.
culture in the common schools but he
thought the teaching of nature should be
introduced in the rural schools The sub
jects selected would naturally be related
to agriculture, and such instructions would
have an important bearing on the educa-
ton of the children to fit them for farm
life. This movement had been begun in
| New York state and had spread to Mary
| land and other states, and was meeting
with success.
There is prejudice against nature study
| in the rural schools it being some times
| spoken of as Useless ''rewfansled thing"
! This prejudice 1t was necessary to over
come. o fs
Great Britain, The said has been backward
| in organizing systematic agricultural study.
| She is beginning4o see the mistake made in
rot doing this she is in regard to her
| lack of technical education.
He said the farmers institutes are study
| irg courses of studies given in the rural
| schools with View ts improving them. He
| did not think agricultural instruction in
| this country would ever go back to tho Old
method of having the boys work on the
| farm in connection with the school, as is
done in Belgium. He though. the model
| farm would beh used in connection with
| agricultural instruction as the laboratory is
| used, but the boys would not be REQUIRED
| to spend their time doing the manual work
| on the farm.
Experiments along agriculttraI limos he.