The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-02-22
THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

In certain important features the
annual meeting of the State Edl-
torial Association held last week in
Minneapolis was the most import
ant in the history of the association.
1t was educative along line which
Ought to mean much to the state OF
Minnesota.
The HERALD wishes that every
.one of its farmer readers might
have attended that session of the
association which was held in the
chapel o: the State Agricultural col
lege and caught some of the inspir-
alton for and stimulus to the practi-
cal Improvements to every day
farming which the college incul-
Gates and teaches. There has been
in certain quarters a deeP-seated
prejudice against so called book
farming-and very justly so in so
many cases as to unfortunately
make the average farmer dlstrust-
full of all school" farming. This
prejudice is doubtless due to the
fact that the methods suggested
were not Immediately practical
could not be applied to conditions
existing with the average farmer;
or because they were designed for
some locality differing essentially
from that in which an effort may
have been made to apply them, and
the results were not satisfactory.
Neither of there objections can
be urged against our own Agrlcul-
tural college methods. Our con-
,ditions and needs are studied close
ly by the instructors in every de-
partment, and their teachings and
experiments are shaped to meet
such needs and conditions. How
to do the impossible in Minnesota
is no part of the curriculum. On
the other hand, the perplexing
questions which meet our farmers
in every section of the state are
dealt with in a practical, economi-
cal, plain way. To such an extent
is this true that every student is
expected to bring a sample of the
soil from his immediate home that
it may be analysed, and scientific
methods of cultivation applied to
it with view of raising its fertility
to the highest possible point.
Every department of agriculture
is not only theoretically dealt with,
but " hat is better, practical work
is done. 1t is the purpose of the
college to raise agriculture to the
dignity of a profession to lnstil
the necessity of using the brain as
well as the Drawn in unlocking ma
lures gold box which has been
located on every agricultural quart
ersection in Minnesota.
Every farmer in the state would
find it to his advantage to visit the
college. He would find something
some more than others to his
material advantage. He would
want no better career marked out
for his son or his daughter than
that of farming as an occupation.
He would feel that this great state
has a realizing sense that its great
est industry is receiving the atten-
ton it deserves.
The college has a fine faculty.
none better in the woodland in
several important features the COL
lege is acknowledgedIy the super
ior of them all. The HERALD ad-
mits that it never before fully ap-
preciated the value of this branch
of the State University, and in view
of what it has learned it feels that
it would not be discharging its duty |
it if did not, from time to time, urge /!
upon its readers careful consider
alton of the college work.
At fhe convention of the Mime