The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-25
RDucATros AND AGRICULTURE.
Sensible Remarks by . Louisiana
State Commissioner.
New Orleans Picayune.

New orleans flCayuHe.
In his speech on Wednesday, President
Stevens, Of the convention of State Com
missioners of Agriculture, touched one
subject which Is very important. from an
educational as well as an agricultural
point Of view. He declared that the state
that leads In the dissemination of infor-
nation on agricultural subjects WILL In
the end, outstrip other agricultural COM
munities in wealth, progress and a full de-
velopment Of their resources.
For ages farming has been carried on
by sort of main strength and awkward
ness, when 1t demands scientific knowl-
edge of many subjects. The farmer ought
to know something at least of chemistry,
of the composition of his soil and the sorts
of fertilizers 1t requires. And nothing Is
of more importance than a knowledge OF
the flying and crawling creatures that prey
upon the products of his farm, his vine-
yard. his orchard and his garden. Said the
speaker:
but how can the farmer learn these
things and thereby keep his land from
wearing out. and his crop from destruc-
ton? Not by discussing the silver ques-
a discussion of our policy In the Philip
pines He must study carefully the
tariff annually levied by the apple tree
borers and caterpilars. This Is the field
for investigation. The insects daily chaj-
lenge the farmer to deadly combat. II II
evaded, The farmer OF today must know
the science and philosophy OF physical
life. the life Of the animal and the plant,
that he may be successful in his under
taking. We should therefore, encourage
the teaching of these sciences In our COM
mon schools.
"How delighted the boys and girls would
be to learn about wheat and corn; about
the apple tree, the peach. the plum and
the pear; how these trees grow and are
propagated. how they may be cared for
and urotected from the enemies that an
nually prey upon them. ] am clearly OF
the opinion that 1t would be well TO elini-
nate large part Of the trash which is In
serted in our big text books ON geography.
In place of these things we should teach
facts about the earth in the neighborhood
where we live. In a great many OF our
cities appropriate studies are introduced
for. the better instruction Of the black
smith, the carpenter, the engineer and the
man Of affairs.
Hundreds of high school boys and girls
I'm the cities and towns at this time are
studying the very sciences which the far
mers' boys and girls should know--sciences
not taught from books, but in the labora-
tories, where the electrical machines are
the chemical forces are discovered by the
students; where the potato bug the chinch
bug. the grasshopper and the beetle are
studied, examined and classified"
There Is a great deal OF sound sense In
all this, and II Is but one Of the express
sions from thinking men that our system
of public education il too much devoted
to theory and not enough to practice. The
demand for a change is going to grow un-
til II breaks out In an authoritative and ir-
resistible requirement In this age OF COM
petition the agricuiturist must be educat-
ed to meet the exactfng conditions that
press upon him. He can no more dispense
with science than can the manufacturer.
ZARINA cigarettes-not made by Japs On