Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-08-21
THE GRANGE
Conducted by J. W. BARROW,
Press Correspondent New York state
Grange
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
The Need of 1t Becoming Grehter and
the Opportunities Better.
Especial Correspondence

thoroughly rooted in his brain that the
twentieth century is to be Il century of
education. 1t is to be the era of the
trained man. Right alongside of this
idea the farmers son should plant an
other idea. and that is that if agricul-
ture is to keep up with the procession
the agriculturist must be II trained
man. The farmer of the future must
be thoroughly educated for his bust
ness.
The next question is How shall he
be trained? The means of agricultural
education are so numerous and so
valuable that there is no excuse for
any who do not avail themselves of
some of these means of training. Let
me mention some of the opportunities
that are offered to farmers sons for
getting an agricultural education.
First is the farm itself. This Is the
farmers workshop, and it is and ever
will be the best place for his education.
1t is here that he applies his theories
and works out his experiments. Every
day of his life he is at school to nature
He can get his information at first
hand But it is strange fact that two
different men, differently trained, will
gain exceedingly varying degrees of
knowledge from the same farm. This
is simply because one has trained
powers Of observation; he knows how
to mine knowledge. The other one is
unframed; he does not know how to
question nature; he cannot understand
natures answers to the questions he
may ask. Let me point out those
agencies that will give young man
such training that he can make the
most of his farm as an educator as
well as money getter.
would divide these agencies into
two classes: First, those which are
available to practically every farmer
in the United States and which he can
utilize to the very end of life. Among
these is the agricultural press. Good
farm papers exist in every state, and
the half dozen leading agricultural pa
pers in the country are of the highest
practical value and literary merit. II
Is amazing how many farmers there
are who do not take any farm papers
and how many more there are who dc
not take a good farm paper. The sec
ond means is farmers institutes. These
exist today in practically every state in
the Union, and their value has been
proved over and over again. They are
growing in influence and usefulness
And yet they are attended by only @
fraction Of the farmers of this country
But they are tremendous means OF
education for the farmers son. He
will in them gain not only information
but inspiration. In the third place
there are home study courses, agricul
tural books. agricultural experiment
station bulletins. Any young farmer
who wants to study advanced agricul
ture can find an almost unending sup
ply of good literature under thes,
heads. There was a time when agricul
tural books were not of great value
Today there are dozens of first class
agricultural books written by thor
oughly trained and practical men ant
just as useful to the farmer as ply
sicians' books are to the doctor. And
finally in this class of agencies COM
the farmers organizations, of whicl
the grange is a type. The real worl
and purpose of the grange is education
All of its other purposes are subser
Went to this all embracing object Gu
farmers are just beginning to learl
what an educator it is. am more an,
more impressed as the years go by wit
the tremendous possibilities of tn
grange in educating farmers sons 70
their location.
But the farmers son must also re
J member that the day has come whel
he can and should get quite n share o
his training for agriculture In tn
schools. They are the second set o
agencies. Every farmers son who
to follow the vocation of his fathe
should secure just as much schOolin
as he can possibly get. In the frs
place he ought to have the privileg
when he is a mere lad of nature stud
in the rural school at home. When h
has reached the age of thirteen or foul
teen he should have, and in time wi
have, the chance to study the elemeI
his home school. Then, if he cannC
go to college. but wishes to study agr
culture a little further, he will have q
the county seat of his county an agr
: cultural high school, where he can tax
= n high school course containing som
high school subjects such as Englis
a and mathematics and, at the SAN
time, get good, thorough instruction
science applied to the farm. If he cal
. not afford the time. or money to tax
y even this agricultural high scho
d course, he can take advantage of Il
many special winter courses that al
.. offered even now at every agriculture
college in the United States.
But the Nirmer's son, If he is wis
Will not content himself with schooliI
below that of the college. l do n
mean to say that every farmers sc
. ought to go to an agricultural colleg