Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-14
THE OUTLINE OF HIS IDEA
MIR. Wilson Thinks the Only Feasible
Plan is to Teach the Young in Our
Elementary Schools in a thoroughly
Practical Manner the Art of culti-
waiting Nature.

standing of plant life and the uses to
be derived therefrom. The secretary
ever since he came to Washington has
been trying to elevate and develop
| the department over which he presides.
! There has never been time when he
| failed to get the best results from his
| department, and his forcefulness and
his practicahility have shown them
new propositions he has originated. AS
| a result of his new thought he has now
| a class of forty-tive girl pupils from
| the Washington normal school receiv-
ling instructions under several of the
experts of the department as to the
| planting and reaping of seeds. The
| secretary believes that every school
teacher should have some elementary
knowledge of agriculture and hortlcult-
ure and hopes that when the class that
| he has selected graduates 1t will be
thoroughly well acquainted with all the
essential elements Of practical agri-
culture and horticulture, and be able
to diffuse knowledge to the pupils I'M
der them.
What we most need just now IS
teachers who are competent to teach
the great lessons of plant life to the
classes in the elementary grades said
Secretary Wilson ITO inculcate in the
minds OF our boys a love and know
ledge of growing things will tend to
lead more young men to complete the
oil fat or n b,.
great agricultural colleges which nov
nearly every state in the union main
tains. The tendency has been too a
larmingly marked of our young men
and women in the rural districts to
forsake their homes and seek pursuits
in our cities. The backbone of our
prosperity is in reality in agriculture.
Upon the farmer we depend for our
food products and should not drift in
to a purely commercial nation depend
ent upon others for our breadstuffs, as
is the case with England, for instance.
I am thoroughly convinced that the
only plan lies thru teaching the young
in our elementary schools in u practical
manner the use of the hoe, to use an
expression which covers the point am
endeavoring to make. Take my own
state, Iowa, how could it, one of the
great agricultural states of the union,
better spend money than in diffusing
practical knowledge in the minds of the
boys and girls on agricultural and hor-
ticultural matters. AT the great normal
school at Cedar Falls, for example, the !
teachers there could be taught upon
agricultural subjects and they couldl
diffuse their knowledge among the very
young pupils. | know of no money
that Iowa or any other state for that
matter could possibly expend which,
would produce such returns as to train
all teachers in Il practical way the
elements of agriculture and horticult-
ure. They would thus be equipped in
an important branch of knowledge. The
agricultural colleges of the country
could supply competent instructors to
the normal schools and it would also
be well to have such instructors in the
secondary schools. The University of
Missouri now holds summer schools for
the instruction of teachers in primary
and secondary schools in agricultural
matters Alabama appropriates money
each year foa instruction of those in
the elementary grades in every con-
gressional district in the state, thus
making feeders for their AGRICULTURAL
college"
In addition to the classes from the
normal school of this city who are be-
ing taught under the direction of the
department of agriculture, Secretary
Wilson will cause class of twenty
three boys to be chosen from the pub |
lie schools to be taught practically |
truck gardening during the coming |
summer. The class will be in charge
of one of the practical gardeners of the
department and each boy will be given
a plot of ground to SOW and cultivate.
These miniture farms" will be located |
at the experiment station in this city /
and the boys for their labor will be
permitted to carry home or sell what |
they raise. 1t is believed that the sight |
of these boys from the public schools
to be selected thru some method of
competitive examination will encour-
age other boys to endeavor to do SOM
thing along the same line and many
d waste backyard may during the sum-
mer as a result bloom into miniature
truck farm.
In speaking of this southern trip q
few days ago Secretary Wilson said
that his department is doing all 1t can
to encourage the culture of the silk
worm in such localities where it can
be accomplished
1.-THE culture of the silk worm' he
said, "has become quite profitable
industry in many sections of the south
and we are willing to encourage and
foster it in every way possible. We
have recently received a consignment
of eggs and are now engaged in distri-
buting them where they will do the
most good We are also sending out
quite a number of slips of the white
mulberry tree, the species of mulberry
best adapted for the silk worm. The
department has also taken another i'm
portant step to aid the silk culturists.
We are importing the latest improved
reeling machine from Italy and will
have people trained to use 1t and then
they in turn will teach others. We
expect upon the arrival of the new
Keeling machine to secure young
woman from the Tuskegee institute
in Alabama (Bookar T. Washington's
school and she will be taught the art
of silk Keeling in the department.. AS
soon as she becomes proficient In the
workings of the machine, or an expert,
in other words, we will send the reel