The midland journal., 1906-10-05

Prof. H. o. Sampson, who has been
engaged to take charge of the Agricul-
tural High School to be opened at Calvert
on November Ist, was present at the
meeting of the Cecil Farmers Club held
at Robert T. Cameron's on Sept. Ie and
and gave the following interesting talk
on the worle contemplated
1t is great pleasure for me to be with the Cecil
Farmers Club today. You gentlemen are among
the pioneers in this line and you are to be con
graduated that you are doing splendid work in
the right direction for there can be no doubt that
more clubs like yours would be of the greatest
benefit to the science and practice of agriculture
in this country. Today the essential thing is to
improve educational facilities along agricultural
lines and much is being done now to accomplish
this One whole department in the Department
of Agriculture OF the U. S. is devoted to the work
of introducing into our public school system
practical and helpful courses in the science of
agriculture. Of course for several years we have
had our Colleges of Agriculture with their eXper
ment stations and these splendid schools have
done u most valuable work in furnishing educa-
tion for the older and more mature minds OF our
youth, but it is only very recently hatagriculture
has been taught in the public schools but it is no
longer experiment as its feasibility and utility
have been sufficiently proven.
Perhaps the best way for me to illustrate what
we have been doing in this line will be for me to
tell you of the work which we did in Pennsyl-
vania, where l went to introduce agricultural
studies into the High School ofa rural community.
In this school there were three teachers and
eighty pupils and the usual high school studies
were being taught.
did not wish to make radical changes in the
curriculum nor was it our intention to make the
whole course agricultural but rather to introduce
into each of the four high school yearly courses
one course in agriculture. The purpose was to
make the courses as helpful in practical way as
possible and at the same time to arouse an inter
est in and enthusiasm for more scientific study
of agriculture. The agricultural course as
follows:
First year. At the beginning the students made
careful studies of soil and plant life out of DOORS
getting their information by direct observation at
first hand. They were instructed in the laws of
plant growth and learned the elements of plant
physiology. They received practical teaching and
did experimental work to show the use relative
value and effect of various fertilizers and the
ious systems of crop rotation. A great amount of
interest and enthusiasm shown and all that
was learned in the day time was talked over at
the homes in the evening and result the
fathers became interested and club formed
in consequence.
Second year. In second year course astudy was
made of various crops, relative values, method of
securing best results and how the various prob
lens connected Herewith should be met Both
field, orchard and garden crops were dealt with
in this way, and in connection with this course
there reading upon special topics, such as San
Jose scale, spraying, and the various insect pests
of garden, orchard and field crops. As a result of
this work, spraying became general in that local.
ity, where before it had not been practiced and
good thus resulting in a practical way, as the
spraying saved the community great loss.
Third year. In third year the study of animal
life was begun and normal and abnormal condi-
tions were studied. The pupils learned to recog.
nize the most common ailments and abnormal
tiles and became proficient in the methods of
judging stock. Dairy farms and d4irying meth
ods were studied and an intelligent interest of the
pupils was awakened and directed.
Fourth year. In the fourth year chemistry and
other sciences allied to agriculture were studied
and good thorough work of importance was done.
The whole community felt new and deeper in
terest in everyday farm problems a result OF
this course and the topics which were brought up
by its pupils at home and beneficial results were
evident on all sides.
Three boys who were students in this school
went to the agricultural college as result of the
course.
In addition to the work above we wrote to the
publishers of various agricultural publications to
send us their papers free, and a result so free
publications were sent to us and these were circu-
lated in the community with great benefit
Each Friday there was Il lecture to the school
and visitors were invited and many came to hear
talk on San Jose scale, alfalfa growing or some
other topic OF interest. Later there were evening
meetings of the farmers at which the boys read
papers. Boys were examined before the farmers
at the school and they did well.
In Wisconsin there are three agricultural schools
in the state and they get good appropriations and
they help the farmers in many practical ways.
In addition to this it is compulsory fo- each pub
lie school in rulal districts to give in ag
riculture and as result the teachers fit them
selves at the Institutes to teach these subjects and
there is thus instled the idea into the teachers
mind the vastness and importance of this great
subject Agriculture is taught also in the normal
schools and in New York this in also the case. In
Georgia $1,000 is appropriated to each congressional
district for the teaching of agriculture in public
schools and a farm is run in connection with the
school. Instruction is now given in public schools
of Kansas, North and South Dakota, Montana and
California is just opening courses. In addition to
this the school garden movement is popular in
the towns. The Franklin School in Washington
has school garden in which the pupils work and
they enjoy it. Thus education in agriculture has
made good start in all sections of the country.
Your county will be among the pioneers in this
movement in the establishment of the Calvert