The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-03-30
FARM LESSONS
FOR CHILDREN.

Under new law in Nebraska all
teachers in the primary and secon-
dairy grades must be able to impart
the rudiments of agriculture to their
pupils, to tell them something of the
soil, its constituents, its culture, how
it is seeded and how the crops are
harvested. 1t is not supposed that
every teacher will be able to farm,
neither is it proposed to make of every
pupil a practical agriculturist. The
aim is to instill into the minds of the
children love and respect for. agri-
culture, to make plain its possibilities,
and in the end to make more farmers.
This new departure has come rath-
er from the farmers than from the
educators; although the latter have
been quick to see the advantage of the
new system. Scattered through the
West are thousands of men who have
made comfortable fortunes at farming
They Ike their vocation and they be-
lleve more men ought TO be pursuing
it. They believe a lso that there will
never be much else in the West than
farming, and that the thing to do is
to shape the educational policy of this
section so as to produce more farmers
and fewer professional men.
Some Western States have estab-
lished experimental high schools
where agriculture is taught to advan-
ced pupils. These have not been very
successful. The error lay in not be.
ginning the instruction in the lower
grades. That mistake is now to be
remedied. The advocates of the new
plan insist that the present educational
system has turned out too many train
ed thinkers, and that it is high time
that its product be trained doers.
Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska uni.
versities have been offering for sever
al years normal courses in agricul-
ture for teachers who desire to or
must give such instruction. This step
has received the recognition of State
superintendents, who award certif-
Gates on the agreement to accept
satisfactory work in agriculture in
lieu of any science. The result has
been to interest many teachers and to
give rise to chairs of agriculture in
the State normal schools. Other near
by States are following suit.
In Colorado Senator Patterson has
offered $500 in gold as prizes to be
distributed among the children
of the State for the best
cereal seed raised within the next
three years. The competition is open
to every boy or girl under eighteen.
In Nebraska and Kansas, two great
corn States, corn Improvement is the
end sought. Back Of the movement
is the influence of the State College
OF Agriculture, the farmers insti-
tutes, the Corn Improvers' Associa-
tion and the agricultural shows. In
forty-two counties competitions have
been held, the object of which is to
induce the boys and girls to study the
principles and conditions of plant
growth. The public schools have in
many instances take up the work of
corn growing under the direction of
the county superintendent. In some
the Farmers Institute Association of
the neighborhood or of the county
has organized corn growing contests
and arranged for list of prizes. In
others the teachers have urged the
boys to grow patch OF corn Of their
own and prepare to exhibit it at the
school when harvested the next fall.
The merchants and business men gen.
orally of the small towns have caught
the spirit and offered prizes.