The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-03-15
FARM LESSONS FOR
SCHOOL CHILDREN.

COUNTY I6COtHnleHdeu the study OF
botany, entomology, and geology
i'll the country schools as a means
Of interesting the boys and girls in
rural life, and thus insure their de
votion to agricultural pursuits. The
suggestion is an excellent one and
the hope is expressed that the
State Board of Education will find
it expedient to embody a course
of instruction IN these branches in
the public school ciricculum.
Some of the Western States
have gone farther than this. Tn
der a new law in Nebraska all
teachers in the primary and sec
ondary grades must be able to I'M
part the rudiments of agriculture
10 their pupils, to tell them some
thing Of the soil, its constituents,
its culture, how it is seeded and
how the crops are harvested. It
IS not supposed that every teacher
viii be able to 1arm, neither is it
proposed to make Of every pupil a
practical agricuIturist. The aim
IS to instill into the mind OF the
children a love and respect for
agriculture, to make plain its pos
sibilities, and in the end to make
more farmers.
This new departure has come
rather from the farmers than from
the educators, although the latter
have been quick to see the advan-
tage of the new system. Scatter
ed through the West are thousands
of men who made comfortable for
tunes at farming, They like their
vocation and they believe more
men ought to be pursuing it. They
believe also 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 50 as to produce
more farmers and fewer profession
al men.
Some Western Ststes have es-
tablished experimental high
schools where agriculture is taught
to advanced pupils. These have
not been very successful. The
error lay in not beginning the in
structions in the lower grades.
That mistake is now to be rene
died The advocates Of the new
plan insist that the present educa-
tional system has turned out too
many trained thinkers, and that it
is high time that its product be
trained doors.
Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska
universities have been offering for
8 several years normal courses in
agriculture for teachers who desire
to or must give such instruction.
This step has received the recog-
milton or State superintendents,
who award certificates 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 800 in gold as priz-
es 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 improve
ment is the end sought. Back of
the movement is the influence Of
the State College of Agriculture
the farmers institutes, the Corn
Improvers' Association and the
agricultural shows. In forty-two
counties competitions have been
held, the object of which is to in
duce the boys and girls to study
the principles and conditions Of
plant growth. The public schools
have in many instances taken up
the work of corn growing under
the direction Of the county super