Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-10-17
LIFE ON THE FARM.
Secretary Wilson Trying to Make
 Young People Take to Farm Work.

Washington, D. C.. Oct 17.-Earn- est efforts are being made by Secre- tary Wilson and other officials of the department of agriculture to pro- mote among the young people of the country love for and adaptability to life on farm. Primarily, the idea Of the effort is to prevent, Is possible, boys and young men who have been brought up on farms seeking at the first opportunity, or without oppor- tunity, a loaction in a city. The rush of country boys to the cities, it is pointed out, not only often has ruined the lives of the boys themselves, but l quite often has imperiled the home situation back on the farm How, therefore, to induce young farmers to remain on their farms is prob lem which is challenging the atten- tion of some of the best minds in America. President Roosevelt often has ex- pressed himself as favoring the culti- vation of love of country life, of an agricultural life. among the people Of
 
 l desire of thousands and tens of thou sands of country bred boys each year to get to some city is real menace to the nation and that if that desire remains unchecked it is likely to seri- ously endanger the progress and pros- perity of the country.
 In several states what are known as agricultural high schools have been established. The design of the schools is to teach the country boy, and the country girl. too, the best known methods of farming. to give them a better and higher knowledge of farm life, and to inculcate an ap- preciation of life on farm by pre- senting 1t in as attractive and profita- ble manner as possible. Prof Will let M. Hayes, assistant secretary of agriculture. an educator of high re- pute before he became government official, is lending great influence to the establishment of these agricul- tural high schools. They are not supported by the government, but they are given great assistance, moral and substantial, and every possible encouragement. It is the intention of Assistant Secretary Hays in the near future to visit the south to in vestigate work of agricultural high schools already maintained there and to assist in establishing others. espe- cially in Georgia and Alabama. Georgia is soon to have ten or eleven of these schools in operation and the state officials recently have conferred with officials of the department of az riculture about securing lands for the schools that would be adapted to experiment purposes.
 Eighteen of the agricultural high schools already are in operation in various states. Alabama has nine Maine one, Minnesota two, North Da- kota one. Nebraska one, Oklahoma one, South Dakota one and Wiscon- sin two. The idea of establishing such training schools is spreading rapidly and Prof Hays expects that in few years. most of the agricul- tural states will have an average of one of the schools to each congress sional district. The plan of the school is such as to permit the boy or girl to pass directly to 1t from the country school and then through it to the agricultural college. Hereto fore, there has been on intermediate place of instruction in agricultural or nature pursuits. Through such i'm stitutions as agricultural high schools 1t is expected to reach tens of thousands of pupils in the future )where scarcely hundreds now are reached. It is the intention of the department of agriculture to encour- age the establishment of these schools throughout the country, as they constitute a most essential part of the system by which the country boy and girl may get the sort of edu- cation they need.