The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-01-12
FARM LESSONS FOR CHILDREN.
Western States Making Agriculture ;
Primary School Study.

Under a law in this State, writes
the Lincoln (Neb). correspondent oil
the New York Sun, all teachers in the
primary and secondary grades must
be able to impart the rudiments Of
agriculture to their pupils, to tell them
something of the soil, it's constitu
tents, its culture, how it is seeded
and how the crops are harvested. II
is not supposed that every teacher
will be able to farm, neither is it pro
posed to make of every pupil prac
tical agriculturist. The aim is to In
still into the minds of the children
a love and respect for agriculture, to
make plain it's possibilities. and N
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 advantages OF
the new system. Scattered through
the West are thousands of men who
have made comfortable fortunes 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 pol
icy 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 advanced pu-
pills. These have not been very sue
cessful. The error lay in not begin
ming the instruction in the lower
grades. That mistake is now to be
remedied. The advocates of the new
plan insist that the present education
al system has turned out too many
trained dreamers and trained think
ers, and that it is high time that its
product be trained doors.
Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska uni
versities have been offering for sew
eral years normal courses in agricul-
ture for teachers who desire to or
must give such instruction. This step
has received the recognition of State
superintendent, who award certih-
Gates on the agreement to accept sat
isfactory work in agriculture in lieu
of any science. The result has been
to interest many teachers and to give
risers to chairs of agriculture in the
State normal schools. Other nearby
States are following suit.
In Colorado Senator Patterson has
offered $4,000 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 COM
petition 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 institutes,
the Corn Improver's Association and
the agricultural shows. In forty-two
counties this year 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 taken 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 a patch to exhibit it at
the school when harvested the next
fall. The merchants and business men
generally of the small towns have
caught the spirit and offered prizes