The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-10-30

devoted TO the SuOJCCC VI az ANulCuAe al
education Whatever may be your
opinion of the presidents politics, #
yDu are farmer and love your calling,
YOU cannot help but endorse his ideas
about educat ton for farmers. We found
the extract in the Farmers Call. Com
menting on the address the editor said:
We print in this issue quite lengthy
extract from the address Of President
Roosevelt at Keokuk, Iowa. We hope
every Farmers Call reader will read
ali of this extract, and then think
hard about it, If you have already
read it in your daily paper, it will do
YOU good to read it again.
Tn his annual address before the
F. n c. at it's session next week, the
president of that organization will say
that there is too much tradition and
too little common sense in Our country
schools Our boys and girls are in
tlerf11ain studying the same things that
we and our fathers studied and more
than: half of it, will never have any
direct bearing on their 1ife's work.
Hside from its effect in developing the
mind, this" half Of their study is wasted.
They might. just as we'll be studying
something that, will as we'll develop
the mind and that will also be. Of direct,
specific use to them in after life.
Already many farm communities
have seen the vital defect in Our
country Schools the elements Of agri-
culture are being taught and in quite
a number of communities there are
agricultural high schools, to bridge the
gap between. the district school and
the agricultural college. One of these
agricultural high schools was opened a
few days.. ago in. Marinette county,
Wis.-one Of the newer agricultural
counties Of the state; but destined soon
to be one of the most important. In
this issue is a reprint about this school
from, the Northwestern Farmer, also
one about The Menominee county,
Mich, Agricultural College, Marinette
county, Wis, and Menominee county,
Mich, are separated only by river,
each being on the boundary of its
state. These counties are settled al
most altogether by foreign immigrants
It is noticeable. that the foreigners see
most clearly the benefit from agricu1-
tutal education. Every agricultural
county i4a~the United States ought to
have such an agricultural school as
these two counties have
The extract from the address is as
follows:
.aYou in Iowa have many manufac-
turing centers, but you remain, and
hope you will always remain, a great
agricultural state. I hope that the
means of transportating your commod-
tiles to market will be steadily i'm
proved;> but this will be Of no use un-
1ess,you keep producing the commodi-
tiss< and in. the Long run this will
largely depend upon your being able to
keep on the farm high type of citi-
zenSh1p. The effort must be to make
farm life not only remunerative but
attractive, SO that the best young men
and girls will feel inclined to stay on
the farm and not 60 to the city,
FNoth1ng is more important to this
country. than the perpetuation of our
system of medium sized farms worked
by their owners. We do not want to
see&our farmers sink to the condition
of the. peasants Of the old world, bare
~ able to. live on their small hold
1ngS, nor do we want to see their
PLACES taken by wealthy men owning
enormous estates which. they work
purely by tenants and hired servants.
Exactly as it is for the interest of
all the country that Our great harbors
should be fitted to receive in safety the
largest yessels5 of the merchant fleets
ofetheaWorld, so by deepening and 9th
erwlse our rivers should be. fitted to
bear their part in the moveme emf. 3Gf