The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-07-04

able to furnish the money to pay for
purchases that have already been ar.
| ranged one-half of the entire number
will have permanent homes and land
Of their own. Realizing this, they are
willing and in many cases eager to
learn how to make the best use of their
possessions. how to get the largest re-
turns for their labor and how to in.
crease the value of their property. The
demoralized condition of the farming
population caused by the frequent no
litical agitations has made instruction
in these lines of economy useless until
| recently, but now that the land wars
are over and the causes for agitation
are being removed. and the farmers of
Ireland are coming into their own, they
take different view Of life and vel.
| come every offer of instruction that
will enable them to improve their ST.
uation.
The itinerant instructors are prac.
tical men. They work among the far
mers in the fields in the summer aid
during the winter deliver lectures with
practical illustrations in the schooi.
houses, the town halls and other con-
venient places. There have never been
any agricultural schools in Ireland,
and It would be difficult to persuade
Tn Oft :e
they were established. Therefore the
officials of the department have under.
taken their work with the children Of
the farms in the secondary rural
schools with the hope and confidence
that the next generation can be per.
suaded to follow up this rudimenta "
learning by taking advanced courses
in agricultural science. Indeed, many
of them have already done so. There
are today 12S young men, all of then
sons of poor farmers, studying agri-
cultural science in different institu-
tions of ireland, and many of them are
being assisted financially to gain a
technical as we'll as practical educa.
tion. The department has provided p
system of pecuniary aid so that boys
who have shown special aptitude in the
secondary schools may pass on to the
agricultural college, and the reorganiZ-
ed college of science and even to the
university.
"In this way" DR.. Smith of the de.
partment of agriculture tells me, I'VE
| have opened an avenue by which the
sons of the poorest farmers or labor
ers in Ireland who have sufficient ma.
tive talent and ambition may ADVANCE
free of cost to their families, from
the rural primary school right up to
the highest institution. and can be
trained to lead and teach the farmers
of this country to solve our agricult-
ural problems and increase our pros.
perity by applying science to their
daily labor"
"ln the Irish rural districts boy
| seldom gets any education after he T.;
IL years old. In most districts he is
put upon the farm to work at that age
or at IA or Is, and practically runs
loose during the winter months. b.
the age of II he has usually lost what
he learned at school, and the faculty
of acquiring knowledge has become
dull and stunted. Therefore the per.
iod between 13 and II years is the
most important in the education of the
country boy, as we'll as in the forma
tion of his character, and VIC propose
to open the doors of schools to him so
that he may not only be kept from
forming bad habits, but shall acquire
a practical training and a thorougn
knowledge of the elementary sciences.
what we call"naturc knowledge"
Tho itinerating instructors are in
PRODUCING better varieties Of potatoes,
grain and other crops. They advise
farmers as to the selection of crops
after making a chemical analysis Of
their soil; they encourage the pur-
chase of the best qualities of seed.
show how 1t should be planted and
conduct Meld s,inspeot build
ings and suggest improvements, show
how simple remedies can be applied 10
disease Of live stock, explain the most
approved methods feeding diary cattle
and butter making, fattening chickens
for market. egg packing and othcl
little matters which are Of theg reat-
est value to those whose happiness
and prosperity depends upon the intel.
ligent application of their labor. Last
year 1884 farms were visited in this
way by the instructors and 66,144 pei.
sons received instruction. More than
1000 lectures were given, with an av.
erage attendance Of sixty-seven.
To improve the live stock Of the
country the department loans money