The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-23
ASKS TEACHERS TO
ASSIST IN WINNING
CONVERTS FOR FARM

The science and nature study section
OF the state Teachers association opened
al 2 o clock yesterday afternoon in the
Science building of the Salt Lake High
school Dr. J. A. Widtsoe, president of
the Utah Agricultural colleges was theu
principal speaker of the afternoon Sos
sion and delivered an excellent address.
his SUBJECT was, Agriculture in the Pub
lie Schools: Aim and Method"
The aim in getting agriculture in the
public schools" said Professor Widtsoe.
lis to win more converts for the farm
for it is there that the country is largely
dependent for its future prosperity Forty
per cent OF the entire inhabitants of the
United States today are farmers and it
can be readily seen that the agricultural
side of life is no small matter
1T is difficult thing to get men in
terested in farm life after they have
passed the grade school and high school
stages, and we must start early and get
them interested, while they are vet young.
in the lower branches of learning There
comes time in the lives of all men
when they must earn a living for them
selves, and if they have been trained in
the agricultural-life and methods of work
it will be easier for them and much more
beneficial to the country at large
We need mot change the present svs-
tenn OF teaching the children to introduce
agriculture into the schools but merely
revise the textbooks to some extent The
problem VIII be the same materially, but
instead OF having a problem reading
How much money will man who blVs
so many shares of mining stock and sells
1t a certain per cent higher than the
cost, nave the problem dealing with ae-
ricultural life For instance, place the
problem before the pupils: How much
will it require to feed a horse during
the winter If he eats so many pounds of
hay and grain a dayy or How many
horses will stack of hay of certain
dimensions feed during the winterg"
Professor WidtsOe concluded with an
earnest plea TO the teachers to take up
this subject as much as possible in their
IN becoming interested in it.
40. Garrett of the Salt Lake High
school delivered an address ron out-of-
door class work in science training He
said in part:
Many of the features treated of in
the textbooks can be made the subject of
a field exercise in botany; for example.
the names and habits of trees. the light
relations OF the leaves of the weeds found
along the bitches and in. vacant lots. what
insects assist in pollenizing a given flower.
and what adaptations the flower has for,
receiving these insect visits-all these and
many more. In the field excursion, the
more detailed study OF plant associations
VIII probably be taken up. There are as
yet few books published that deal with
this study of field work In a few manu-
ais there are found one or more outlines.
out as interest in the work increases
when Ii IS conducted systematically and
in definite manner, according to the
college requirements, these difficulties
viii all pass away and secondary biology
will come into its own
Papers We're also read by r. s Baker
Junius Banks, Dr. W. c. Ebaugh, Or. L.
W. Hartman. John Sundwali, Professor
J. h Paul, DR.. R. V. Chamberlin and DR..
J. f. Merrill