The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-27
SCHOOLS
 PLEASE SUPERINTENDENTS
By HERvEY w. LAIRD.

Private Car Southern States Superin-
 tendents of Education, Oshkosh. Wis, Oc-
 tober 24.-(Special 1.-The type of agricultural school maintained in a
 number of the counties of Wisconsin has
 interested the southern superintendents
 of education very much, as through them
 it is hoped to work out the plans of ad-
 justing the rural schools to the life on
 the farm as much problem out here as
 1t is in the states of Dixie land. Two
 of these schools have been visited, one at
 Menomonie and the other at Winneconne.
 They are good subjects, too, as the
 Menomonie school has been in service
 number of years and the other only two.
 While there is some disposition to main tain literary standards, in the main this
 is made subject to the agricultural feat
 ure For instance, If boy or a girl IS
 15 or IS years of age they would be required to stand examination on the eighth grade, but if they had gone on 19 or 20 and desired the agricultural
 courses they would be admitted even II they ranked much lower in the usual
 school accomplishments. The admitted purpose of the school is to help the boys and the girls on the farms, ana the lack of schooling otherwise will not be allowed to stand in the way of this movement. Quite often grown men come in and take
 the farm courses who would not be able
 to pass any sort of grade examination
 The Older Institution.
 The Menomonie school, of which F. R. Crane is the head, has graduated over 700 students, only two of whom have gone t,,4o ot1, fLo apriclI1tura. As
 result the business of farming has been
 greatly advanced and uplifted In the coun- ty. one indication being that just now the county makes 30 tons of creamery but ter a week for the markets of the world.
 There are five partments-agronmy and
 agriculture, horticulture, farm mechanics,
 animal husbandry and household science.
 The students run to about 100 year, With
 annual cost of 5000 in round figures. Every incentive to enthusiasm in farm
 life is provided at these schools. Every week the professors go out among the people. and with lecture and lantern slide talk of the work on the farm and how to make 1t better. Pictures are shown of cattle, hogs, crops, etc., and their care and cultivation explained. Farmers are taught how to test their milk so as to cut out the improbable COWS, and to select cattle by knowing the points of milker as well as an animal for beef Diseased cattle are eliminated and killed, and the owners are shown how to apply tests of this kind and Instructed in the disposition of the carcasses.
 At Winnoconne.
 Everything that is true at Menomonie is true at Winneconne, save In a lesser degree. The latter school is young yet, and is making it's way slowly not only in the matter of support. but in the es-
 timation of the people. Here they follow the other schools and have stock Judging week. during which a professor of the university comes down from Madison and judges cattle for the farmers who come in to a farmers short course in this kind of work. They are taught by actual service in their presence how to judge
 COW in every way, and shown now to get at the sick ones.
 In both schools the domestic science features are well established. The cook ing classes run from the minutest details of culinary duty to the chemically pre- l pared and selected meal, with the highest l development of the food expert Children 1 are taught values of meats ana other ] foods, SO as to be able to select them | economically, and instructed in many | ways of saving that can be applied in the ! kitchen. The same thing is so tof the | sewing classes. Here the ways Of cut 1 ting, fitting and making up garments IS l developed from the first duty of the little tot, who is shown how to make stitch. Before a dress is made 1t is laid out on
 the blackboard in scientific way. 70 that