The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-04-13
EDUCATION FROM
THE GROUND UP

Holly Springs Has the Distinction of
Being the Originator Of the
Farm Idca"-Not Every Community
of Ladies Have a Hand i'll Making
Our States History.
(World's Works.)
Two a ago it occurred to the
principal and the patrons Of Holly
Springs High School, d country school
in Wake county. North Carolina, to
increase their facilities. They Sc
cured four acres of land and built an
eight thousand dollar house. Holly
Springs is distinctly a rural COM
munity. It had already voted the
maximum rate of taxation under the
law. But the taxable value of the
roper in the community is not
large, and an eight thousand dollar
building was Il great undertaking for
these people. The county helped a
little; the patrons made as liberal con-
tributions as they could; but still they
had to borrow a rather large sum.
The women became interested and
they We're the first to suggest that the
school. ground be. planted in cotton.
The labor was lone by the pupils and
the conaTnunitS, the seed and fertilizer
We're given. The first year, the farm
made a little more than one hundred
and twenty dollars, and the school
term was heightened nearly two
mOnth
A few miles away was another
choOl. 1t became interested; but it's
land WAS too poor for cotton and the
school term was barely -four months.
They tried hay. with success. This
was not Il scheme for teaching agri-
culture. The. patrons had little faith
in that subject for school study. 1t
was a plan to raise money to increase
the length Of the school term. The
second year. several schools made
efforts to conduct farms. In some
cases, where there was not sufficient
land, some patrons gave more. Here
was an agency that was more powerful
than local taxation. Yet its money
raising power was distinctly OF second
AIRY Importance to another advantage
which came Unexpectedly out of the
establishment of these school farms.
The first years experiment. was
nearly over. vhen the school! and the
community at Holly Springs saw a
light. They had. been teaching agri-
culture-and it paid.
The farm produced revenue. and
taught facts. Here was IL study in
business arithmetic; in soil formation,
its care. and Improvement: in seed
selection, seed termination, and plant
culture, which contained more than
was ever thought Of in that shadoWy
subject. sometimes styled nature study.
Here was study of fertilizer, of good
blowing. Of the value of air and mois-
ture-subjects which have the essen
uals of high school chemistry and
physics.
Holly Springs is about twenty miles
from Raleigh, the seat of the State
Agricultural Department and the Agri-
cultural College. The same year that
the experiment was made, two pro-
fessors from the Agricultural College
drove over the county with the count
superintendent of schools on a iectur-
ing tour to raise funds for the length
ening Of the school term. The main
topic of discussion was seed selection.
Holly Springs became interested in
them and they in Holly Springs, and
the experiment passed from a mere
money making scheme to q practical
study of agriculture.
All these schoo possibilities, how
eyer. did not appear the first year,
but the Couture value" of q subject
is sure to follow it's material advant-
ages. The money success had been
demonstrated, the study value was
sure to come for it is in this order
that every science has come into the
peoples school.
Five schools had the school farm
in the second year, their purpose all
being different; some to pay for equip
ments, others to pay for repairs or
buildings, and others to increase the
length Of the school term. SO sue
~cessful has the school farm become
that a. dozen schools in Wake county
alone are planning to start a farm
and to purchase land if they do not
already own enough. County Super
z. ". Judd. speaking OF
another school in the same county.
says:
1t is planning to put three acres OF
its school site in tobacco next spring.
This land is we'll suited for tobacco
and they say it is not uncommon III