Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-07

accompanied the CllllOiSh'
The happy tots were carried on
leges are now beginning to devise
means of extending their efforts to the
training of teachers in agriculture.
These schools stand for the very democ-
racy of education, and the teachers
who will be prepared at the agricultural
colleges will gradually fertllize the
whole enterprise of education.
California, New York, Washington
North Carolina, Massachusetts, Michi-
gan. North Dakota, Illinois and Mis-
souri, have agricultural colleges, and
there may be others of which the
writer is not informed. WITH youth
trained in agricultural knowledge, the
5000, 900 acres of undeYeloped land in
Southern California may yet be MADE
to bloom as the rose.
The work of the Agricultural High
school will be two-fold: to work on
problems applicable to farming in Cali
fornia, and the development IN the pu-
pills of a comprehensive view OF agrl-
culture in general.
The following four courses are pre-
sented: % Domestic science, includ-
ing not only cooking and dressmak-
ing. but sanitation as well. (2) Agrl-
culture, presenting general science ana
gardening. some mathematics ana
drawing English, botany, agriculture
and the principles of fruit growing
soils. with laboratory study of agricul-
turaI chemistry, entomology and bac-
teriology. 60 Latin and modern
language course. CD Scientific course
including gardening.
Indebted to Normal School
The school department is indebted
to the Norman school for furnishing
for use at the new high school
~ IL. n
California" showing just how and
when to plant or SOW seeds of certain
common vegetables, just how long is
required for them to come up,
longevity of seeds in years, the technl-
cal name of the family to which the
plant belongs and how to prepare the
vegetable for the table, with useful
remarks regarding the special pests
and diseases to which the plants are
liable, etc.
/ The work of the Agricultural High
school is not really an experiment, eN-
cept so far as its local application IS
concerned. The school garden question
has been tested thoroughly in Ger
MANY, Austria. Switzerland, France
and Belgium wherever it has been
carried out the results are recognized
as being most valuable, and people
wonder that they did not think OF II
before" says the report of the com
{ missioner on education.
at has been found that children take
IN tbe study of horticulture with great
interest and with much success, that
thev turn every little bit of ground at
home to account and provide the fam
ilv with vegetables. Taught the latest
and best systems Of agriculture, they
develop into really intelligent agrlcui-
: turists and are ready to discard oIa
and wasteful methods for the newest
and best.
"As an example of what is being done
in this way, take the case of Austria.
Here. in the country districts, many
schools have plots of ground VARYING
in extent from an acre upward, where
a thorough grounding in agricultural
science is given. The younger children
are taught the use Of the spade, hoe,
rake, trowel and watering pot. together
with such knowledge as suits their
young minds regarding peas. beans,
cabbage. potatoes, anples. pears, plums,
strawberries. cherries, carrots, onions,
parsley and tobacco.
Pleasant Work
"This is easy and pleasant work
compared with doing sums or writing
and reading in the indoor school Such
Young children. years old and upward
are also familiarized with the habits OF
q few of the CommOner animals, the
swallow titmouse, sparrow, lark. finch,
mole. hedgehog. caterpillar butterfly
and May beetle.
For older pupils the field is very
extensive They learn about the ger
minaton of seeds the anatomy or
plants, with the uses of their various
parts-stem roots, leaves, buds flow
ers and fruit. They are shown how to
plant sims to plant flowers in pots
to graz and to transplant They are
taught tn lay out a small nursery, to
prepare the ground, to SOW seeds and 10
care for the plants during their growth.
The very important subject of fertil-
izers is fully explained, as we'll as the
dangers from insects and the remedies.
Then they learn how to gather seeds
and how to keep them, and how to
recognize noisonOus plants,
"Gradualy tho whole science is un-
folded. The pupils are taught the ad-
vantages and disadvantages Of the
various kinds Of soils: how to use
manure, and its virtues as compared
with the various fertilizers; how to
choose seeds and the various methods
of sowing them by hand, with tools,
etc, and the effects Of Tho various op-
erations are explained. Flowing har-
rowing and rolling: harvesting hay,
grain. turnips, potatoes. carrots: pre-
serving the harvest in stacks, barns
and pits are operations for the ad
vanced student
Training for the Boy
"At the same time the boy is
made acquainted with the best knoWl-
edge concerning animals. The pupil
learns all about drainage and irrga-
ton. as well as meteorological phe-
nomena-rain, mist, dew. ice. wind
from the agricultural point of view.
Obviously a boy who goes through a
complete training of this kind must
make a better agriculturist than if he
got his knowledge in a haphaZard way.
And this fact is nroVed by the great