The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-07-09
PLAN
FOR SCHOOLS
Continued From Page one.

Continued From Page one.
ever increasing population and the in
creased cost of living, coupled with de-
crease in available virgin farm lands.
make the farmers position an import
ant one.
This great nation must be fed and
clothed, The raw material necessary
for this herculean task must come
from the soil. How to till and care for
it so that it will yield abundant har-
vests for this generation is one of the
problems of the farmer.
For this generation! Yes and for
those which follow. The father has no
right to use such methods of farming
as will leave the soil in a depleted
condition to his son. 1t is said on good
authority that there are more people
in India who go to bed hungry every
night, than the entire population of the
United States. Recently a meeting
was held at Syracuse, N. Y, and upon
its programme was stated the object
of the meeting in these words, What
shall be done with the 10000 abandon
ed farms of the state?"
In some OF the older states of the
southeast large plantations can be pur-
chased for less than half the cost of
the fine mansions upon them. Much
land in the corn belt Is already becom-
ing unproductive. The average wheat
yield in this state for the past three
years is about thirteen and one-half
h1Ehnlc Ia %
bushels that many years ago. These
facts cause the speaker to believe that
one Of the questions which the farmer
has to meet is that of practical, per-
manent agriculture.
Better Education Needed.
If time permitted, other tasks of the
farmer might be mentioned. These
are demanding better education and
training for the country people than
ever before. But it is not the reiter-
alton of these problems of the farmer
of today that we are concerned with
at this time. 1t is the way one par
ticular country community has attack
ed and is working out his own solution
along these lines.
The John Swaney school is located
in Putnam county, Illinois, about 100
miles southeast of Chicago 1t being
two miles from the nearest village, and
twelve miles from town, makes condi-
tions strictly rural. .,
School Districts United.
Three country school districts united
in 1905, erected a $4,000 brick build
ing, employed it's teachers and began
recitation rooms, two laboratories, a
boys manual training room, a girls
play room, an auditorium with seat
ing capacity of 800, library and office,
lavatories and cloak rooms 1t is
heated with steam heat lighted by gas
oline gas and furnished with running
water from an air pressure tank. The
plant is located on beautiful twenty
four. acre campus, donated by John
Swaney, farmer of the district of
moderate means.
Here and there over the grounds are
groups of oak, elm, ash, walnut and
hard maple trees. This ground is
utilized for the purposes of tennis
courts, baseball diamonds, play grounds
for the smaller children, "a small apple
orchard school gardens and broad
stretches of lawn. Besides, on one side
is located a home for the janitor, and
a barn with capacity for twenty
horses.
All this out in the country for coun-
try children? Yes and. much more!
For one of the best features of the
whole plan is the kind and quality of
the teachers employed. Five are now
required to carry on the work, each of
whom is a graduate of a two-year
state normal course. Besides, the prin-
cipal has had further preparation in
agriculture at the state university.
Since the school has been organized,
all teachers, with one exception, have
remained two years or longer.
The nature of the work done here is
very significant. The high school is
on the fully accredited list to the state
university which fact speaks for the
quality of the work. Not only are the
boys and girls fitted for college, If
they wish to attend, but they are fit
ted to take up the work of the
farmer and housekeeper. Three years
of real agriculture and one of manual
training are required of the boys, and
three years of household science and
one of agriculture for the girls.
Practical Turn to Study.
The work of the regular sciences is
given an agricultural turn without de-
tracing one whit from its scientific
value. For example, in zoology a con-
siderable time is given to study of
the habits and life history of the in
furious and beneficial insects of the
community. These insects are studied
In garden, field and orchard. collected,
reared in cages in the laboratory and
classified Emphasis is placed upon the
study OF the formation and nature of
soils, in physical geography. Nature
study is taught in the lower grades and
elementary agriculture in the more adj
vanced grades.
A study of the soil. farm crops, fruits,
farm animals and dairying makes up
the work in agriculture. Regular tests
are used in these subjects, supplement
tai by much work in the laboratory and
held.N For example, In the study of
fruits, after the principles of pruning
are learned from the text, the pupils
go to the nearby orchards and prune
young and bearing trees. A small fruit
orchard on the campus has been laid
off, planted. pruned and cared for by
the pupils as regular class work. Ac-
tual spraying materials are mixed in
| the laboratory for the most common
Fruit dsSea Sas and INSECTS AT tho time