The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-06-03
HAYS Tells Minnesota Farmers
They Must Seek Broader
School Methods
BOTH PRACTICE And THEORY
Assistant Secretary Of Agriculture Be
lieves Higher Development OF Farm
Life Lies in Better Educations
For the Young

Crookston Mimi, June 3.-Willet M.
HAYS assistant secretary of the Unit
ed states Department of Agriculture.
told the Northern Minnesota Develop
ment Association in session here to-
day that "the world is looking on
while we farmers plod along in our
unorganized, unsystematic half
hearted way and the world believes
that we're our people broader and bet
ter trained we could produce much
better Yields than we do; and we are
forced TO admit" he added, that the
world Is right
whether our activity be religious.
social political or economic" he con-
tinued. I'VE are on 15-bushel basis
with a 25-bushel opportunity. The
blood OF our people, the hereditary po-
tencies of our wheats and the pro-
ductive potentiality of our soil and
climate warrant a rapid increase of
wheat yields up to 25-bushel per acre
and of other farm products i'm propor-
tion; and even more rapid should be
the growth of intelligence, home living
and social advancement generally"
The cure for these larger troubles in
agricultural life is in the school sys-
TEN, according to MIR. Hays. He pro-
ceeded to describe in detail the sys-
TEN which, in his opinion, would bring
order out the present chaos In the
organization of country life. He de-
clared that, except in isolated cases
where the broader method was not
practicable, the old fashioned one
room school house should give way
to the consolidated school. The latter
would prove Accommodations for stud
ents within the surrounding five or six
miles. 1t would contain three or four
rooms for an elementary school. one
for the high school classes and a large
room for laibratory and practice work
and for vocational studies.
'rhe typical consolidated rural
school," continued Mr.. Hays, Twill
have ten-acre school farm. In this
northwest country half of the farm
will he devoted for a combined cam
pus and farmstead. In a timber belt
on part of the farm experiments viii
be conducted with forest trees In plot
mixtures, which help to solve the tree
problem for groves to protect our
farm homes.
Within this protected area Will be
Fairgrounds for the Students; and IL
will contain ornamental trees. shrubs
and flowers, fruits and VEGETABLES ana
beautiful grass lawns. There Will be
a cottage for the principal of the
school The other five acres will be de-
voted TO field crops. Crop rotations
will be demonstrated here. Methods
OF cultivation viii be taught. New
varieties of grains, grasses and other
varieties OF plants will be tested, as
also small fruit, shrubs and fruit
trees"
The speaker advocated that farm
boys and girls during their teens
spend six months in school am. six at
home on the farm each yeas.
Under this plan" he said, the
consolidated rural school will have
full attendance during the six winter
months. The children in the first six
or eight grades would start earlier
in the autumn and remain in school
later i'm the spring Under this plan
the pupils who are old enough to help
ON the farm not only would assist In
solving the labor problem but during
their years OF youth when they can
learn rapidly, would gain the know
ledge and the habits of the farmer
and the farm homemaker. They
would require one, two or POSSIBLY
three years longer to finish their high
school course.
THE last two or three winters they
could spend in an agricultural high
school, such as that here at Crookston.
And along with their schooling, they
will have served n thorough going
vocational apprenticeship. They
would be far more thoroughly educat-
ed than those youths who now go TO
school almost continuously until they
are through the high school course
Il wish to express my gratitude
said Mr.. Hays In conclusion. that
Minnesota is not adopting the mar
rover plan of one county agricultural
nigh school i'm each county, with only
the one-room district schools for the
education OF the great bulk OF those
who are TO manage our farms and
farm homes."