The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1910-09-24
EXTENSION WORK
in AGRICULTURE
Especial to Silver State. J

I kopSSidi W konfCf Cthec.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24.-The gov
ernment employees, in the bureau of
animal industry more than 500 veteri-
naries. The war department also en-
ploys a large number of vetinary sur
geons, mostly attached to the vorious
troops as regimental officers. The
horse doctor' of former days has
become a Professional man of today, of
whom much is expected.
The secretary of agriculture found
that the need of securing men proper
ly educated for the work of the bureau
of animal industry made it desirable
that he should investigate the courses
of instruction at the various colleges
teaching veterinary science, so he ap-
pointed board of five men eminent
in the profession who visited the vet
erinary colleges and made report
on which was based set of resolutions
for civil service examinations, and
made suggestions about the courses of
study. The committee said:
"As a rule, the colleges have been
disposed to meet the requirements of
the regulations, and as a result it is
believed that the standard of veteri-
nary education in the United States
will be considerably raised. In accord
ance with these regulations only per-
sons who are graduates of colleges
having a satisfactory course of instruc.
tion will be permitted to take the civil
service examination.
Agricultural College Extension Work
1t is noted by the department of ag-
riculture in the annual report of the
experiment stations, that there is a
great demand for instruction in prac-
tical and scientific agriculture The
report says that call forms of agri-
cultural extension work have develop
ed rapidly during the year, and as re-
suit of increasing demands upon the
agricultural colleges for itinerant in
structions and demonstrations, many
of these institutions have organized
and manned extensive departments -
1t is stated further that s'the number
and variety of short courses held a,
the agricultural colleges in 1909 wer,
greater than in any previous year, ant
there were nearly 1000 more students
enrolled in these courses than in 1908
Massachusetts appointed director OF
short courses, Oregon inaugurateed
short reading courses in poultry hus
bandry, Oklahoma held a cotton grad
ing school, Missouri gave two shorr
courses for boys, and Vermont held its
first annual farmers week, with 16c
enrolled. -
IT is also noted that 'sfarmers
weeks have grown in favor and eff
fectiveness as means of instruction for
the more adult people in rural dis
tricts. They assume many different
forms, but the general scope of the
larger meetings of this class, the re-
port says, is indicated by a summary
showing that many subjects were con-
sidered and that the attendance was
good. At Clumbia Mo-, for instance
there were 1000 in attendance during
the week of January A, when there
were illustrated lectures and addresses
by eminent authorities. Similar meet
ings in Nebraska, at Cornell university
at the Oklahoma college and elsewhere
were considered highly successful.
The department has ascertained that
there are go agricultural high schools
! or definitely secondary agricultural
courses in colleges, between 800 and
400 public high schools and academies
teaching agriculture, 100 state or coun-
ty normal schools and 16 agricultural
, colleges training young men and women
to teach the more elementary phases
of agriculture, beside which there are
quite number of private schools and
( colleges giving instructions in agricul-
ture of secondary grade or correspond
ence courses which are approximately
, of second grade, making in all about
: 500 institutions giving secondary in
t structiols in agriculture. The depart
t ment is disposed to believe that the
= number exceeds this but it has not
J definitely located more schools of this
character. In these schools, wherein
the average course covers 15 years
! there is al enrolment of 54,700 pu-
pills, and total enrolment in agri-
2 cultural clisses of $500, with an av-
I erage of 81 pupils in agriculture in
9 each school, distributed among "a
e states While the number of pupils is
e not large considering the population of
+ the Unitd States, it will be observed
1 that the movement is general and
pupils ar widely distributed.
+ Not ony in the higher schools is ag-
+. ricultural instruction a feature. There
are IA safes that require the teach
ing of agriculture in the elementary
schools. The number of such states is
r increasing from year to year. Schoof
garden wGk in cities and towns is a
h development of this idea. Then there
g are the bys' and girls agricultural
t, clubs, interest in which is growing
p throughout the country. Corn grow
t. ing, cotton growing, potato growing
fruit growing, poultry and live stocs
study are aught the boys while for
the girls there are bread making and
n sewing. TIL, report, after reviewing
this phase q agricultural education,
says:
"The generl extent of this interest
in junior agricultural club work is in
dicated by he fact that it is
!. thoroughly orgaized in at least 395
. counties in the United States, with a
membership of mre than 100000. In
the southern stats alone more than
I 10000 boys were enrolled in com
!. petitive club corn ontests in connee-
tion with what is kown as the boy s
demonstration work If this depart
ment. and an aggregae of $4,000 was
contributed as prizesto be awarded