Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-06-04

EXPERT TALKS
TO FARMERS
ASSISTANT SECRETARY HAYS OF
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT
SAYS BETTER TRAINING WILL
BETTER THE YIELDS.

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-heart-
ed way and the world believes that
were our people broader and better
trained we could produce much better
yields than we do; and we are forced
to admit" he added, "that the world
lis right
whether our activity be religious,
social, political or economic he con.
tinued, 1--WE are on a 15-bushel basis
with a 25-bushel opportunity. The
blood of our people, the hereditary
potencies Of our wheats and the pro-
dutive potentiality of our soil and eli
mate warrant a rapid increase Of
wheat yields up to Is bushels per acre
and of other farm products in proper
ton; and even more rapid should be
the growth OF intelligence, home lfv-
ing and social advancement gen.
erally.'
The cure for these larger troubles
in agricultural life Is in the school
system, according to Mr.. Hays. He
proceeded to describe in detail the
system which, in his opinion, would
bring order out Of the present chaos
In the organization of country life. He
declared that, except in isolated cases
where the broader method was not
practicable the old-fashioned one-room
oh <r{H ,1yov RI
consolidated school. The latter would
provide accommodations FOR students
within the surrounding five or six
square miles. 1t would contain three
or four rooms for an elementary
school. one for ths high school classes
and large room for laboratory and
practice work and for vocational
studies.
"The typical consolidated rural
school," continued Mr.. Hays, will
have ten acre school farm. In this
northwest country half of the farm
will be conducted with forest trees In
campus and farmstead. In timber
belt on part of the farm experiments
will lbe 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 It
will contain ornamental trees, shrubs
and flowers, fruits and vegetables and
beautiful grass lawns. There will be
a cottage for the principal Of the
school The other five acres will be
devoted to field crops. Crop rotations
will be demonstrated here. Methods
Of cultivation will be taught. New
varieties of grains, grasses and other
varieties of plants will be tested as al
so small fruit, shrubs and fruit
trees.''
The speaker advocated that farm
boys and girls during their teens
spend six months in school and six at
home on the farm each year.
"Under this plan," he said. 'tthe
consolidated rural school will have
full attendance during the six winter
months The children in the first
six or eighth grades would start
earlier in the autumn and remain In
school later in the spring. Under
this plan the pupils who are old
enough to help on the farm not only
would assist in solving the labor prob
lem but during their years Of youth,
when they can learn rapidly, would
gain the knowledge and the habits OF
the farmer and the farm homemaker.
They would require one, two or pos
sibly 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 at Crookston."