St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-06-08
Can Learn Agriculture.
T. N. Vail has Provided Practical
School at Lyndon Institute
Vermont Boys Can Work
Their Own Way.

A School of Agriculture for Vermont
boys is to be opened next September in
connection with Lyndon Institute of
Lyndonville. A two years course. in
scientific and practical agriculture will be
given, designed to prepare young men
for successful farming under Vermont
conditions. BOYS will be instructed in
the character of soils. the use of fertilizers,
animal husbandry. dairying, horticulture,
vegetable gardening and greenhouse
management. The purpose of the pro-
moters of the school is to make it thor
oughly scientific and at the same time
practical. The boys will be required to
do actual farm work and become famil-
lar with the various operations they
study in the class room.
The farm which will be used as the
laboratory of the school has been ac-
quired for the purpose by Theo. N. Vail,
who is much interested in the subject of
agricultural education. With Mr. Vail
in the formation of plans for the school
have been associated Ex-Gov. Fletcher
D. Proctor, Pres. Gibbs of the New
Hampshire State Agricultural College.
Director Hills of the Vermont State Ex-
pertinent Station, John w. Titcomb and
President Thomas of Middlebury College.
The new school is designed to be public
institution, not private enterprise.
A unique feature of the school will be
the opportunity it will afford to Yer
mont boys to pay for their education in
agriculture while acquiring it. 1t will
be in no sense charity school, and every
boy will be required to pay for his tut
ton, board and lodging. But boys who
wish to work their own way will be
given an opportunity to work during
term time at Is cents an hour and in the
summer vacation they will be paid $25
per month and board. 1t is expected
that an able-bodied and industrious boy
will be able to provide his expenses by
this method. Any Vermont boy who
has finished the grammar school and is
ready for High School may make appli-
cation for admission.
The director of the school will be
Arthur r. Merrill, graduate of the New
Hampshire State Agricultural College
and successful teacher at the Baron de
Hirsch Farm School in New Jersey. Mr.
Merrill will send to anyone interested
circular of the school and application
blanks may be obtained from him. Ad-
dress, Lyndon Center, VT.
The course of study will include the
following: Elementary agriculture,
breeds of farm animals, agricultural
chemistry, elementary botany, soils and
manures, farm dairying fruit growing,
farm crops, vegetable gardening, home
decoration, animal breeding, farm book
keeping, greenhouse management, agri-
cultural physics, feeds and feeding. farm
poultry, plant diseases, butter making,
diseases of animals, farm management,
milk production, entomology and econo-
mic zoology, farm forestry, arithmetic,
English, civics, drawing, physiology and
hygiene.
The course as outlined is for two years
of nine months each and residents of Yer
mont eligible tor admission to any
approved high school will be admitted to
the department.
The estimated yearly cost is $162 per
student, and they are given two methods
of paying 1t. First there is a cash paw
-ment system with one-third of the tuition
payable at the opening of each term and
board and room payable weekly. These
students will not be required to stay at
the Institute during vacation but will be
assigned practicalfeld and barn work
during the term.
who prefer to work their way through
the institution. Boys who choose this
method will be required to stay at the
school throughout the year and will be
allowed $25 month with board and
lodging during the vacation time and Is
cents an hour for work during the term,
time. Applications for this class of
scholarship must be signed by two
responsible persons vouching for the
character and reliability of the applicant.
The Advisory Committee appointed by
Mr. Vail consists of tbs following persons:
Ex-Governor Fletcher D. Proctor, DIR.
John M. Thomas, President Middlebury
College; w. D. Gibbs, President New
Hampshire Agricultural College; ], L.
Hills, Dean of the Vermont Agricultural
Experiment Sta; Mason S. Stone, State
superintendent of Education; Arthur R.
Merrill, John w. Titcomb.
Arthur R. Merrill, an agricultural ex-
pert, has been appointed as director of
the school and this committee is to advise
with him in planning out the details con-
nected with the starting of this import
ant department. In addition to the
director of this school, there will be an
instructor in agronomics, one in horti-
culture and a practical shop man.