The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-30
PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION NEED.

Rural Spirit, which is journal Tor
farmers, published in Portland, Ore
gou, an important article by President
W. j. Kerr of the Oregon state Agrl-
cultural College, and formerly president
of tho Utah Agricultural College IA
Logan. In fhis article Prof. Kerr dweils
strongly upon tho Importance ot prac
ticnl scientific cducutjCn. He directs
10 the immcnsitY of orr man
ufacturing industries, which employ
skilled lnbo:crs by the hundreds of thou
sands. but he special stress OF hls ar
ficlc is upon the mood of practical drill
and instruction among the farmers. lie
directs aftantion TO the fact that the
Weld Of wheat in thrs country is only
fourteen bushels per acre. and shows
that whereas we produce from 6oo,ooot
OOO to 100000, 900 bushels of wheat on
little less ihan 50,000,00O acres OF
land, we could double that Weld on
the same acreage through better meth
DDS. ilc shows that n century ago Grea.
Britain was about where we are now
in The weld of wheat per acre, hut the
instruction Of hundred years has
brought to Great Britain scientific meth
ods of production. so that 1.-The helds
of England that have been titled Tor
ten centuries are now yielding thirty
two bushels per acre. He shows that
Germany is producing twice MS much
wheat per acre as we are, and points
out the tremendous advantage that
would accrue to this country if we could
double our wheat yield on the same
acreage. and in corresponding degree IN
crease other yields of farm products,
President Kerr urges that the proper
way TO achieve the desired results is
to introduce instruction IN the pubhc
schools. leaving out much of the cur
rent curriculum that has no advantage
except merely scholarly one IN pre-
pairing Inc pupils for entrance to col
lcges and universities. But since very
small proportion of those pupils ever gel
into those higher institutions of learn
ing, the idea is to bring the necessary
instruction 10 them in the schools which
they, in fact. attend.
There is much good material for edu'
cational thought in this paper of Pres
idcnt Kerr Is, and yet until the schools
can be changed TO meet the demand
for more practical instruction, there
ought TO be something done to help tho
farmers Of the present generation tc
adopt better methods and to increase
their yiolds. In this paper Preslden'
Kerr points to n result achieved il
Wisconsin, where by practical instruc
tion given the farmers the yield of corr
has been increased from 81 to 40 bush
els per acre, thereby increasing tht
value of this crop in one State alon,
upwards of Sl5,000,000, 1t is known
TO President Kerr, Of course, that Pres
idcnt Van Hise, of the University o.
Wisconsin, which has the State Agrlcul
tural College as part of its system, ha
carried to the farmers of that State th'
practical instruction which is beneftinl
them in every direction by the million
of dollars. He sends to different part
Of the State experts to demonstrate b,
practical experiment and proof the ad
vantage of the scientific methods o
seed selection. farm culture, and illns
trations in various ways of the best pos
sible means of getting results from th
farms. The effect Of this upon the farm
ers is very great They are all swear
| ing by President Van Hise, and the,
are reaping rich advantage every yea
from the practical instruction thus af
forded. There is no difficulty, either
in getting sufficient money to do thi
work, because the farmers see that tn
right kind of men are selected to tn
Legislature. who will appropriate tn
needed money for this work. And righ
there 1T seems to us is the immediat
point to begin. Let the instruction b
carried to the farmers and demonstra
tons made to them of what can b
done by better methods.
Utah has done something in this di
rection by the establishment of the ey
perimental dryfarms. But, sad to re
late, the experiment farm proper wa
allowed to languish and die for lack o
support, Perhaps 1T was started on to
local and ambitious scale for one loca
ity. Perhaps it would be better {
send out experts to demonstrate in var
ous parts of the State in a small, prac
tical, and convincing way these bette
methods of farming, as is done by Pre-
ident Van Hisc in Wisconsin.
But certainly President Kerr's pape
is an excellent one, practical an
thoughtful in high degree, and lnasmuc
as it calls attention to the very grea
returns TO bo had by the better method
of farming, it seems to lis that all ths
the farmers need in order to take Il
at once with these methods of securin
double profits for themselves, is con
petent and practical instruction thu
they can utilize at once in their far
work.
BUSINESS AND TRADE.