Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-12-03


Strawberries and small fruits of various
kinds. The girls have competitive ex-
! aminations in house decoration and in
the preserving OF vegetables and fruits.
Many new text books are being made
for these schools. Educators are block
ing out courses Of study in agriculture
and home economics OF the various
grades. Text books are being written
on farm management, fruit raising, live
stock, dalrylng and home making. The
agricultural high schools are being sup
piled with barns, laboratories and prac-
tice shops Many of them are equipped
with libraries on farm subjects, and new
books have been written to supply this
demand. In the rural school books the
Illustrations deal with farm life. In his
arithmetic examples the child figures on
bushels of grain and the sale of crops,
and in his geography he follows the
wheat and corn raised on his home farm
across the oceans and thus studies his
overseas customers.
Uncle SANS Agricultural Colleges.
In addition to the work in connection
with the schools the government is do
ing a great deal through the agricultural
colleges. Nearly all of these are supported
by the states or the nation. and they
now form one OF the most powerful OF
our educational forces. "rg
There are altogether slxty-five Sof these
colleges. covering every part Of the union.
They own property which is valued at
more than S100OO0.0OO and their income
is something like s9O,OOOOOO year. They
have about 1000 students who are taking
agricultural courses alone, and through
their correspondence and other courses,
counting none twice, they have $4,000
students.
In connection with these colleges a
great deal OF extension work is carried
on. BY this l mean through movable
schools and the correspondence courses
and in other ways. by which those who
cannot attend college can study. at home
In the correspondence course the
students carry on their studies at their
farms, and the work is directed from the
colleges. BY this means a man or boy
in the widest part Of the far west or the
south may get an education in. farming
or fruit growing. There are $1,000
students now studying that way, and this
number will be increased to hundreds of
thousands in the future.
The various extension schools are car
ried on by farm lectures and in other
ways. The movable schools consist Of
grown-ups who gather together for fixed
periods at certain places and are taught
by the Department of Agriculture. 1t IS
advised that the classes consist Of not
less than eight nor more than fifteen
persons who are over Is years of age,
and who are especially interested in the
subject of which the course treats. The
courses deal with home economics and
with all sorts of farm topics.
Agricultural Education.
And just here / want to speak about
the bureau OF experiment stations and the
wonderful work they are doing along cd
ucatipnal lines. This branch OF the Do
partment OF Agriculture is under the
cha &c of DR.. A. c. True, who has de-
veloped It 10 such a degree that It's worK
now reaches every part OF the country.
II is of enormous value in lts reseaIch
work and It's exhibitions OF practical agli-
/ CuItulei ana It's educational work Affects
every man, woman and child In the uniteu
States. This bureau las to do in an
advisory way with the agricultural col
| reyes. Many OF the stauons are CON
"ected with tne colleges, ana some OF the
officers are teachers therein. Il does
much In college extension work, and Il
Is now sending out every year about
100000 copies OF bulletins containing
az icultural Information.
The bureau OF sxperiment. atoms deals
also wan the farmers institute, a branch
OF which Is under the direction OF Mr..
1ohn Hamilton. the farmers institute spe-
cialist There were more than 500 OF
these institutes which had regular meet
'nss last year, and they reached over
100000 people. TheY had altogether
1900 sessions Their, are also a large
number OF farmers, institutes for young
people and OF farmers Institutes FOR
women. The latter held 732 meetings In
1910. These farm institutes are largely
supported BY the state boards of aeri.
culture, each OF which has its institute
director, and connected with him a leo
ture bureau, which sends out speciallsts
TO the Institutes giving them lectures on
any farm topic they desire. Allied 10
these Institutes are the county fairs Of
which more than 100 are supported bv
the counties alone.
Lantern slide Lectures for Farmers.
OF late the Department OF Agriculture
has been sending out a number OF illus.
tratsd lectures " ~ used At the farm