El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-12-02
ER
Uncle Sam, Teacher


time. In some cases vegetables and
flowers are grown upon such plot
Ten-Acre School Grounds.
Connected with some Of the schools
are hOtbeds and orchards as well as
academies and colleges and in the
barns for animals and pens for pigs.
Inc Ideal school should nave a bout 10
acres for farms, gardens and other
work 1t should have its poultry yard
and It's forest plot The boys com
pete at home as to the fattening Of
pigs and also in blowing, corn raising
and in the growing q strawberries and
small fruits Of various kinds. The
girls nave competitive examinations
IN mouse decoration and in the pre-
serving Of vegetables and fruits
Many new text books are being
made. for these schools. Educators are
blocking out courses OF study in agri-
culture ana home economics of the
various grades. Text books are being
written on farm management fruit
raising, livestock, dairying and home
making. The agricultural high schools
are being supplied with barns, labora-
tories and practice shops. Many of
mem are equipped with libraries on
larm subjects, and new books have
been written TO supply this demand. In
the rural school books the illustra-
uons deal with farm life In his
arithmetic examples the child figures
on DuSheIs OF grain and the sale of
crops, and in his geography he follows
the wheat and corn raised on mis- home
farm across the oceans and thus stud
les his overseas customers.
Uncle Sans Agricultural Colleges.
In addition to the work in connec.
ton with the schools the government
is doing 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.
There are altogether So of these col.
1eges, covering every part of the union.
They own property which is valued at
more than 500, 100000 and their in-
come is something like 10000. 900 a
year They have about 1900 students
who are taking agricultural courses
alone iand through their correspond
ence, and other courses, counting nons
twice, they have $4,000 students.
IN connection with these colleges a
great deal Of extension work is car.
r1ed on. BY this mean through NOV.
able schools and the correspondence
courses and in other ways, by which
those who cannot attend college can
study at home in the correspondence
courses the students carry on their
studies at their farms, and the work
IS directed from the colleges BY this
means 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 $4,000 students
now studying that way, and this num-
Der viii be increased to hundreds Of
thousands in the future
The various extension schools are
carried on by farm lectures and in
other ways The movable schools con-
Slsr or grOWn-upS who gather together
for fixed periods at certain places and
are taught by experts furnished by th6
colleges and by the department OF
agriculture. It is advised that the
classes consist of not less than eight
nor more than 10 persons who are over
Is years of age, and who are especi-
the course treats. The courses deal
with home economies and with all
sorts of farm topics.
The Experiment Stations and Agri4
cultural Education.
And just here I want to speak about
the bureau of experiment stations and
the wonderful work they are doing
along educational lines. This branch
OF the department of agriculture is I'M
der the charge of DR.. A G. True, who
has developed it to such a degree that
It's Work now reaches every part OF
the country. 1t is of enormous value
in its research work and its exhibit
lions of practical agriculture: and its
educational work affects every man
woman and child in the United States
This bureau has to do in an advisory
way with the agricultural colleges
Many Of the stations are connected
with the colleges, and some of the
officers are teachers therein. It does
much in college extension work, and
1t is now sending out every year about
100000 copies of bulletins contain.
ing agricultural information.
The bureau of experiment stations
deals also with the farmers Institutes
a branch of which is under the direc-
ton Of John Hamilton, the farmers
institute specialist. There were more
than 5000 of these Institutes which
had regular meetings last year, and
they reached over 100000 people
They had altogether 5000 sessions