Audubon County journal., 1911-05-11
HELPING FUTURE MANAGERS OF FARM
Educators Everywhere Beginning to Realize That Boys Girls
of Our Farms Have Been Negected-County Children to
Be Given Chance to Study Things Nearest Them.

During the season of 1910, the work
was broadened to include much more
than corn raising. A choice of seven
courses was offered to the boys and
girls; two were in corn growing, one
in oat growing, one in garden and po-
tato growing and one each in cooking.
sewing and home management. From
four to eight lessons were given in
each course. The work began with
the simplest phases of the subject and
became more advanced as the season
progressed. Through the efforts of
county superintendent and teachers g
total of over 1000 boys and girls en-
rolled and received instructions in
these courses. At the short course
last month the second annual contest
was held and premiums were offered
for the best corn oats, potatoes, cook
lng sewing and home management
work. A report of this exhibit will be
found elsewhere in this issue
| At the short course a year ago last
January the Iowa Junior Agricultural
Union was organized among the eighty
i
ed to be need for state organiza-
tion of this kind to direct and bring
together once a year representative
of county and local clubs. The Off
GERS are elected from the boys and
they are given the complete control of
the organization. Last year the mem
bership reached almost 1000 active
members. The purposes of the union
are we'll stated in the constitution and
are substantially as follows:
l. To assist in extending the bene-
fits Of the agricultural college to the
farms boys and girls
2. To interest the boys and girls in
farm life by outlining courses of study
IN farm and home work, encouraging
competitive contests, holding junior
short courses, and assisting in or
ganiz1ng county and local clubs.
3. To cooperate with other educa-
tional associations
4. To print an annual report.
The annual meeting is held each
year during the short course at Ames.
The second annual meeting was held
last month. New officers were elected
and business meeting held at which
committee was appointed to revise
the constitution. In the revised con-
] stitution the committee was instructed
to include as much as possible of the
plans and work Of the boy scouts, a
move which will give a social and
moral as we'll as an intellectual inter
est to the work This committee was
also instructed to select suitable pin
or badge to be worn by the members.
1t is expected that this organization
will be great help to the local clubs
by furnishing instructions and mate
rial for their work. The membership
will probably double in the next year
and great good will certainly be ac-
complished when these thousands of
boys and girls begin studying the
things Of interest to them.
The real purpose of this junior edu
cation is not so much to teach the
boys how to raise bigger crops or the
girls how to keep house more econo
mically, but 1t is to make their life
work more pleasant and interesting
because of their knowledge of 1t. Edu
cation Is said to be the fitting of ones
self for his or her life duties. II the
farm boys and girls are not given ar
opportunity to study their business
they will not be educated farmers
Iowa Agriculturist.