Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-11-21
PREPARE FOR
The NEXT!FAIR
STATE DEPARTMENT or PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION GIVES ADVICE.
URGES CHILDREN TO BEGIN NOW
Circular Sent Out Gives Valuable
Pointers as to Getting Ready for
Next Years Childrens Industrial
Contest.

The state department of public in
struction has sent out the following
letter of instruction regarding the
matter of preparing for the coming
School Children's Industrial Contest
at the 1913 state fair:
To the Parents and School Children
If you would catch a train start
in time. No matter how fast you run
if you start too late. If you would
win a prize in the School Children S
Industrial Contest next year, begin
now. Parents, if'you would have
your children grow up to be indus
trious, lawabiding, useful citizens,
winners in the race of life, start them
early in the right direction
We are all agred that an education
is an essential to success, but what
is education? True education is that
which fits us for the duties of life
The old pedagogical idea was to cram
the child with textbooks. The new
idea is that we must know how to ap-
ply our knowledge to practical uses
that we must know how to use the
hand with the head Thus the need
for, and popularity of, industrial ed
ucation along with the mental cram
ming"
Though started late and with lack
of organization in many instances,
the result of the statewide move
men inaugurated this year is quite
encouraging, and inspires uS all, |
trust, to greater efforts the coming
year. Many of your children entered
this contest this year, and whether
they won a prize or NOT. they are all
stronger in, every way rom the exer-
else and experience, and what they
have learned to do with their hands
will always be an available and yalu-
able asset We hope to have every
school boy and girl in the state re-
ceive a personal benefit by entering
this contest this year. Will you CO.
operate by giving your children an
opportunity-by giving them little
ground to cultivate, and starting
them in the chicken business in a
small way, and perhaps giving the
boy brood SOW or a pig to feed ?
And most important of all by allow
ing them to have as their very own
the profits of their effort? Very
much depends upo the parents as
to how great success can be made
of this movement.
Poultry the Specially.
While it is not the intention tc
slight any of the other lines of activ,
ity taken up this year, it is the plan
to make poultry raising the leading
feature of the school children's con,
test the coming year. There is
scarcely a boy or girl in city, village
or country but what could take care
of a few chickens or ducks without
interference with their school OIL
other work. 1t costs the state about
$3.50 a pupil each year to carry on
our public school system, and it is
our ambition to have the school chill
dran incraaCa tho nroductiO,, Of ,,o,,l
try and eggs enough to cover that
expense. Children, wouldn't you be
proud to be able to say, 1T doesn't
cast the state anything to educate
us. We pay the bill with our chick
ems and eggs? The result is easily
possible, and to reach it each school
boy and girl would only have to keer
a few fowls. | do not know of any.
thing that would attract more favor
able attention to Oregon than the
fact that all her school children are
raising poultry and producing there.
by more than enough wealth to meet
the expense of the public school sys-
TEN.
The poultry on the farm is a sec
ondary consideration with most peo-
pie. Little attention is paid to it as
"a rule and its Importance and posi-
biliies are not conceived. We have
no reliable statistics later than those
of the United States census for the
year 1899. That year there were
7,709,97O dozens of eggs produced
in Oregon, which, at an average price
of 25 cents. were worth $1,927,492.-
so. The value of all poultry raised
in the state in 1899 was $S26,6S7.
The poultry product that year was
worth considerably more than either
of the following products, viz: Ami
mails slaughtered, hops, fruits of all
kinds, and was almost equal to the
oats crop in value, and was almost
third as great as the wheat crop.
Since 1899 there has been a big in
crease in the production of poultry
and eggs, bat there has also been a
big increase in consumption, and last
year there was about a million dol
lars worth of poultry and eggs
shipped to Portland from the east