The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-03-08
TRAINING OF
PRACTICAL Use
INDUSTRIAL TRAINING AT THE
NORTH DAKOTA AGRlcuLTUR.
AL COLLEGE HAS RESULTED IN
GREAT BENEFIT TO THOSE
WHO HAVE RECEIVED 1T.

Industrial training as practiced at
the North Dakota Agricultural college
has proven of benefit to the state in a
variety of ways both in engineering
and In agricultural lines but the fol-
lowing letter-from a student who took
forge work during the winter term of
l91l-expresses most forcibly its d.
rect application to the farmer.
Last spring when I returned from
college my father purchased a $3.50
stock of blacksmith tools for me. We
plowcd 100 acres Of land with
horses and a Hart Parr engine and not
a plowshare went to town for pointing
Or sharpening and / believe that I can
point a share as well as the average
blacksmith.
i have practiced a good deal at
welding steel and can weld rake-teeth.
fork-tines, etc. Next year / intend to
build myself a nice forge shop
Upon looking up the. record of this
student it was found that his total
time of attendance was twelve weeks
and in that time had received twenty
one periods of instruction of two
hours each in forging and that his to-
tai time in the forge shop was forty
two hours; six hours Of this time hav-
ing been devoted to lectures so that
his actual forge practice really
amounted to but thirty-si III hours.
Anyone familiar with the difficulties
to be overcome in the blacksmithinE
art and the degree of skill necessary
to enable one to do the above mention
ed work win readily agree that it is
a remarkable accomplishment. Such
reports, however, are not uncommon
from young men who have taken the
industrial courses given at the agri-
cultural college in this and other lines
Of work. In the case mentioned above
the young man was not at all famn-
lar with forge work before entering
the college and had had no shop ex-
perience. He is a young man accus-
toned to farm conditions and who en-
tered college with a purpose in view
and a determination to learn. The
same is true of a majority Of young
men who attempt this line of work.
h means for accomplishing these
results are attained from Ions famil-
iarity with this type of instruction, to-
gether with exceptional facilities for
carrying on the work. The shop
equipment is the best obtainable. The
course of instruction is the result of
extended experience and painstaking
care on the part of the instructor.
The work is calculated to illustrate the
vital principles relating to the crart.
The instruction is supervised by a man
OF exceptional capacity both as a com
mercial blacksmith and as an instruc-
tor in forging. Stress is laid upon the
principles and methods rather than
upon h product. Everything in the
nature OF fancy stunts" is discour-
aged. 1t is important that the stu
dent should understand the underly-
ing principles of the craft, with an in
telligent idea of the methods to be en-
ployed, rather than to be able to make
a certain article credibly.
Illustrated lectures by the Instructor
supplemented by forge demonstrations
are constantly carried on during the
laboratory periods. Every unneces-
sary motion is intended to be elm
mated and every useless word left un-
said. At the same time the students
view point is constantly kept in mind.
That the methods have brought a
great amount of good is best attested
by the voluntary expressions by those
who are in the best position to testi-
fy.
" This letter was written by Geo.
Gottbrecht, Dunseith, N, d.