Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-01-19

with the object and purpose or. the
achievement of the Girls Canning clubs
in Georgia. The need of redirecting the
life of the rural school so as to more
nearly enable tito adapt its instruction
to the needs Of the community life in
which it is situated an DID, old sorry.
All kinds of plans for introducing agrl-
culture into the rural schools have been
preached. Some of these have been fair
ly successful, and in the long run much
good has been accomplished. This has
been done, however. in many instances
at a disproportionate cost, and men
interested in the welfare of the rural
schools have been endeavoring to dis
cover other means of greater efficiency
than those formerly employed. TO this
end the Boys Corn clubs were organized,
and there are now thousands of earnest
boys throughout the United States who
have demonstrated their efficiency in
the cultivation Of this crop, and through
their success have won the approval of
their parents and have interested them
in the constructive value of agricultural
education when directed along right
lines. -.
The Boys club work now seems to be
fairly we'll established and bids fair to
prove one Of the most useful factors
introduced into the life of the school
for relating it directly to the welfare of
the community in which 1t is situated.
In the meantime comparatively little has
been done to promote the live stock in
terests, but it is gratifying to see a
growing interest in the. organization
OF what may be termed pig and poul-
try clubs, and these phases of the work
now promise to assume proportions OF
considerable moment in the near future.
While fostering the intelligent produc-
ton of corn, it is equally important that
the live stock interests should not be
neglected; hence the effort made to or-
ganize pig and poultry clubs is a most
commendable one and should be encour-
aged and supported by every progressive
citizen.
In this connection sight must not be
lost of doing something to interest the
mothers and girls more completely than
ever in the work of the school. For
long time 1t was considered wise to di-
rect the attention of the girls to sew
ing and the making or fancy articles
for the adornment of the person or the
home. This was certainly a desirable
movement and has already assumed con-
siderable proportions. 1t should be slim
ulated and continued by all means. But
the girls should be encouraged also to
take up some line of active work which
will enable them to spend part of their
time in the open; to become more or
less familiar with soils, fertilizers and
the production and profitable dispoition
of certain crops. In other words, be-
sides being taught needle work. they
should be- given an insight into some
phase OF industry which will increase
their earning capacity and teach them
to appreciate the economic opportunities
which the cultivation Of the land affords
At the same time they may be instruct
ed more or less about the human dietary
and the desirability of providing va
riety of food materials for the nourish-
ment of the body. Above all, they
should be led to see that the home
garden is an institution of the utmost
Importance to the welfare of the family,
providing not only fresh vegetables at
certain seasons Of the year. but affording
a superabundance of materials to be
canned and served in an attractive form
at seasons when growth is dormant.
They may be taught that the production
of fruits and vegetables and the can
ming of the same is not such difficult
to be and that the garden while provid-
ing products for the home table may be
made a source Of pin money which is
not to be despised, as the figures quoted
later on will clearly indicate
In thousands of farm homes the
necessary canned goods still must be
purchased. and the south is no exception
in this respect For the purpose, there
fore, of giving the girls an active in
door work. canning clubs have been or
ganized in a number of Georgia counties.
The work in 1911 was of an initial char
acter, and only a few hundred girls were
enrolled In some seven counties. The
work done by these girls has been so
successful that efforts will be made next
year to enroll several thousand of them
and to spread the work into every con-
gressional district in the state.
The method of organizing the work has
been as follows: The county school COM
missioner is requested to take the matter
up with his teachers and to encourage
them to form local clubs in each school
district. A representative from the col
lege is sent to the county teachers
meetings to explain how the clubs should
be organized, what crops should be grown
and how they should be fertilized. Bulle-
tins of information are sent to the
teachers and club members from time to
time. The teachers are encouraged to
visit the children's plats, and the college
sends a representative with a simple
fed canning outfit once or more through
out the season as the character of crops
grown may make necessary to make a
practical demonstration at one or more
points in the county. The object OF this
work is to teach the children to do one
thing and do it we'll. While a great
variety of crops may be grown if they
learn how to grow ana manage one crop
well, they will quickly develop the abil-
ity to handle others. On this account
tomatoes have been selected. as one of
the important crops - be grown, and
the children are required to devote a
tenth-acre Of land to this crop, and to
take care of it themselves. The pictures
show more graphically than words can
portray some phases of the work as car
ried on in Georgia.
The season last year was a very I'M
favorable one, the drouth being unusual
ly protracted. and therefore especially
injurious to truck crops. Nevertheless it
may be interesting to quote the results
obtained by two or three of the club
members who made unusually good
yields. Miss L. Hardeman, on a tenth
acre, raised 2,155 pounds of tomatoes.
She sold SIS worth and canned s24 worth.
The cost of production was SIS and her