Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-25
STUDENTS HOME
FROM CHAMPAIGN
Class Attending Short Course in
Agriculture Receive Much
Benefit.
RoUSES LOCAL INTEREST
Visit to State University Gives General
Idea of the Scope of Work
Done There.

Those from Rock Island county
who attended the short course in agri-
culture at the state university at Ur-
bana during the last two weeks re-
turned to this city last evening. There
were q in the party, including the
Class of 20 boys, whose expenses were
paid by banks, newspapers and pri-
Vate citizens interested in the ad-
vancement of agriculture, and who
were in charge of County Superin-
tendent S. J. Ferguson. There were
over 800 boys and men present for the
short course, this county being one of
the best represented of any in the state
Over 200 women and girls took two
weeks special course in domestic sci
ence at the same time.
Much good connot fail to result
from the insight into advanced meth
DDS of agriculture that the students
were privileged to obtain and it is
to be hoped that the sending of 4
class from this county. expenses paid.
will become an annual custom. There
is reason TO fear that this section is
ance of maintaining soil fertility as
some other parts of the state are and
nothing that can be done will help
more to bring a community TO the
front, agriCulturally speaking, than
sending numbers of its young men
down to take the short course.
INTEREST Is KEEN.
The sessions of the last two weeks
have been the most successful of any
since the plan of spreading knowledge
in scientific farming by this method
was adopted. Never has interest man.
Tested been quite so keen. Probably
no other calling could assemble so
many men from a similar area who
would attend classes for vocational in
struction eight hours day with such
/ zeal as was manifested Every one
I present seemed bent upon getting all
there was in it and the running fire
of questions that was directed at lee
lures nearly always kept up till the
close of each class period. 1t speaks
well for the intelligence of the pupils
that there were so few queries of the
foolish" order. and for the learning
and resourcefulness of the instructors
I that the replies were so seldom slow
or unsatisfactory.
GIVE EVERY AID.
A thing that has generally impress
ed those for the first time seeking
information along agricultural lines
at the state university is the readi
ness of faculty, regular students and
even employees to extend every posi-
BILE aid instruction in the Short
course is given for the most part by
men who are very busy and whose
time is already fully taken up by
their regular classes. 1t entails extra
work for them without increase OF
pay and yet they do not begTudge the
time and effort Moreover, the course
for the two weeks is arranged with a
view of comforting the greatest posi-
BILE benefit upon those taking it anC
it is made to dovetail in with the in
struction of regular students so thai
there is no visible conflict of class
hours, even though the quarters o
the college are sadly overtaXed with
out attempting anything of this sort
NO Politics HERE.
Devotion to science apparently Oh
tains in Illinois state agricultural col
lege to a greater degree than in othel
institutions of similar nature. Ont
is accustomed to look for the poIitica
motive back of the conduct of th'
average man drawing pay from tn
state, but there is none whatever here
, and no doubt that is the reason tn
school leads all others in the nation, /
not in the world. This institution ha
done more pioneering in its work thar
any other. It's instruction has Away
been a little farther advanced an
more practical than that given else
where. There has been no attempt L
cover up the bald fact that farming
as generally practiced, is soil robbing
Ordinarily the state school works han
in hand with the United States dc
partment of agriculture, but wner IN
latter, moved by political considers
tions, essays to pat the farmer on tn
Ddth anu dSSui IL MN tildl tIlt SOli II
works is steadily getting better unde
his management, the state schoC
quickly takes up the issue and dir
, up the facts to prove its case. Gradua
, ly leaders among the students of faTI
problems are being convinced thu
\ Dean Davenport and his able assis
D ants are right in contending that wha1
s ever of plant food is taken from IN
soil must be returned to it to MAR
tain virgin productiveness. No prof.
a lem in elementary arithmetic seen.
q simpler than this, yet it has taken
d vast amount of original research an
: no end of teaching. speaking and W.T.
s ing to prove it to the few, while
must be confessed many arc not full
q convinced. even yet
II ARE OFTEN TEMPTED.
: Probably no school ever possesse
d a faculty that as a whole showed S
> unselfish a spirit as the Illinois agr
: cultural college Among them al
= men who, as leaders of thought
their departments, are steadily sougl
!, b. commercial interests, that hold D
e the temptation Of greater pecuniar
II raw2 rds 10 Obtain their services II