Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-11-05
UNIQUE DISPLAY At WINDSOR
Corn Show Succeeded by Agri-
cultural Exposition.
Vermont boys and Girls Give Demon
stration Of whit They Can Do
Addresses by Men Eminent in
Educational Field.

tural and Industrial exposition was held
in Windsor last week For three days this
unique and significant display was spread
before the eyes Of Vermonters. Its worth
is measured more by It's effects on school
and pupils than Ivy the attendance. 1t did
not pay In the coin of the realm but In
the better coin of high grade service to
the farmers and artisans Of tomorrow
and their helpmates. It paid a thousand
fold
The exposition IL the legitimate heir of
the Vermont corn show. held for several
years ut Widsor. housed in the same
spacious Kennedy arena; differed by the
same Jealous workers; backed by the
same efficient Windsor county Y. NJ. c. A.
management II meant more than It's
PREDECESSOR. for the farmer Is greater
than his crop. II was as unlike an aRri-
cultural fair as could be imagined. Three
was no midway, no fancy stock no races,
no farm machinery, nothing TO sell, no
body to sell Commercialism was forgot
ten and the emphasis was laid upon edu-
cation, training, efficiency. There were
no gaudy signs advertising 'Bebo. the
Wild Man" Diving Girls or vaudeville
stunts; instead one saw such legends rs
Learn to by doing" True education
fits for life work" What does II profit
Vermont II she gains the whole world and
lose her own boys?" The veteran starter
Of Vermont fair horse races was seen
wandering about the midway. He seemed
an anachronism. He did not fit into the
spirit OF the place or the occasion. for Il
was a childrens show, with ls-year-od
boys and girls as department heads, with
the work OF boys and girls. In school and
out. It's excuse for existence. 1t did not
appeal to ossihed brain or atrophicd
heart. to the man who Is "sot" In his
ways, who knows It all; but to those
whose faces are sunrsewards and whose
hope is In the rising generation
There were addresses by famous farm
ers and by government and State officials,
eminent in the educational field There
were contests by boys and girls, in such
homely yet practical matters as potato
pairing, dish washing, cake mixing sew.
Ing, corn and poultry Judging. apple pack
Ing. There We're demonstrations in smithfna
by students from the state AgricultutIl
school at Randolph. In CARPENTRY by boy
from St Iohnsbury and White Rtv.,
Junction. in dairving practice by puu.
Of the Hartford schools in cooking ~,
girls from Morrisville Montpelier and f. .
sex Junction high school in sewins
students from Springfield and Essex Jun
ton. There was an admirable exrosi'iur
Of the part-;imo cooperative industi'l|
method Of manual training inatructio
now in vogue in Montpelier. whereby IT,
student spends part Of his time in schou
and part In the shop. thus learning hy
doing, not playing at work but doing ron
work on competitive commercial basis.
combining theory and practice. trainirr
the hand and the brain, enabling one t..
earn ones schooling, an education and a
trade" Good music was furnished by the
uniformed Vermont Industrial School
band. boys who five months ago knew
not one note from another.
The great arena was full of exhibits
TIL" kurn Hattin Homes showed how
their boys washed, ironed. darned. cobbled
baked, cooked, gardencd and housework
ed. The Vermont Industrial School
among other things showed basketry
work, dressmaldnE and cookery. The re-
markable Lyndon home garden class, the
product OF the energy OF Mrs John b.
Chase. showed samples Of crops canned
goods. tree seeds. photographs and beet
sugar made by an 11-year-old boy. The
Hartford. Stove. Morrisville. Hartlani
and Swanton schools had extensive ex-
htbits. illustrative of vocational and other
lines Of works, including charts. drawing
photographs. samples of garden and field
crops. and in particular corn samples and
samples Of the multitudnous products
and by products devised from corn. among
which were seen samples very small
ones) Of whiskey The Springfield
schools. located in the cradle Of Vermont
Inventions made much of manual train
Ing and showed work done by the bo1s
who worked part time in the several ma
chine shops of that thriving town.
The two distinctively agricultural
schools at Randolph and at Lyndon
graphically illustrated their methods of
teaching agriculture and the results. APP
paratus, specimens, samples. specimens.
products of field and forge and shop were
shown.
The Windsor County Farmers associa-
ton displayed charts illustrative OF farm
labor distribution; of ncighboring farms
on one Of which for year the labor in
come was 1884, while that of the other
was 50 data being given enabling one
in part to discover why; rag baby"
seed testers; clover incubation; and se"-
eral placards illustrative of the scope Of
the beneticent work along lines of CO.
operative buying. advisory service. dem
onstrations in the field on hay, potatoes,
corn, orchard etc.
The Windsor County Y. N G. A.. the
moving spirit behind the whole exposi-
ton enterprise, illustrated some of the
varied activities, along Boy Scout, ath-
letic play ground, boy camp. corn show.
school survey lines, in short tho effort 10
help make country life more satisfy
ing" Its boys and girls poultry, po-
tato and corn clubs showed their prod
ucts, some of which We're vociferous.
The Greater Vermont association ex-
hfbfted charts, photographs and other evil
dence that 1t was on the map, especially
featuring its Long Trail" and the Yer
mont Forestry association made much Of
the forest tree seed collecting contest II
this year instituted A South Royalton
boy. who In the past has taken corn sho'v
prizes. gathered in this year n splendid
camping tent because of his tree seed co..
lection.
The insect suppression work Of the State
commissioner of agriculture dealing with
the hrown-tail moth. the gypsy moth and
the San Jose scale, was well shown. The
State forest exhibited several boxes ~
Seeding trees and illustrated their plant
Ing The Vermont library commission
had sample farm libraries. home oconom,
libraries. pictures. etc, supplied free 10
Vermont communities; and the agrcul-
tural extension service OF the State uni
versity was represented by its county fair
exhibit, shown this year at every fair in