The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-10-22

IdrIulHS, anu III SnOuIQ prove Oh meSJllHdDlc
value to him if he attacks his work in earn
est. On the other hand, it offers diversions
which may take his mind from his work and
offers abstract theories to be absorbed when
practice would be of more value. Yet the
aim of the modern agricultural college is to
substitute theory for practice, and this is be-
ing done as far as is practicable.
Let two young men, equally in earnest and
equally desirous of making success of
farming, start out together, one choosing to
20 to an agricultural school, the other ch00s-
ing to take up actual farm work. and the
odds of success are in favor of the college
student He has at his disposal the knowl-
edge of thousands of wise men who have
made life studies Of growing things; he has
the facilities for carrying out experiments
that would be too costly on the small scale
that could be practiced by the individual
farmer; he has the opportunity to unlock,
the door of knowledge and to tread the path
way of success. Whether he becomes more
proficient in his work than his friend who
chose the other course depends upon himself.
The facilities are there-his future is in his
own hands.
The adaptation of college training to the
realities of a small farm is the serious prob
lem which confronts the man when he leaves
college, but that is far more simple than to
broaden ones knowledge in the circum-
scrbed world of single farm.
Now that we have had our say, listen to
the criticism of agricultural college students
by the Rural New Yorker:
agricultural college students as farm
workmen 1t is evident that many of our
readers have tried these young men as man.
ayers or farm helpers, and we have received
a number of reports The great majority of
them are unfavorable. 1t appears that a
good proportion of these young men are
willing to work and are energetic and hon
est.
"Too many Of them have very large idea
of their own value. They lack experience
and the ability to adapt themselves to local
conditions. They have been trained at the
college to do work in a certain way-usually
with the aid of expensive and very complete
fixtures
"When they 60 to q practical farm which,
being run for business, must cut out expert
ments or superficial things, many of these
young men lack the power to adapt their
college training to their new surroundings
In too many cases the trouble seems to be
that the college teachers spoil these boys by
giving them too large an idea of their own
Importance.
"We have heard of cases where teachers
advised these untried young men never to
accept place for less than $75 per month,
and never to touch any smaller job than that
of managers. 1t would be hard to think of
any more foolish advice than this.
cit will be clearly evident to any bust
ness farmer that what these boys need most
of all is practical knowledge of real farm
operation. How can anyone manage farm
labor successfully unless he knows how to do
the work to the best advantage. 1t is not
enough that the college has taught him why
it should be done-he must know how if he
is to make a farm pay-for only by knowing
how can he learn to adapt his science to local
conditions.
"The cool-headed and unprejudiced re-
ports which come to us indicate that the
training which many of these young men are
receiving has given them too large an idea
of their Importance and value to practi-
cal farmer 1t would be far wiser for them
to work as plain hired men for year or so
before attempting to manage farm"
The California Farmer quotes the above
and contributes the following comment:
"The opinion by the editor of the Rural
New Yorker, a paper which stands in the