The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-08-01
GIVES FARMERS
CHANCE TO STUDY
U. S. Agricultural Department Has
Plan Whereby Country Folk May
Secure Various Courses.
MINNESOTA MAY DECIDE TO JOIN
Object is to Make Accessible at Home
Work Which is Given at Colleges
- Home Management.

Minnesota may take advantage O
a plan which has been devised by tn,
United States Department of Agri
culture, in cooperation with agri
cultural colleges of certain
states, whereby ten or more
farmers or farm women car
form home classes in agriculture
or domestic science and receive the
text books, lectures, lantern Slides
laboratory and cooking equipment
necessary to conduct them. In the
Bemidji territory the courses could
be given in connection with the
farmers club meetings.
The object of the plan is to make
accessible at home, to men and wo-
men who have not the time or means
to attend the regular courses at the
colleges, practical short courses IN
agriculture and home management
specially adapted to their districts.
These courses, which will consist Of
l 5 to 20 lectures, and will consume
five or more weeks, can be arranged
to suit the spare time and conven-
fence of each group of people.
The courses to be offered are poul-
try raising, fruit growing, soils,
cheese manufacturing, dairying, but
ter making, and farm bookkeeping;
and for the women especially, cour-
ses in the preparation, cooking and
use of vegetable and cereal foods.
The department will supply lectures
and lantern slides covering these
subjects, and the states which have
agreed to cooperate in the plan will
lend to each group laboratory and
cooking apparatus valued at $100
and a reference library. The text
books and lectures will be made so
complete that each group can safely
appoint one Of it's members as study
leader to direct the work of the
course
When group has decided to take
up the work the state which cooper
ates, sends an agent with the de-
partment's representative to organize
a sample class and assist the leader
whom they elect in laying out the
work and in showing him the best
methods of procedure. The classes
commonly are held from 500 to
1900 in the morning and from LOO
to 400 in the afternoon, two or three
days each week. The sessions are
not held every day, so that the men,
bers will have time to attend to their
farm duties in between the sessions,
as we'll as before and after the in
struction period. The classes meet
commonly at the most convenient
farm house. During the morning
hours, text book work is done. In
the afternoon laboratory work is con-
Quoted, and the women who have
elected to take the domestic science
courses have practical lessons in
cooking.
AS soon as class is established,
the state organizer withdraws to
start class in some other district.
The work thereafter is left in charge
of the leader, who receives assistance
by mail from the college or the de-
partment in carrying on the work.
AS there is no regularly paid in
all over the state as rapidly as the
college organizer can visit the groups
and as quickly as the laboratory sets
supplied by the college become avail
able. The local leader will preside
during the reading of the lectures
and references, for which full texts
and lantern slides are supplied by
the department.. He will also he re-
'sponsible for the laboratory equip
ment. Every one who completes the
course will receive a certificate from
the state college.
The advantages claimed for the
new home courses with local leaders
and laboratory equipment over the
ordinary correspondence courses is
that on-y a small percentage of those
who take the individual correspond
ence course finish it. Studying in
a group with laboratory work and a
leader, seems to stimulate the inter-
est and add a social feature which
lead the members of the group to fol-
low the work conscientiously and
complete it. Experiments with free
correspondence courses show that
while many individuals gain advan-
tage from them, many others, be
cause the material is furnished free,
do not feel the same obligation to
complete them as. they do when they
pay substantial sum of money for
the instruction:
Will Visit Wisconsin Points.