South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-06-18
STATE BULLETIN
SHEDS NEW LIGHT
ON FARM TEACHING
Work of Boys and Girls Along
Scientific Lines Makes the
"Rest of Family Sit Up and
Take Notice.
Rx wills 5. Thomn.on.


INDIANAPOLIS. June 1S-Whue
IN general way the people OF the
state have heard ard known some
thing OF the vocational educational
s'ork undertaken under the state law.
and While the people patronizing the
rural schools have probably "a more
direct and intimate knoWIcdee of the
agricultural instruction in the rural
schools. the bulletin just issued hy
the state department OF public in
struCuOn serves 90 shed new and
better light This bulletin is SPLEEN
didly Illustrated and treats especially
Of agricultural instruction and gives
a summary OF what has been ac-
complished as shown by official re-
ports.
There is nothing more practical OF
valuable 10 the community and the
individual than this one feature in
all the branches taught i'm any of the
schools. 10 is the education that has
taught the farmers boy in Indiana
20 produce z more bushels of corn
% the acre than his father produces
the same year i'm an adjoining field.
The boys have also produced this
larger crop at p cents a bushel
against the state average Of 80 cents
bushcl. The farmers are naturally
becoming Interested in what the boys
are doing.
Dairy Herds Improved.
Dairy herds have been improved
and many cows have been sent to the
butcher because the boys and girls
have SHOWN the folks" the milk was
useless when put TO scientific test. /
Others Of the herd have been made
TO improve the milk production by
proper feeding methods. Whole herds
have grown more valuable by elevat- /
ing the stock with little or no extra
a nd
girls have been allowed TO take home /
milk testing apparatus in order many I
times Ito convince the rest of the /
family"
Orchards long neglected and of no
apparent productive value have been I
revived and improved by proper
pruning. spraying. grating and bud /
ding, and i'm many instances the bull /
lctin tells as that ban addition 10 the [
planting Of new orchards by the boys
the care OF the old ones has been /.
turned over entirely by their fathers /
with excellent results. The bulletin (
SAYS further that interest in these I
matters is by no means confined to /
the rural districts, but that i'm 1914 /
twenty thousand pupils i'm town and /
cty schools i'm Indiana cultivated /
home gardens under the direction of /
the public schools
Poultry raising has not only been /
taught on practical lines at the /
~rhools but I'm a far more attractive /
way has il been taught by the pupils F.
working at home. This adds new /
interest To- the work and study. IT.
applies the knowledge directly and at /
once TO something eNtrO mcly praC-
tiCal 1t is the actual development of /
the productive side of poultry study I
hy working with the hens each pupil /
owns. Both boys and girls are most |
earnest in this one line and a large /
buyer in one of the counties tells us \
I'm this bulletin that as the result of /
Introducing better and purer breeds /
and getting reliably uniform eggs
from the boys and girls ne was able /
To- pay them two cents a dozen more /
than formerly for the eggs. He also /
knows their hens will lay Ia winter /
y demand was created. The eggs I
were larger and were of one size and (
looked much better in the grocers' |
stock.
Prcccdcnts Are Smashed.
In the care and management /
breeding and feeding of an kinds OF f
stock the scholars are very soon inn 4
pressed with the Importance of elm I
mating scrubs and improviur and .
building mp the herds. rather than al /
lowing them to take care of them .
selves in any old way and deterior-
ate. Fathers and mothers who we're
mt first prcjudiccd because of this +
smashing OF presidents which were F
good enough for u.s. have recognized .
the Improvements and many farms i'm .
the state are examples eff the cIcNat- f
ing influences of these schools
Testing of corn and other seeds be-
fore planting has had its value so
thoroughly demonstrated from the
profit side that there are some coun-
ties where the farmers are almost "a f
unit in refusing 10 plant infested seed
Of any sort. While testing seed has f
been advocated for many years and .
by some farmers practiced. one year
OF teaching it i'm the schools. taking .
lt home in practical demonstrations .
% the individual farms and trying it f
out. has done more i'm Indiana than .
Years of talk i'm oranges and publish f
ing editorials i'm newspapers.
The bulletin just issued is supplied .
with specific Information from nearly F.
all the counties. telling exactly what +