The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-03-13
RURAL SCHOOLS
Material Presented by c. r. Bee
man, Supt. Schools, Williams
town, vt.
Promotion of Local Industries.

The rural school has the very besi
opportunity for the promotion of loca
industries and the patrons of sucl
schools have the right to look to theil
teachers for suggestions and leadership
At this time of the year the mapl,
sugar industry should receive the lion:
share of attention. In order to create q
healthy interest in the industry the
teacher may have the pupils make a
maple sugar survey of the school district
Such survey should ascertain the fol
lowing: /. The number of trees tapped
last year. 2. The number of trees tap
pable but not tapped and why not, g.
Pounds of sugar made, cost, selling price,
profit 4. Gallons of syrup made, cost,
selling price, profit. 5. (al Where are
the best markets? tbl in what form can
it best be sold, as sugar ~. in pals t2l,
in bricks (3l, in small cakes, or as syrup
in gallon or smaller cans Ia? 9. What
are some of the most discouraging things
in connection with the industry? 7. A
list of recipes for using maple sweets in
cooking, home candy making, etc.
Such survey would serve many pur.
poses, create interest in the industry,
furnish problems for arithmetic classes.
motives for the study Of the geography
and history of the industry. material for
many language lessons and some real
compositions. Such compositions might
use some of the following topics: (a)
History of the industry from the time
when an Indian squaw accidentally let
her chiefs vension boil too long in the
sweet water of the maple tree, to the
modern evaporators, tools or equipment,
(b) Best methods of work. lei Best
forms in which TO sell. Id Markets,
etc.
A very valuable topic for debate would
be, Resolved, That it il more profitable
to make syrup to sell at sl20 a gallon
than to make sugar to sell at Is cents a
pound"
An interesting writing and language
exercise would be the collection of all
available maple sweets recipes and max
ing little cook books.
Material for the study of the maple |
sugar industry may be had from the |
department OF agriculture of the Uni |
versity of Vermont at Burlington, also |
from the United States bureau of agri- !
culture. If your school is having vaea- |
ton now, it need not prevent your chill
dren making a maple sugar survey You |
will be surprised at the interest they /
will take in making the survey If you
show them that you too are interested. I
The information secured may be the
means of creating a deeper interest in
your farm problems.
Have you ever wondered why your
children do not take greater interest in
The work on the farm? If you have, II
perhaps you viii be interested to try
,he following experiment. Select, or
perhaps let your children select, GER
ain number of good maple trees which
hey may call their own, for this season
1t least. Tell them that you win give
hem all the money they can make from
hese trees if, in addition to the usual
lelp during the sugar season they do
ii of the bookkeeping. That is, keep
rack of every cost entering into all of
vour sugar making and selling this sea-
on. Su&l an account would show cost
II all wood used, new equipment inter
st on investment in old equipment, hired
elp. value of all work done by every
member of the family figured at regular
wages, freight, express or postage, sell
ng rices and profits,
If at the end of the season your boys
nd girls have not gained new interest
n farm work, then I do not know boys
nd girls.