The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-11-22
AGRICULTURE IN HIGH
SCHOOLS IMPORTANT
State College Urges that Montana
Schools Lay Emphasis on This
Big Industry.

BOZeman, Montana; November IL
Of all the lessons taught by the re-
cent war, the most outstanding one
is, that in the future education must
be for efficiency; a greater useful
ness and larger service will be de-
manded of our educational system.
The time is here when courses of study
and methods Of instruction will be
scrutinized from the standpoint of fit
ting into the future careers of young
people. Recent events in the econom-
ic world have shown the need of young
people being trained along definite
productive lines. The draft question
naire which every man between the
ages of nineteen and forty-five filled
out brought this lesson home for
chilly. 1t is safe to state that the ma
jority of these men were unable to
state which of the many vocational
occupations they were best qualified
to fill. The high school graduate had
but little advantage over the eighth
grade graduate. Our educational sys-
tenn had been found lacking.
!, The mistakes of the past will not be
repeated. In the period of readjust-
ment which is now upon US, we must
endeavor to adjust our educational
system to meet the needs of the great
est number. The industries of a COM
munity or state will determine to a
large extent the character of ed
vocational system. A new interpreted
ton will be placed upon what con-
stitutes a liberal education. It will
be liberal in that it is both cultural
and vocational. Discipline will be a
product of both if the work is well
done.
Let US make the above application
to the Montana high schools. Our
major industry is fast becoming agri-
culture. Land that a few years ago
was considered unsuited for farming
purposes is now under cultivation and
producing as high as forty bushels
of wheat per acre. No better corn is
grown in the corn belt than is grown
in eastern Montana. Pure bred live
stock is being imported from other
states, thousands of acres of the best
grazing land is still unused. The
overnment and private individuals are
spending large sums on irrigation pro-
jects. We have come to look upon
farming as no longer a hit or miss
proposition. 1t is a definite science
based upon laws of conservation and
production. Granting that this is
true, should there not be a place in
our educational system where young
people can prepare fof the opportun.
tiles which the new agriculture in
| Montana offers? However strong
the work of the agricultural college
may be-, it's influence will be limited
especially in a state the size of Mon
tana. The one institution that is
within reach of all the young people
is the high school. At the present
time not more than fifteen high
schools in the state are making any
pretense to teach agriculture. Eight
of these schools are receiving state
and federal aid under what is known
as the Smith Hughes act. The in
structors are employed on a twelve
months basis. During the summe
months they supervise produce projec
work with the boys and girls and tt
a large extent take the place of tn
county agriculturist with the olde
people. Reports which will be pub
lished in the near future will SHOW
that through the efforts Of these higl
school instructors in agriculture tina
production has been increased thous
ands of dollars. Vaccinating for black
leg, distributing gopher poison, test
ing seed, testing milk, bringing pur
bred stock into the community, distrit
uting chicks, conducting farmers shol
courses, organizing farmers picnic'
suggesting means of graduating ir
furious weeds and insect pests, are