The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-05-20

a recreation room, which is soma
times used for classroom purposes.
The expenses of these alterations
were betrayed from the proceeds OF
the farm and the alterations were
made very largely by the students at
the school, The basement of this
building is designed for creamery.
i In the rear of the administration
building and connected with it, is a
building originally designed for a rid
ing ring. The lower floor of this
building makes an ideal room for
stock Judging, while the upper floor
can be finished off into an assembly
hall and gymnasium that will easily
accommodate 500 people.
The Curriculum.
The curriculum at the Theodore
N. Vail Agricultural School and
Farms covers twelve consecutive
months and boy when he has COM
pleted this period is given a di-
ploma. 1t is possible for boy to
enter at the beginning of any month
and continue his course so long as he
can remain at the school. II for any
reason a student is obliged to leave
the school temporarily, he can re-
turn and complete his course at any
time, provided that in so dong the
twelve consecutive months are COW
cred. In brief, the object of
this course is that boy at the The
odore N. Vail Agricultural School and
! Farms shall have the farm expe-
rience that is apt to arise in each
month of the year and the instruction
applicable thereto. The course OF
study is organized about the activ-
tiles that are important on the farm at
any given time. For this purpose
the students are divided into four
groups. The students remain in each
| group for one week. One group is
concerned for a week primarily with
instruction about the dairy. An
other group is concerned for week
primarily with instruction about farm
crops. A third group is concerned
with miscellaneous activities on the
| farm, such as the care of sheep poul-
try and swine, orcharding, shop work,
! repair of buildings, tools. etc. A
| fourth group works on the main farm
under the direct supervision of the
farm Superintendent This work is
done for wages and is designed to
test the efficiency of the instruction
received in the school. The main
| farm also furnishes opportunities for
/ students to learn the Strengthening of
animals, the care Of sick animals. the
training of colts and oxen, and other
activities of like nature. At the be-
ginning of each week the groups
change Those who have been in
group one take up the work previ-
ously done by group two, and so on.
No textbooks. are required, but the
| library is we'll supplied with standard
works on farming and whenever a
problem is encountered in the farm
work, the student is referred to a
passage in some text book directly
applicable to the problem at hand.
The boys are also taught English,
farm arithmetic and a simple form
of civics designed to inculcate the
principles of good citizenship.
Tuition.
Vermont boys attending this school
arc not charged any tuition. Boys
from outside the State are charged a
tuition of $50 a year. All boys are
expected to furnish their own tow
els, bed linen, blankets. ETC., to pay
the expenses of laundering the same
and are charged SIS per week for
board and lodging except for the
week in which they work for wages.
During the week in which the boys
are working, they receive their
board and lodging free of charge and
are paid at the rate of from $50 to
$40 a month, according to the nature
of their employment and their abil-
ity. 1t is also possible on Saturdays
- n
work at from fifteen to twenty cents
an hour and throughout the twelve
months of tie school course all boys
who so desire are able to work for
compensation about the farm or in
the dormitory during The hours in
which they are not engaged in school
work. 1t is safe to say that any boy
who is willing to work will be able
during the year to earn from three
quarters to the entire amount of his
expenses for the years instruction
at this school. This policy was one
of the conditions made by Mr.. Vail in
his deed of gift to the State of Yer
mont and has been strongly empha-
sized by the teachers at the Theodore
~ Vail Agricultural School and
Farms and by the members of the
9LdL6 VI EuuCdIlOu CFCl
they took over the management of
this school.
Requirements for Admission.
The requirements of admission to
this school are strictly in accord
with the conditions set down in the
deed of gift which states: "The re-
uuirement for admission to such
school not to be so exacting as to
exclude anyone who has fair, sub
stantial primary education and who
shows in his work and study, industry
and application" Of the graduating
class of 1918, consisting of fifteen
members, thirteen went back to farm
work, one found employment in man
ufacture of farm implements and one
enlisted in the army.
The State School of Agriculture at
Randolph Center
This school has an acreage of APP
proximately 172 acres. 1t may be
divided as follows Pasture and SUI
gar orchard. 81 acres; pasture and
woodland, 20 acres; and tillable land.
SO acres. The soil at the school at
Randolph is of a quality peculiarly
adapted to farm crops and of the SO
acres of cultivated land, 40 acres are
used for the raising of hay. In the
sugar orchard there are about 700
acres that are suitable for tapping.
Last year over 500 were tapped and