Evening journal., 1919-11-07
new SCHOOL LAW TO
KEEP BOYS ON FARM
IConiinued From Page Nine J


census shows Kent county actually lost
in population and Sussex county gained
only one per cent. per pear or The nor
nal birth rate? People are no longer
moving into communities and states
which have poor schools Neither are
young people, with their future to win'
stayng In communities which have
poor schools, any more than they would
be content to stay in community
which ha@ no railroads, no telephones
and no rural free delivery service.
The new school law does more than
carry free education Of the best type
70 the rural boy AL girl, education eN-
1cflv as good as that OF their city
cousin. It carries 10 them education
m agricultural affairs. Under the now
school law, vocational agriculture Tor
he boys aud household instruction Tor
he girls are compulsory in every high
school. Last year, under the old law
vocational agriculture was taught IN
lnly five schools in Delaware TO only
y boys. This year. under the new law,
30 TO 80 farm boys are being taught
agriculture in - schools in Delaware.
The first Years work consists OF
training for crop farming of any KIND
the knowledge of soils and fertilizers;
spraying and lighting plant diseases ana
pests: selection of seed; knowledge OF
picking and packing crops and how TO
market them TO best advantage. The
second years work takes up the study
OF live stock and poultry; breeding
diseases Of animals: feeding, pastures,
fOrage and other information necessary
TO the successful raising and handling
OF livestock. The third years course
includes horticulture This training is
NOT an book learning Each boy
taking this training must work a
piece OF land or raise certain stock or
poultry in connection with his book
learning: he must put into actual
practice wha he Is taught and he Is
graded on this neld work
Does it pay? Within three months
after his boy had started This new KIND
~ education last year in the Milford
High school lone OF the five schools
in the stale under the old law which
1ad this training) farmer. who had
1een opposed TO such new tangled |
IDEAS. voluntarily came 20 the school
and thanked the teacher for the help !
the work had been TO his boy. lie said
that never untiEthen had his boy ever |
taken any interest in either school or /
farming: ne had been restless and talk /
ing about leaving the farm. lie had |
been dabbllng in a lot OF studies /
that didn't interest him and had been
getting his head full OF notions about
lown life. But when he began TO study
vocational agriculture his whole ati-
tude toward schuOl and farm life
rhanged. He began to see the value Of
his school and didn't want TO miss a
dav. His school in turn taught him the
Of farming and he no long
er was dissatisfied and talking about
going 10 town.
Another farmer boy who attended the
vocational agriculture classes at Mil
ford last year won flrst prize on hogs
In a State contest, in which all hog
farmers and young ones
were competing A'girl going TO the
same school won first prize In a county
contest, and then won the Delaware
sweepstakes on poultry she raised as
a result Of her training. Another boy
lpplied what he learned at that school
and raised over 40 tons Of tomatoes to
The acre on a piece Of ground he plant
ed. while the average OF old tomato
growers around him was a little over
six tons
The Caesar-Rodney High School. at
Camden, was another one OF
dve schools where vocational training
was taught last year. One Of the boys
there planted pa acres In exactly The
same crop as his father planted the rest
n the field. The boy cultivated his
wop according to his instructions and
made a clear profit OF twice as much
Der acre as his father. Another boy,
ifter a years training, made a net
profit OF S3050 an acre on nine acres
of wheat, planted and cultivated ac-
eordlng TO his instructions. Another
boy. applying what he learned in The
socational agriculture classes. made
gross profit Of siS995 on two acres OF
tomatoes and a net profit Of Si07O5i
The proof OF the pudding is IFS eat
Ing. The proof Of the practical value
of vocational agriculture training TO
The farmer boy IS In the results. those
get who have had the training 3nd in
the enthusiasm they have for farm
work "How you gonna keep em
down on the farm" runs o popular
-ongl The answer is: BY giving them
education In farming which Is Just
what the new school law compels every
high school In the State to do. and
which % schools with $50 boys in ag-
ricultural classes are doing this year
against only five schools with 6s boys
in the agriculture classes last yearl