The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-09-15
Vocational Training to be Given
Class; Walter A. Marker in
Charge; Students Required
do Actual Work.
MUST RAISE SOME CROP
ADAPTED TO LOCALITY
Many Students Here Select Corn; In
structor Outlines Practical Use
of Study Course; Full
Credits Given.

Twenty-six boys are enrolled for
vocational agriculture training in
the Chickasha high school, Prof.
Walter A. Marker, vocational agri-
cultural instructor said this morning
This instruction is given in accord.
ance with the provisions of the
smith-Hughes law, recently caaetel
by congress.
Pursuant to the provisions of the
law, studentes are required to do a
certain amount Of practical work out
side the school room, by planting
and cultivating small acreage of
some crop adaptable to the soil of
this section. The student is given
option in selecting the crop, and
many Of the students enrolled in the
vocational agriculture department of
the local high school are selecting
corn, according to Professor Marker.
Others, he says are selecting gar
den products. A majority Of the
twenty-six boys in this department
reside on farms, and as result,
intense interest in the work is being
manifested
1t is required that the student de-
vote fifty per cent Of lis school time
to the vocational agriculture work
and complete his project before cred
1t is awarded The remaining fifty
per cent Of time Is devoted to other
studies, such as English, science and
history Mr.. Marker states that the
state A. and NJ college at Saltwater
and the state university at Norman,
will accept as entrance credentials
units from the vocational agriculture
department.
"The investigation of agricultural
questions or the demonstration Of
best methods is not the primary
object in this work" Prof Marker
points out He continued the aim
is to teach the boy how to farm best
by using results of experiments and
all other information. A secondary
aim is to help the boy make money
Ito be a business man. Supervised
practical work may be secured in
either Of two ways (1) BY working
on the school farm under the imme-
date supervision Of the teacher; or
(2) by work on the home farm under
the supervision Of the teacher who
will secure cooperation of the par
ent to make the supervision effective
during the absence of the teacher
The former method is primarily for
boys who have had no opportunity
to learn the manipulative process OF
farming, and who are to be taught
how to harness a horse, how to cul
tivate corn, how to milk cows, and
to do the other things which the
farmer boy has learned long before
he attends a school of agriculture
"The latter is for the farmer boy
who already knows the manipulativt
process, but who needs experience
in the application Of the scientific
principles which he will learn il
school. He also needs to practice
at home the things which he see
demonstrated at school or on nearby
farms under the direction and super
vision of the teacher, in connection
with laboratory and field work.
"The supervised practical work fo
the boy who lives en- farm ma!
consist of two parts: The home pro
ject is an enterprise undertaken b!
the boy with full responsibility OF
his part for both the financing of thu
project and the doing Of the worl
although he may not necessarily d
all the work himself This wouli
be a business enterprise involving
the keeping of books, the taking o
inventories, the making of final state
ments. In addition to the project
certain home laboratories may b
carried on, like testing of milk iron
a certain number Of cows. or tn
treatment of seed potatoes for seal
or the testing of the perminatin
powers of seed corn, or the graftin
Of fruit trees"