St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-10-01
Instead, Children Educated
TO Leave Home For
Other Business.
HANDS UNFRAMED
AND UNCLEARED
No Inducenlent for Boys to.
Remain Here; Seek Oc-
cupations Elsewhere
(By A. e. BriggG)

(by n. II. bIISSsaJ
An education for the business Of
Fl farming has seldom received the con-
sideration it deserves. = And yet a
really well educated farmer would
+ probably have all education superior
TO that which is necessary or valn-
able for any other profession or busi
ness whatsoever Furthermore, there
is no other business in which a we'll
rounded education is so thoroughly
useful in the business as in farming.
F From the point of view also OF ths
public no other kind of education
brings such returns in wealth and
weii-being to the local community as
does agricultural education.
That the farm with its many
utensils and machines and great va
riety of products is a better laDora-
tory to study material than can easi-
S1y be provided in even the most cost
Nv schools is usually overlooked
We have everywhere in America neg
lected this most valuable opportuni-
tv to use the best educational ma
tprial which is available. Prof. l..
r. Bailey, a very great scientist and
the leading teacher Of agriculture IN
America. has said that one can learn
more botany in two years OF actual
gardening with the aid OF first-rate
garden book or manual than he couid
learn in ten years in college lah-
oratory There is not principle OF
practical arithmetic from funda-
mental operations to cube root winch
is not applicable on the farm. Would
not boys and girls learn arithmetic
quicker and better if they couia
MEASURE actual things and figure out
real problems OF the thousands OF III
terest,ng processes Of manufacture
and construction which are the WORK
OF good farm? The best textbook
OF elementary physics have seen,
because it was exceedingly interest
ing and easy to understand, Illus
trated every principle OF physics ny
common household utensils ana
equipment. Ordinary cooking (bEt
not as ordinarily done) is the most
important Of the applications OF
chemistry and physics, because l.
most vitally concerns the welfare o1
human beings. In the production OF
crops and feeding OF livestock,
knowledge Of chemistry makes the
difference between the educated
farmer and the one who farms hap
hazard. A farmer who does not un-
derstand the constituents and reia'
tive values of fertilizers and who
does not know the how and why or
providing balanced ration for his
cattle, is more lucky than practical
if he succeeds.
In our rural schools the entire
teaching should, | think, be directed
to education in farming and the I'M
provement of living conditions on the
farm. 1t is impossible in the limits
of this article to indicate what an
extraordinarily broad education that
would be. 1t would include teach
ing and practice Of growing things;
farm crops, gardens, and mowers.
The children would learn how to
make things and use tools and ma
chimes; carpentry, cement work,
blacksmithing, operations and re-
pairs of engines; mills, separators;
cooking, canning, drying, preserv-
ing; sewing, etc. The farmers
friends and enemies include host
of wild things to be studied in order
that some may be destroyed and
others encouraged. Not every snake,
bug and bird is an enemy; some or
them are the best friends OF man.
But with the naked eye and micro
scope we should be well acquainted
with all Of them, friends and enc
mics 1t is nearly as important to
know about the weeds as about the
plants we cultivate. There is not
single farm which does not have
several soils or conditions OF soil,
each Of which must be treated dit
ferently to produce good crops; here
then we must learn as farmers how
to analyze our soils. Prof. Barrows
recently told the farmers in the
Waldheim district that in order to
raise good crops, they must first
create an abundant supply of bac-
terra in the soil. The soil and it's
relation to all living things is truly
a wonderful and most interesting
and most valuable study.
The farmers In this parish are
coming to realize that marketing is
one Of the greatest Of their prob
lens. When we consider how far
away from home go some of the pro-
ducts from our farms, we see that
the farmer is very much interested
.lD geography In turn he is a great
buyer. So there is scarcely a mark
ct in the world which is not very in
teresting to the farmer. It is more
and more important that the farmer
should study commercial geography.
IN this connection farm organiza-
tlons are beginning to be most I'M
rortant part of the farmers busi..
ness. The up-to date farmer is a
businessman, who keeps accounts as
accurately and scientifically as a fac
tory or big store, and this requires |
business education.
But the modern farmer also claims
the right to enjoy life. and no one
else has greater opportunity for
making home life beautiful and sat
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