Gunnison news-champion., 1922-09-08
Ranch and Rance :: +: :: !: !: .: ::
AGRICULTURAL COURSE
N COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
CCoa,iHued from Firzt Psgel


raaif growth Of agricultural work in
ne "a schools Of our state There
are =. present forty high schools
-rrE have agricultural work in their
.---rre.Turns. The report shows a To-
-z| u SIS pupils enrolled in the agn-
.-5 -rErzlI eour-e ard 4 total of 4iol
-zFaats and instructors in all lines
~ .ue9tfanal education including Ag-
r.ratslrs, Home Economies, the
Tr.s.s and Industries, Part Time,
Esra.ng and Day Schools, and IN
Teacher Training Work. Glasses
srerc conducted at s. different cent
srs- One institution was approved
for the training Of agricultural teach
e-- and FIVE instructors were added,
and z, another institution twelve IN
structors were added for the training
Of Home Economic teachers. One
hundred and nine evening classes
were conducted. A full report would
be very interesting but space does
not permit. however, these few fig-
ures are sufficient to show the awak-
ned interest which the people OF the
state are experiencing in the teaching
Of agriculture in our high schools.
A word Of explanation AZ this
point is necessary in regard 10 the
Agricultural course This IS known
as mith-Hugbes work and Is sup
ported BY our national government
by funds appropriated TO meet state
fundS-doIlar for dollar-in the pro-
motion of vocational education IN
Agriculture, Home Economics, and
the Trades and Industries. in turn
the state may require the local COM
muuity petitiouing for such agricul-
tural instruction 20 provide part of
the funds toward carrying out the
agricultural program in the local
high school. In Colorado the state
pays IS per cent, the comunnity 25
per cent and the federal board, which
represents the national government,
paws so per CENT Of tn agricutEral m
struetors' salary. This sounds hke q
Get Rich-Quiet" proposition fes the
agricultural instructor, but II Is far
from this and is AMY for the puspose
Of distributing the expense and ~ a
test of the sincerity and interest Of
contracting parties.
The Smith Hughes AT was passed
by the Sixty-Fourth Congress and ts-
came a law on July T.. 1917. Quoting
from the Congressional Records we
learn that it is "Aai Act to provids'
for the promotion OF vocational edu--
cation; TO provide for cooperation
with the states in ths promotion OF
such education in agriculture and the
trades and industries: 70 provide for
cooperation with the sttItes in pre-
paration of teacher of vocational
ubjects; and to appropriate money
and regulate its expenditure Space
limits a more detailed eSplanation of
the Act. bat this will be taken up at
a later date in these columns
Briefly, the work outlined for the
coming year consists of a course in
Live Stoek Production aud Manage
ment, Farm Shop Work n adj, mast i'm
por-znt Of all, Project Work. In the
course in Live Stock Proabctiou and
Management the judging. feeding,
marketing. care and management of
the various breeds of dairY and beef
catte will be tax. up. Work VIII al
so be given in sheep and nogs but,
naturally the most emphasis viii be
placed Upon beef cattle. Shop Work
will not only include the regular
manual training Eork but additional
work in the care af harness and har-
ness repair work rope work farm
machinery repair, and repair jobs
common 10 the rzslch- The yaiue of
Agricultural course TO the boy is
measured, largely by the success of
project work. He Is responsible for
the entire care and management of
some class of 1--we stock. He will
make the profits o. stand the loss and
il is up to him to make good He
viii be unier the supervision of the
! instructor and VIII benefit by the
suggestions of parents which may be
given him from tune to time but he
will be left largely to himself in work
I ing ont the problems which naturally
arise. The project, whether it be
raising half a dozen heifers, litter
of pigs or fiftee-I or twenty lambs