The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1922-02-02
Vocational Agriculture
IN Montana By M. j. Abbey
LII COSlIOA State Supervisor

The thought that is uppermost in
the minds of the taxpayers of Mon
tana at the present time is, How can
they be relieved from the present
burdens of taxation?" Every acti-
witty of town, city, county, and state
is being carefully scrutinized with a
view of eliminating the unessential.
During the past decade we have moy-
ed at a rapid pace. At such a pace
in our school system, local and state
governments that the revenue avail
able for this rapid pace has not been
able to keep up. A cutting down,
consolidating and elimination pro-
cess is necessary. Where to begin
Us the question that confronts those
THAT are placed in authority.
Four years ago there was passed
by congress what is known as the
Smith-Hughes or Vocational act. The
purpose Of this act was to establish
a system of vocational education in
the various states which would fit
for useful employment on the farm,
in the home, and in the shop and fac
tory. The particular phase of this
act in which we are interested is that
part which pertains to agriculture.
We have no quarrel with those
persons who believe that our high
schools should give all their atten-
ton to fitting young men and women
for college or the so-called cultural
careers. We do believe that a school
supported by public funds should Of
fer courses that fit directly for a line
of work that a young man will take
up at the end of a two or four years
high school course. We give all credit
to such subjects as algebra, geome-
try, foreign language, and the many
different varieties of history, science,
and literature.
Every young man and woman
should have a knowledge of these
subjects but should they not have a
knowledge of the fundamentals upon
which a livelihood depends? A very
small percentage of the young peo-I
pie who enter a high school ever
COIuplCIS d IOQI gcdl . COulSt. n |
still smaller percentage take a col
lege course. Suppose a young man
takes two years of high school work
and goes back to the farm, what has
he gotten that will make him a bet
ter farmer? What does he know
about the crops that are best adapted
to Montana and how to grow them,
how to feed and breed animals, how
market his produce, how to pur-
how to repair and make the
articles needed on his farm? His
brain has been trained to function
along a different line. The thoughts
in this article are for two
of people: those who believe
hat agricultural instruction of the
vocational type has no place in our
high school system and those who .
lave not given the matter sufficient !
attention to warrant their demanding :
If their local school officials that !
work be given in the high school that /
its for the farm. ;
First let us consider what vocation |
u agriculture really is. 1t is not :
ext book agriculture, it is not the !
tudy of theories, it is not the study ,,
# agriculture in the east or middle l
vest, it is not an ordinary high school 1
ubject. The book studied is the
ctual farming conditions and prac- :
ices in the community. If a student !
) in animal husbandry he spends not y
sss than two hours a day either in u
on field trips, or in the p
lassroom studying those phases of b
he subject which will improve the n
vestock industry in Montana.
The same is true in the study of o
rops. What crops can be successful {
z grown in Montana and what are b
he best practices of growing these Il
In the shop work he makes "
agon boxes, feeders, jacks, ladders,
to repair farm machinery and S
lie common blacksmith practices. He t.