The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-11-13
STATE PIONEER
IN FARM WORK
Agricultural School Head
Lauds State for Re
search Work.
FIRST IN EDUCATION

Wisconsin was a pioneer
among states in agricultural education
and has maintained it's lead by ad-
vancing and developing some of the
most specialized features of this type
of education in the nation, Prof. H. L.
Russell, dean of the Wisconsin Col
lege of Agriculture, declared in sum-
mary of agricultural work.
Development Of system of expert
ment stations, the dairy school, the
long course in agricultural education,
the extension service and graduate
instruction were among the features
named by Dean Russell in which the
Badger state has taken advance steps.
wisconsin was the first to organize
new type of agricultural instruc-
tion," Dean Russell said. "Curiously
enough it was not proposed by agri-
cultural education of the university,
but by business men. Colonel Villas
and Judge Keyes, then regents of the
university, saw the necessity of de-
vising some type of agricultural edu-
cation that would meet the real needs
of the farmers of that time. The
agricultural work which was then I'M
der the auspices of the university was
confined to work of the experiment
station which was organized in 1881.
Had Many Obstacles.
SIN those days Wisconsin farmers
were struggling to master their fnan-
cial difficulties. In the seventies
chinch bugs and low prices for wheat
had plunged almost every farmer into
debt. Only here and there were just
beginning to pull out of their diff
culties. Their labor problem was
largely solved by the work of their
own families. II was, therefore, ex-
ceedingly difficult for the father to al
low his son to leave the farm for any
extended period sufficient to secure a
college education.
Colonel Villas was of the opinion
that course might be arranged which
would be given during the winter
months when farm work was slack
and which would be open to all farm
boys, regardless of their previous
scholastic qualifications. Such an
laudacious educational proposal flew in
the face OF academic traditions. Nc
university had ever had the temerity
to try such radical measure. Farm
ers were pathetic, of not positively
unsympathetic with an effort to give
academic instruction to their sons.
"In the winter of 1885 the short
course was first given to 10 young
men who registered by the twelve
weeks course. The next year less
number of students appeared for the
work. The growth of the course fol-
several years was relatively slow. The
newly developed knowledge acquired
in the experiment station was applied
wherever possible. Soon the short
course became so definitely establish
ed that it's influence throughout the
state in agricultural development be-
came recognized.
Probably threre is no single factor
in agricultural education which has
been fraught with as much Importance
to the development and improvement
of Wisconsin agriculture as has the
short course. More than 5000 stu
dents have taken this brief course OF
winter instruction By far the larger
number of these students have found
their way back directly on to Wiscon-
sin farms which, of course, is not the
case with the higher types of acad-
emic instruction.
''In order to disseminate the results
of the experimental endeavor in the
most rapid and efficient manner, the
Wisconsin Experiment association
was organized in 1901
Another new educational expert
ment which is to Wisconsin's credit
is the origin of vocational education
in the field of dairy manufacturers.
In 1890 the discovery of the Babcock
test was made. The cream separator
was just then coming into use.. The
first course, begun in the winter of
1890 had two students and the next
winter more than seventy.
Even before agricultural education
had gained any kind of foothold in
Wisconsin, efforts were made to
broaden the field of agricultural
knowledge through inquiry and re-
search. In 1881 an appropriation Of
$4,000 was made for investigation In
1883 the Wisconsin experiment station
was orginized by grant from the
legislature.
Wisconsin pioneered the way in
the development of system of itin-
Grant instructors through the medium
of the Farmers Institute. These
were started i'll 1885.
"The long course, agricultural ex-
tension service apd graduate study are
other features of agricultural educa-
ton in which Dean Russell said Wis
consin is foremost"