Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1924-12-21

structure. Both are valued at $4,000.
The district has two rural schools. one
at Val Vetdc and the other at LaBlanca.
Get school Aid
The Donna school is said to receive
more aid under the Smith-Hughes law
than any other school its size in the
United States. 1t maintains three de-
~partments under this act, vocational
home economies, agriculture and COM
mercial art. The school also has a fine
brass band formed this year.
Pau Cowcn, vocational agriculture
instructor, has an unusual contract
which allows him to give a part ofehis
time to the instruction of a class in
the school and the balance Of it TO the
community. He stresses the citrus cul>
turc, teaching diseases Of the fruit, their
prevention and cure in a night class and
he has organized among the farmers and
others interested. He urges citrus
planting and offers his services to any
one who calls on MIN, beng ready to
visit orchard, nursery or farm at any
time,
There arc a total Of 758 pupils en-
rolled in the system this year, an in
crease of 20 over the total enrolment Of
last year. The high school has a record
enrolment of 140 and the senior class
has 20 members, the largest in the his
tory of the school.
An unusual feature Of the system il
the administration building located on
the campus Of the grammar school. This
building houses the superintendent Of
flee. a rest and work room for the
teachers, a typewrit.ng and mimeo-
graphing department for the prepara-
ton of school publicity and forms; a
free text book storage room ard a room
in which general supplies are kept.
In speaking Of the work Of the sys-
TEN, Superintendent Bear said, 1T il
our belief that the many problems of
the pupil and teacher can be solved if
proper instruction is given in the pri-
mary grades and 10 this end we be
licve that the best trained teacher is
needed in this department. While we
nave maintained the high standard Of
our high school we nave been specialize
ing in primary work for we believe
proper instruction in the beginning VIII
help to solve the problem of keeping the
pupil in school until he graduates"
One way in which primary teaching
can be improved is by the use Of visual
instruction. Stpt. Bear believes, and
three stercopticans are used in this
work, along with a great variety Of
slides. The school owns several hundred
of these and uses a large number of
those supplied by the University OF
Texas.
The Donna school district is for
tunate in having a fine broad-minded
and liberal board Of trustees, Mr.. Bear
said, and this is largely responsible for
the progress that has been made"
Fine Irrigation System
The Donna Irrigation district, Hi
dalgo, No. l, owned and operated by the
landowners, covers $4,000 acres of land
according to L. A. Bauer. assessor and
collector. H. S. Ridgeway is manager
of the district. Thirty-four thousand.
acres of the land reached by the canals
and more han $50 miles of laterals
which comb the district are valued at
1872 900 and the pumping plants, in
GLIDING the one at the river and two
second lifts, are valued at $4,000. The
pumps have a capacity Of l75,6S0,OOO
gallons Of water for a 24-hour day. The
flat rate charge is $3.50 per acre and
$1.50 per watering.
: Flood damage has gads extensive