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AGRICULTURE IN COUNTRY SCHOOLS
How Page County,
Iowa, Is Starting
The Work
By Jessie Field,
County Superintendent
One of the
best farming communities in the State, four thousand bright country boys
and girls, two hundred loyal and enthusiastic teachers, a large number of
progressive farmers, and Professor Holden and the rest of the splendid
extension department at Ames, have been the inspiration for the
agricultural work that has been done in the common schools of Page county.
The work began in March, 1907. Professor Holden was
present and in talking to the rural teachers suggested that it would be a
good plan for a few of the strongest and most successful teachers, who
were really interested in the work, to meet and make some definite plans
for work to be done that spring. These teachers were selected the
following week.
The teachers – fourteen in number – met with Professor
Holden the Saturday following the county rally. Professor Holden came in
with some cornstalks under his arm and spent several hours with the
teachers planning for work to be done. Corn was examined and the
germination test box explained. Before leaving everyone present had
caught from Professor Holden the spirit that is proud to be seen carrying
cornstalks. They took this spirit back to their schools. Seed corn tests
were most successfully carried out. Some school gardens were made. |
This fall the first work taken up was in regard to the
harvesting and storing of seed corn. On the basis of material furnished
by the extension department at Ames – enough circulars were sent to each
teacher to furnish every child with one to be taken home. It was
suggested to the teachers that they have each child go into his father’s
cornfield and pick the best ear of corn he could find and bring it to
school with him, where it should be labeled and hung up to dry in the
approved manner. After this was done Bulletin No. 77 on “The Selecting
and Preparing of Seed Corn” was sent to each teacher and the corn is being
carefully studied. Very often the first question that greets the county
superintendent at intermission is from some bright boy or girl who asks,
“Which ear is the best? We have been waiting to ask you.” Before
planting times each school will have a germination test, using this corn.
We
feel that we have made only a beginning, and can see far greater things to
be accomplished in the future. We have tried to make our beginning of the
kind that counts; to take up the work in a common sense, practical way; to
keep close to the ground and get some result from our work; and, above
all, to create a public sentiment that will appreciate the value and vital
importance of such work in the training of boys and girls. Already there
is a greater interest shown in the schools because these things are being
considered.
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