l>age Two
THE CAROLINA UNION PARMER
[Thursday, November 21, 1912.
High School Agriculture
Good Work That Is Being Done at the Manassas (Va.)
Agricultural High School.
The Manassas Agricultural High
School came about as the result of an
act of the 1908 Legislature, which
gave an appropriation of 2,000 to es
tablish courses in agriculture, domes
tic science and manual training in
one high school in each of the ten
Congressional Districts. Manassas
was chosen because it had a well-es
tablished classicai high school to
serve as a nurse-plant on which to
graft the vocational scion. It was
also chosen because the people of
Manassas had made a vigorous,
though unsuccessful, effort to secure
a State Normal School. In other
words, the agricultural school was
placed here for reasons of educatonal
or political expediency; not because
the farmers asked for the school, or
promised it their support. If the
farmers were lukewarm, the towns
people were indifferent. They had
wanted a normal, but failing to get
that, they preferred a small appro
priation to none. Accordingly they
agreed to build a school building and
purchase land. This was in part by
subscription, but mostly by tax.
Nearly $20,000 was expended on a
new building and twelve acres of very
poor land, of which five acres are
used for experimental plats and the
remainder for lawns and play
grounds.
In order to teach the new subjects,
two teachers were employed in addi
tion to the three already in the high
school. One of the original staff pre
pared herself to teach domestic sci
ence, and a graduate of Cornell Uni
versity College of Agriculture was
put at the head of the school to teach
the agriculture.
The introduction of vocational sub
jects has had a remarkably good ef
fect on the whole school. There were,
at their introduction, about thirty pu
pils in high school; while now, four
years latfer, there are seventy-five
well-prepared and enthusiastic pupils.
While it is still a comparatively small
school, one must remember that this
is a thinly settled part of the State,
with bad roads, and country schools
which seldom run more than seven
months. It is interesting to observe
that the success of the vocational
subject has not been at the expense
of a well rounded and balanced course
of study. The students learn ot only
the elements of agriculture, domestic
science and manual training, but they
learn as much as in any other high
school of language, history, litera,ture
and ma*thematics. It is an illuminat
ing commentary to note that 90 per
cent of those completing the eighth
grade enter high school, and that
practically all of our graduates enter
college or go to normals.
The attitude of the patrons of the
school at the time of the introduction
of vocational subjects was, as I have
indicated, not very enthusiastic. This
did not take the form of hostility,
but as apathy, with some inclination
to ridicule the attempt. This was
refiected by the pupils, few of whom
cared to study the new subjects. The
present attitude is entirely changed.
Cordial sympathy, active support and
willing co-operation have replaced
the former indifference, while a sin
cere respect for scientific agriculture
has replaced the cheap ridicule of
•'book farming.” It is not easy to
explain or define a change of public
opinion. It cannot be weighed,
measured or counted, yet in this case
it is probably the greatest factor in
the success of the school. An indi
cation of this change may be found
in the number of people who come to
the school for expert advice on agri
cultural topics. During the first
year hardly a dozen people came
regularly to the school for aid. The
second year saw some improvement,
and now after four years there is sel
dom a day when several people do
not seek technical advice from the
director of the school. Some of the
topics most frequently presented
are; Milk and cream testing; test
ing cows for tuberculosis; spraying,
pruning and grafting trees; seeding;
Alfalfa; mixing fertilizers; and pre
paring balanced rations for live
stock. The reason for this may be
found in the fact that real scientific
agriculture invariably gives results.
The pure-bred cow gives more milk,
the balanced ration increases produc
tion and reduces the expense, the
sprayed tree bears the perfect fruit,
the limed and innoculated soii raises
Alfalfa, and so on.
At its opening the school was
handicapped by the lack of any or
ganization among the farmers with
which it might co-operate. To make
this more acute, a large proportion
of the farmers were new to the land
and strangers to each other, separat
ed by bad roads and belonging to a
multitude of religious sects. Under
these circumstances the formation of
some sort of an agricultural organi-
gation became imperative.
In November of the first year a
farmers’ institute was called at
which the late Dr. Seaman A. Knapp
spoke with his usual inspiration. A
month later a second was held, at
which steps were taken to make a
permanent organization. Speakers
from the United States Department
of Agriculture or the State Agricul
tural Department were secured and a
series of institutes held, which have
lasted four years and gone through
thirty meetings Realizing that it is
neither pleasant nor profitable for
men to be alone, the ladies were in
vited, and during the last year form
ed a woman’s auxiliary to the far
mers’ institute. Men and women
meet together in the morning and
listen to a speaker of general inter
est, but in the afternoon each group
meets by itself and discusses ques
tions of a' more technical nature. At
noon a lunch is served by the domes
tic science class, after which a social
hour follows, giving opportunity to
renew old acquaintances and form
new ones. In this way it has done
more to promote the social side of
the community than any other agen
cy. Some 2 50 people are members of
this organization and for the past
year the average attendance has
been well over 100. Besides the reg
ular meetings, three corn shows, a
poultry show, two four-day meetings
and a field demonstration of spraying
have been held.
There are many illustrations of
better farming and larger crops as a
direct result of the efforts of the
school and institute. Mr. S., living a
mile west of town, raised the best
ten-acre field of grass in the county
by strictly following directions given
him. His farm was notably poor and
had not raised a good crop of grass
in the memory of living men. Mr. R.
harvested twelve bushels of sweet
cherries from a tree on which they
had hitherto rotted before ripening,
by spraying with self-cooked lime
and siilphur. Mr, H, was induced to
discard deep cultivation of corn, and
despite the severe drought of 1911,
he won the prize for the best ten
ears of white corn. Mr. C. and oth
ers are successfully raising Alfalfa.
His neighbor, Mr. B., changed his ra
tion for cows, making it conform to
the feeding standards, with the re
sult that the cost was reduced and
the flow of milk increased. Four
teen dairy herds have cleared them
selves of tuberculosis by the aid of
the school, all of whom had for years
resisted the efforts of the district
board of health to compel a test.
I could name a hundred other spe
cific instances; in fact, so common
have better farm practices become
that the remark was made by one of
the best farmers, ‘‘Had the drought
of 1911 come ten years ago it would
have brought ruin to the country;
but the practice of deep plowing,
shallow cultivation and more humus
has been so industriously taught by
the school and farmers’ institute
that a fair crop was made without
rain” This better farming has, of
course, been reflected in the higher
price of real estate. In the four
years since the school was establish
ed the price of real estate has ad
vanced at least 30 per cent and some
farms have doubled in value. It is
not easy to give specific instances of
rise in real estate, because men who
are making good on their farms do
not sell.
We have no regular transportation
of pupils from the rural schools, as
the impassible winter roads and the
objections of the people have proved
to be as yet insurmountable obsta
cles, However, some twenty pupils
do come in their own conveyances,
and as many more board in the vil
lage.
The demonstration work of the
United States Department of Agricul
ture has been organized in this coun
ty but a few weeks and its relations
to the school are simply those of
friendly co-operation. The director
of the school has acted as secretary
of the farmers’ institute and has act
ually done all of the extension and
demonstration work in the county.
A Boys’ Corn Club has been in
successful operation for three years.
A Girls’ Tomato Canning Club has
forty members, while eighteen boys
are raising competitive acres of corn.
Some of this work will probably de
volve upon the county demonstration
agent, but thus far it has been done
by the director of the school on his
own initiative and solely for the pur
pose of making the school of the ut
most value to the community and
with the agricultural high school as
the social and intellectual center of
community life, develop an ideal ru
ral life.—H. F. Button, in The Rural
New-Yorker,
OO.OPERATI\ia ENTERPRISES.
Dear Brethren:—I want to add my
aproval to the timely suggestions of
Brother Green and President Alexan
der along the lines of Business Co
operation. We need a general revival
and awakening along this line of
union work. While we have quite a
number of business co-operative en
terprises already established, we
should have many more. There
should be at least one in each coun
ty, owned and operated by the Far
mers’ Union, warehouses for storing
cotton have proven quite a help in
handling this year’s cotton crop.
Several thousand dollars have been
saved through our local warehouse
arrangements. This has enabled our
cotton farmers to keep their cotton
from going upon a crowded market,
thereby helping to hold up prices.
Manufacturers and cotton buyers are
paying higher prices for cotton stor
ed in warehouses than when sold on
the open market. Other union co-op
erative enterprises, such as stores,
ginneries, oil mills, factories, mills,
etc., should be encouraged by the
union, supported and patronized by
its members.
Yours fraternally,
J. R. RIVES.
Sanford, Nov. 18, 1912.
When writing advertisers, please
mention this paper.
Classified
Advertisements
Advertisements will be inserted in this
column at the rate of '2 cents per word for
each insertion. Minimum charge, 25 cents.
Advertisements of Local and County Unions
(not individual members) will be inserted
free, provided seal is on all opy furnished.
FOB SALE.—Everything a farmer needs
to feed himself or his stock. Write for price
list.—RICHMOND GRAIN & PROV. CO.,
Richmond, Va.
Frost-Proof Cabbage Plants
From seed grown by the ORIGINATORS of
the Jersey and Charleston strain—the best ob
tainable. Price list and cultivation sugges
tions free. Send $1.25 for 1,000, $3.25 for 3,000.
Special prices in lots to Farmers Unions.
Agents wanted.
WAKEFIELD FARMS. Charlotte, N. C.
I AM Selling Cheap to Farmers
^ Union Members.
I can save you money on watches, clocks,
watch chains, lockets, uracelets, rings, emblem
pins and every kind of jewelry. I will mail,
post paid, a Union Emblem Pin for 6 cents Be
sure and write for catalogue and save money.
WILL C. WALKER, Bntler, Tenn.
Bookkeeping; Banking,
LEARN Penmanship, Short-
hand. Touch typewrit
ing and allied subjects
at Kings’ Business College. King’s is recogniz
ed as the most complete, thorough, influential
and successful business college in North Caro
lina. Great demand for KING graduates. Posi
tions guaranteed. Write for catalog.
KING'S BUSINESS COLLEGE.
Raleigh. N. C. or Charlotte. N C.
FOR SALE.
Lewis’ Upland Long Staple Cotton
Seed (staple selling now for 18 cents a
pound) at $1.50 bushel.
Tamworth Swine, all sizes, at reason
able prices.
Registered Cockerels and Pullets from
my prize-winnin^ens. Leghorns, Black
Langshans and Rose Comb Black Mi-
norcos.
Write me your wants, brother farm
ers. I can please you.
G. H. LOGAN,
Route 5 King’s Mountain, N. C.
[Nov 14]
KITSELMAN FENCE
We make you
the same price
we would make
the Dealer or
Jobber That
is why we can
save you money.
Look at these
very low prices.
1 CENTS A ROD
2 for 18-ill. hog fence.
22^c. a rod for 47-in. farm fence.
24)^0 a rodfor 60-in. ponitryfence.
$1.40 for 80 rod spool of Ideal
Barbed Wire. Large free Catalog showing 100
styles of Farm, Poultry and Lawn Fence.
KITSELMAN BROS. Box 13 Munol*,lnd
Farmers SonsWanted:^?..^!
stock and fair education to work !n an office; $80 e mooth
with adraRceraent, steady employmeot, must be honest and re
liable. Branch offices of the association are being established
In each state. Apply atonce.giringfiiU particulars. The Vel*
erinary Selene* Aeeeelatlen, Dept. ZZ, Leaden. Caaada.
tJolly &. Wynne
aJewelry Co.
Everything in Jewelry.
128 Fayettville St., Raleigh, N. C.
Prompt attention given'to Mail Orders.
Pure Seed iiapie’c’o.ti’n””.'?
^ per bushel in lots
of five or more bushels.
H Q. ALEXANDER, Matthews, N. C.
Igotem! Uneedem!
Three Jersey bulls, 18 months
old, ready for service. Out of
full blooded Jersey cows, sired by
registered bull. $20 each. To
prevent inbreeding will sell regi
stered bull, four years old next
spring, for $50. A Scotch Collie
that I no longer need, three years
old, a good mother, $5.
All stock f. 0. b. Matthews, N. C.
H. Q. ALEXANDER
IVfatthe'ws, N. C*