NEW YORK :&o*l) Ww STATE SCHOOLS OF AGRICULTURE Alfred Canton Cobleskill Delhi Farmingdale Morrisville New York State has 215,000 farms THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK ALBANY :: :: :: :: 1920 ' LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: MAR31192T* 1 DQCUM£i\T£; u k olON S 6 K* 4° INTRODUCTION Agriculture is the oldest business in the world. It is an occu- pation centering around a permanent home. Throughout all history the farmers of the land have furnished the foundation stock of all nations and have been the basis of that land-owning, home-loving people who give to any nation its love of country and its patriotism. There is born in every people the desire for the ownership of land and the yearning for a permanent home upon the land. The farmer has always occupied a position of importance as a conservative and sane element of American civilization. He has fed cities not only with food and raw material but has furnished the young men and the young women who have become our leaders in the professions, in industry, in commerce and in government. The American farmer never has occupied in society the place of the European peasant but instead has always been the land-owner with mental, physical and moral fitness above the average of the commonwealth. Yet the importance of the farmer in our past history and in our present society is probably nowhere near so great as will be his importance in the future state. In the words of Dr Liberty Hyde Bailey, " The past generation was known by the dominance of the corporate and capitalistic interests. The present genera- tion is known by the emergence of labor organizations. The next generation is to belong to the farmer." In any contest between capital and labor farmers are the balance wheel which stabilizes society. That the farmer of the future shall have an efficient training in practical and scientific agriculture and in those things which make for the best citizenship is of paramount importance not only to the individual farmer but to the whole American people. In recognition of this great public responsibility the State of New York has established, as one of the agencies for pro- moting agricultural education below college grade, the state- supported and state-controlled schools of agriculture. Interest in sheep raising has recently revived in New York State [4] AGRICULTURE AS A BUSINESS Agriculture with its 6,000,000 farms and approximately 30,000,000 dwellers is by far the most important vocation of our Nation. As an industry agriculture offers wide variety in the types which one may choose to follow. If a person likes horticulture, he may feel that it is no insignificant business, since the fruits of the orchard are annually worth $140,000,000. Cotton may be king but the insignificant hen has made the poultry Improved machinery is rapidly supplanting hand labor industry yield each year more than $200,000,000. One may be proud to belong to the great mass of dairy farmers who have made their business add yearly to the worth of the Nation over $600,000,000 or to the great group of crop farmers who have produced over $5,500,000,000 annually. New York State with over 1 0,000,000 people furnishes more than one-tenth of the entire population of the Nation as customers for its 215,000 farmers. No other business is so sure of a con- tinued demand for its products. [5] A state school barn The farm, unlike most other businesses, furnishes a home and a large part of the family maintenance. This is a big factor in deciding upon one's life work. It makes the seem- ing modest income of the farmer equivalent to a much larger city salary. The farm not only furnishes a home but it also furnishes a job. The city man even if he is fortunate enough to own a home is in a sorry way if he does not have a job. Unfortunately, many a city employee at middle age is obliged to look forward to the dreaded day when he will be replaced by a young man. The farmer with his live stock and broad acres about him has a job which promises him livelihood and con- tentment in his old age. Successful business takes a long look ahead. The prospects of the business of farming are bright. As the farmer advances from the hoe age to the machine age it becomes necessary for him to study agriculture as a business, for agriculture is a business as complex and needing as much mental training as manufacturing and as much hand skill as mechanics. Either in school or by long expensive experience the man who is to be the successful farmer of the future must learn how to produce at the lowest cost, sell at the highest profit and invest his proceeds as a skilled business man. This involves mastery of the details of control of plant and animal growth, a knowledge of markets and distribution and a familiarity with the principles of farm management and business cooperation. These things can be learned effect- ively and economically in the state schools of agriculture whose business it is to train young men and young women to become efficient members of the country community. [61 OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURE The opportunities presented to the young man or woman today in agriculture are largely controlled by the old economic law of supply and demand. The supply of trained men and women is not keeping pace with the demand, a fact which emphasizes the value of the special school training. From a study of the positions filled by the graduates of one of the oldest agricultural vocational schools of the State, the following results were obtained: 37 per cent, by far the largest number, are general farmers ; 1 3 per cent are dairymen operating their own farms and doing much to establish better standards and methods in their business; third in order come farm superin- tendents and managers; following closely we find herdsmen, fruit and truck farmers. Milk chemists and testers and cattle breeders have attracted almost equal numbers. The remainder of the list includes men engaged as teachers of agriculture, poultry farmers, milk plant superintendents, milk dealers, cattle dealers, landscape gardeners and nurserymen. To the man who is already on the farm the results speak fo; themselves and the opportunities are clear. The special agri- cultural schools are finding a larger number of students each year drawn directly from farm homes. The additional instruc- tion in agriculture either as a short course or for the full course which they can secure without interrupting seriously the chief farming operations of the spring, summer and early fall, is prov- ing its value in the increased improvement and profits of their business. Students judging dairy cattle [7] There are excellent opportunities in fruit growing in New York State For those who are considering agricultural vocations and who are not fully informed as to the attractive and varied opportunities presented by our great State of New York, a more definite and localized discussion will perhaps prove of value. The dairy industry of the State ranks first in importance, not only from the standpoint of high-grade milk production so neces- sary for the very existence of our great cities but also in terms of the value of dairy products including butter, cheese, whole milk and the various manufactured forms of milk. New York State possesses some of the finest dairy herds in the world and the prices paid at the great cattle sales for pure-bred stock prove that careful breeding is also a profitable source of income. Poultry prices have reached an entirely new high-water mark during the last few years. With express trains of eggs being shipped into the State from California during the winter months there is a wonderful opportunity for the poultry specialists in New York State at the very threshold of the great markets. Better care of farm flocks, rigorous culling and scientific breeding for utility, along with careful grading and packing of the products should add millions to the profits of the farmers who have been trained to do these things. [8] Along the Ontario shore and in the lower Hudson river valley there are two wonderful fruit belts. For productiveness and quality these sections have no rivals, and with the great cities of the State and in fact of the whole North Atlantic seaboard as their markets, the possibilities are unequalled. With more effective organization and higher standards of marketing this branch of the agricultural business is destined to become a still greater industry. Students learning to prune trees Around New York City truck farming flourishes and this locality provides some of the best markets in the world. Long Island products are famous, the yields enormous and while usually such intensive farming represents a large capital, investment and high production costs, the returns maintain a high average. This leads us to the general farmer whose business is the back- bone of the agricultural industry of the State. With ample acres to feed his stock, using the manure to maintain his soil, increasing his crop yields year by year, making wise investments in labor-saving machinery — no matter what stress or strain may come to the nation his living and a well-earned profit are assured. For such business opportunities the state schools of agriculture are providing every training today. [91 LIFE ON THE FARM Life in the open country has a strong appeal. Living is practically assured to the farmer regardless of general business depressions or panics. His investment in land and buildings is comparatively safe. He is sure of enough to eat and to wear. Aside from economic considerations, however, farm life has many other advantages. The farmer is his own boss in a stricter sense than is a worker or manager in most other occupations. In most cases he is the sole owner of the enterprise. The extent of his possessions and the fact that he produces much of his sustenance gives him an exceptional feeling of independence. Farm work, though pressing at times, is not monotonous because of the great variety of things to be done. Seasonal work through seed time and harvest, work with different machines and the care of animals are constantly bringing stimulating problems to the farmer's mind. The thoughtful farmer experiences joy in manipulating the forces of nature to productive ends. The welfare of American homes is of vital importance to the American people. The home fulfils its highest functions and A state school of agriculture showing some of the buildings and a portion of the farm 10] reaches its finest culmination as a training camp of boys and girls. On the farm we have the fields, the woods, the streams at our door, fresh air in plenty, the best of food and everywhere a wholesome contact with nature and with living and growing things. Opportunity for development of responsibility and initiative is essential to the training of the child. Many such opportunities are found on the farm in the projects which boys and girls under- take. It may be the raising of a calf, growing a garden or a crop, caring for a flock of chickens, building a hand sled or trapping a rabbit which taxes the child's ingenuity and resource- fulness. Even the things which are the joy of city people are available also to people of the country. Telephones, rural mail delivery, automobiles, good roads make the farm no longer an isolated place. At the same time there exists in the country that generous neighborhood spirit which is so quick to respond in case of trouble or misfortune. The state schools of agriculture are located in the open country. The faculties are composed of men who have been bred on the farm and who have the farmers' viewpoint. The instruc- tion embraces the farm home and the welfare of the country community. An extensive poultry plant is operated at each school 1111 PREPARATION FOR SUCCESSFUL FARMING Boys are trained to do repair work on the farm Few persons question the necessity for thorough prepara- tion if the highest measure of success is to be attained in the field of agriculture. The good farmer is both a skilled work- man and a careful student, a man of business and a scientist. No other calling in life requires so wide a range of qualities and talents or so high an average standard of proficiency as does twentieth century agriculture. Preparation for farming should take two forms, actual experience and practice on the farm and adequate school training. In this way achievement is attained in other lines of endeavor and agriculture is no exception to the general rule. Every community boasts its successful farmers, men who are self-made and who have won their present positions through years of toil and effort. There is no substitute for work and for that discipline of mind and body which comes in no other way. But these same men who have traveled the hard road of experience are the first to state that they could have been more successful younger in life and with greater ease if the opportunity for sup- plementary school training had been open to them. The best investment that men can make is an investment in education. Once really ac- quired it can not be lost or stolen. It yields constantly in- creasing dividends from year to year in terms of money and in the higher terms of wider use- fulness and finer service. Men never regret time spent in ac- §M ipi i £sp tl;1S{&& i 11'-—^ -4 l"HJ III Making a germination test of seed corn 2] quiring an education. They regret only that which they could not have or which they shunned when the opportunity was at their door. Education enables one to capitalize the accumulated experience of other men and other times. Life is too short for each to begin at the beginning and work out for himself what other men have already established. All human progress is conditioned upon the principle that each generation builds upon the accomplishments of preceding generations, applying the lessons of the past to the problems of its own time. This is the essence of education. It is the only justification which agricultural education or education for any purpose requires. Operating incubators Actual figures to establish the value of school training for farmers are not lacking. Records from Tompkins county, New York, have shown that on the average a high school education for farmers is worth over district school training the annual return on an investment of $7000 in Victory bonds. The same records establish that education beyond the high school, as business school, normal school or college, etc., is worth for farming pur- [13] poses the annual income on an additional investment of $5000 in the same securities. In Schoharie county, New York, in 1916, farmers with more than a common school education earned an average annual income 66 per cent greater than farmers who had gone no further than district school. In Otsego county in 1915 the difference was 82 per cent. It takes a very short time to pay for additional education according to these figures, and the increased earning power continues throughout life. Agricultural education is so young that few figures are avail- able on its specific value for farming purposes. Sufficient con- crete examples of its value are found in every community, how- ever, to indicate that the farmer of the future will possess not only good general school training but training in agriculture as well. It surely is reasonable to assume that if education which possesses no direct application or adaptation to agriculture is worth while if one desires to farm, then training designed to meet the needs of country life will pay immeasurably better. Education is the hope of the world. It is the hope of agri- culture. Experience and practice are indispensable, training in school is invaluable, but the man who goes highest and farthest in the open country is he who has combined the two. This is the purpose of the state schools of agriculture, to pro- vide sound educational training at the schools themselves and sound practice on the school farms and on other successful farms. Eliminating the boarder cow by means of the Babcock test [141 NEW YORK STATE HAS 215,000 FARMS Each of the state schools of agriculture owns and operates a farm. This is used for growing the crops and fruits adapted to the region and for maintaining the school herd. It is also used for class field trips as a source of laboratory material and to provide practical training in farm operations. DAIRIES New York State has 1,500,000 cows. The prosperity of New York State agriculture has always depended largely upon its herds and flocks. Today the State is a recognized center for the breeding of pure-bred and high-grade dairy cattle. The state schools of agriculture maintain excellent herds of the leading dairy breeds. These herds provide material for classes in stock judging, feeding, breeding, and live stock manage- ment. The milk is used for practice in testing milk and cream, in the handling of market milk and in the making of butter and cheese. POULTRY New York State has 10,679,000 fowls and produces 67,689,000 dozen eggs annually. The State is next door to the greatest poultry markets of the Nation. The state schools of agriculture by means of their flocks, buildings and equipment provide a thorough training in this field. Students care for the fowls, incubate the eggs, and rear the young chicks. FRUIT New York State has 24,989,000 fruit trees. New York orchards and vineyards are one of the glories of the Empire State. The state schools offer instruction in fruit growing that is commensurate with the importance of the industry. Work in vegetable gardening is also offered at each school. [151 z '5. (0 «3 J5 16] SUPERVISED PRACTICE ON PRACTICAL FARMS Each student is in school from about October 1st until April 1 st. From April 1 st until October 1 st the student is required to work on a practical farm doing regular farm work. The farm must be approved by the school. During this summer work the student is under the supervision of the school faculty. He keeps daily records of the farm opera- tions, makes a study of the methods employed, keeps a record of market conditions and makes special studies which are planned so as to correlate in the best possible manner the skills and methods of farm work under practical conditions with the technical or scientific work of the classroom and laboratory. Through close contact with farmers in all parts of the State the schools are able to place students with the more successful farmers who are employing the best methods and conducting their business in a scientific and practical manner. Students who come from farms spend one summer on the home farm and if possible spend at least one summer on a farm in a different region and with a different type of farming. Many students are able in these summer months to earn enough money to pay their entire expenses through the next winter at school. n ^ • >. 00 < sJ" o o _c u era en o [18] GENERAL INFORMATION Courses of Study Regular course of three years with opportunity to secure training in General agriculture Animal husbandry and dairying Fruit growing and vegetable gardening Poultry husbandry Six months of each year is spent at school. Six months during growing season is spent on good farms under school supervision. Entrance Requirements Age — not less than 1 6 years. Education — completion of the eighth grade. Credit is given for high school work which duplicates any of the required work of the school. The average student at entrance is 19 years of age and has had two and one-half years of high school work. Expenses Tuition is free. The cost of books should not exceed $10 a term. Board costs from $5 to $8 a week. Rooms cost from $1 to $2 a week. A student should be able to earn enough money while on the six months' supervised practice during the summer to pay his expenses for the following six months in school. A short course of 8 to 12 weeks is given each winter for those who can not remain longer, with no entrance requirements except a minimum age of 1 6 years and ability to read and write. [19] For more detailed information in regard to any school, apply directly to school for catalog. A ddr esses Director, New York State School of Agriculture, Alfred, N. Y. Director, New York State School of Agriculture, Canton, N. Y. Director, New York State School of Agriculture, Cobleskill, N. Y. Director, New York State School of Agriculture, Delhi, N. Y. Director, State Institute of Applied Agriculture, Farmingdale, N. Y. Director, New York State School of Agriculture, Morrisville, N. Y. *\ © * kCJ li&a L#l :j * Pjvj5|fl «Tj [20] School athletics are under competent supervision [21] [23]