Rowan County Farm
Life School
The Rowan County Farm Life School has come to stay. The
school is now under the direct supervision of the U.S. Department of Vocational
Education in co-operation with the State and County Boards of Education. At the
recent session of the Legislature the following men were named as Trustees of
the school: A.M. Hanna, chairman; F.D. Patterson, secretary; P.A. Earnhardt,
assistant secretary; J.B. Linge, W.J. Swink, D.L. Neal, B.L. Phillips, J.S.
Hall, W.D. Graham, I.T. Bailey, I.C. Shaver, W.P. Sloop, C.A. Brown, C.M. Fisher,
Colonel A.H. Boyden.
While this is being written, workmen are assembling the
material for a splendid boys’ dormitory to be finished about the first of
October and which will be equal in every respect to the one already built for
girls. Both buildings will be equipped with steam heat, electric lights, and
baths with hot and cold water. The building when completed will be among the
best of their kind in the country. Each building will have three stories. The
first floor in each will be occupied by class rooms, laboratories, heating
plants, etc. The dining room and kitchen will be in the girls’ building. Each
building will have a reception room. The office and music room will be located
in the girls’ building. Each building will have an infirmary room.
The farm now has 50 acres, 30 acres having recently been
added. The farm consists of a well arranged barn and some modern machinery.
There are several head of livestock, including some registered Guernsey cattle
and Duroc hogs. Arrangement has been made for pure-bred poultry from the state
poultry farm and for several colonies of pure-bred Italian bees. Among other
things planned for the farm are several smaller buildings, including a modern
poultry house, a wood-working shop, a well equipped creamery and dairy room,
and a meat curing room.
The Home Economics Department is standard and up-to-date.
The sewing room is furnished with Singer machines and other equipment necessary
for the most efficient work. The equipment in the cooking laboratory is made
very complete. Additions will be made to these departments as the needs demand.
The High School work necessary for vocational students will
be done at the Farm Life School; thus it will not be necessary for our students
to go down for their work.
The work in Agriculture will embrace Crops and Soils, Animal
Husbandry including Poultry and Bee-keeping, Horticulture, and Farm Management
including Farm Accounting and Farm Engineering. Supervised practice will be
given great emphasis in this work. Each Agriculture student will be required to
take, either on his father’s farm or the school farm, some farm project under
the direction of the Agriculture teacher. This feature of the work has proved
very interesting and very practical.
The work in Home Economics will embrace Cooking, Canning and
Preserving, Sewing and Dress Making, Nursing and care of the sick, care and
feeding of infants, and sanitation and hygiene.
The expenses will be made as low as possible. Good wholesome
food will be provided and furnished at actual cost. There will be no tuition
charges.
Neither skill nor ability can be acquired from books alone.
Both require active participation in the productive operation of those
vocations, in which it is desired to become efficient. Books are necessary, but
practice is equally necessary for this reason, the vocational schools have been
called into existence. We are looking for young men and young women who are
eager for this sort of training and who will come here with a serious purpose
and an ambition to get the best preparation for their life’s work. We shall not
allow dancing, card playing, and other practices which tend to hinder the work
of the student. We shall insist on attendance at church and Sabbath School.
Clean, wholesome entertainment will be provided from time to time, and we shall
strive always to make the dormitories as nearly like the best regulated homes
as possible. Our faculty is made up of college trained men and women.
--O.B. Jones, Director,
China Grove, N.C.
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