FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 455 



expenses, providing they did not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars. 

 This plan was so successful the State increased its apportionment to four 

 thousand dollars. Wisconsin now has two well equipped county schools, 

 giving excellent instruction in Agriculture, Manual Training and the Science 

 of Teaching. At Menominie the school includes Agriculture and Manual 

 Training, while at Wausau a course in Agriculture and Science of Teaching 

 is given . 



These schools were built and equipped at an expense of twenty thousand 

 dollars and sixteen thousand, respectively. (It might be well to state that a 

 considerable amount was donated by private parties.) The annual running 

 expense is about six thousand dollars. Of this amount the State pays four 

 thousand dollars. Thus we can see that the county has an excellent school at 

 a total expense of two thousand dollars. The taxes of Dunn county, have not 

 been noticeably aflfected. The taxable property is about ten and one-half 

 millions of dollars. "Any person assessed one hundred dollars would pay 

 almost two cents toward support of the school. An assessment of one thou- 

 sand dollars would increase the taxes less than twenty cents." At a glance 

 we can see that the annual cost to individual taxpayers is almost nothing. 



In each school the tuition is free to all residents of the county. Those 

 outside pay ten dollars per year. The cost of living for students at Menomi- 

 nie is about three dollars per week but they may board themselves for two 

 dollars per week and even less. Since the school is located near the center 

 of the county, many pupils are able to attend school with much less expense 

 as they receive many things from home. Any average ambitious boy can 

 make his way through one of these schools. For a term of twelve weeks, his 

 minimum expense would be fifteen dollars. This amount he could earn 

 during the term, allowing vacations for laying up a small reserve. 



In most town schools certain requirements are demanded for entering the 

 high school. This is necessary for the child's welfare. The requirements 

 for entrance to the County Agricultural School are only such as will enable 

 him to carry on his work successfully. Any pupil can gain admission even 

 though he may not have finished the rural work. The common branches 

 are reviewed, giving him a business training especially for his work. He 

 would on completing his course know little about Latin or Geometry but 

 could build a corner cupboard, make his mother a clothes reel or do, reason- 

 ably well, a job of blacksmithing. 



The school at Menominie is steadily growing in numbers, influence and 

 efficiency. It is becoming more popular not only with the farmers but with 

 the general public. Each year they hold farmers institutes in various parts 

 of the county discussing carefully such subjects as you have here but to bet- 

 ter advantage. The teachers know the soils, the climatic influences, the 

 dairying conditions and can give more accurate information. 



Their experiments are made under conditions found at the farm, thus 

 making them more valuable. They even make the experiments for the 

 farmers such as testing milk, thereby the farmers are enabled to cull their 

 herds of low grade milch cows. Seed corn is tested, soils analyzed and 

 many other valuable helps that could not be obtained in a general way. The 

 whole community is aroused to intense interest in industrial education and 

 their school is famous throughout the United States. The farmers' children 

 receive training in cooking, sewing, millinery, laundering, hygiene, home 



