40 INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF VITICULTURE 



people demand and do their best to have an efficient school will attain it, 

 particularly if the patrons sympathize with the difficulties of the teachers 

 and help overcome them. 



The grape industry, like every other agricultural industry, depends more 

 for its success upon the mechanical, business and executive ability of the 

 man in charge than upon his knowledge of the purely technical phase of 

 the work. 



The Government experts are always at hand to give the theoretical 

 instruction, but the man himself must run his own machinery, keep his own 

 cost accounts and get the work out of his men. The great trouble in carrying 

 on all farm work is that the laborers are so indifferent to their work. They 

 need to be inspired with a desire to make the most of their time and labor. 

 They decidedly need training in efficiency. 



The mere introduction of viticulture itself into the high school curriculum 

 will not produce any result of value. The whole course of instruction must 

 be properly reorganized so as to bear as completely and intelligently as 

 possible upon the life and work of the people who use it. A properly worked 

 out course of viticulture in such a school will be of use to a community. 

 Instruction should be given in accounting and business life. Bookkeeping 

 and every day business transactions should be thoroughly given. Economy 

 and efficiency should be constantly emphasized. Good shop and manual 

 training courses should be given, finished off with a course in applied 

 mechanics, involving the use of gas and steam engines, and electric apparatus 

 and machinery. Every course in the high school should consider as much as 

 possible the problems of the people's lives. 



An elementary course in general science could use the grape to illustrate 

 much of its principles, so could botany, physical geography, chemistry and 

 physics. In most high schools it would not be advisable to introduce a course 

 in viticulture separate from other studies, mainly because of the jealousy of 

 farmers themselves and the resenting of a mere school man telling their sons 

 what to do, when the farmers know more about it than the teacher. 



But if the courses in general science, botany and physical geography will 

 use all the data they can that comes into the farmers' lives not only from 

 viticulture but from horticulture, animal industries and so on, the school will 

 aid the community very materially. 



While the individual farmer with the vineyard may laugh at the green 

 school man, the community at large needs training in its own industries. 

 Take the pruning of grape vines. Where is there a large vineyardist that 

 can get a reliable force of men to prune his vines? Every season it is a 

 recurring problem. Yet there is not a country high school that may not 

 either in botany or general science or in both subjects touch upon the subject 

 of pruning in general and that of grapes in particular. If such was done and 

 the farmers helped the green school man with a few kindly suggestions, 

 the community would have plenty of young men with a correct knowledge 

 of pruning, and then if the farmers required a knowledge of this from those 

 they hire, how quickly the course in pruning would be attended and in a few 

 years how efficient it would become. 



And so on in many other phases of the subject. 



Of course the school man must be a capable fellow. The misfits will 

 fail at first, while only the capable will succeed, but after such courses be- 



