68 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



provided for country training schools for country school teachers; a. 

 training to some extent along agricultural lines— they have six of these. 

 Two years later the sentiment was so strong, a bill was introduced and 

 passed for the country agricultural schools and they have two of these. 

 They have seven state normal schools; six country training schools 

 for teachers; two country agricultural schools and a requirement that 

 every teacher who teaches in Wisconsin shall pass an examination in 

 agriculture science. Just how much of this is attributed to short courses 

 I do not know, but a very large amount of it is. All that is necessary 

 is a creation of public sentiment in favor of the short course. 



In Michigan, the agricultural schools take boys from the rural schools 

 completing the 8th grade. As a result of that some very very strong, 

 men have been sent out, men who would have been lost to agriculture 

 had they gone through a high school course before going to an agri- 

 cultural college. High schools often lead boys away from the agricultural 

 schools rather than to them. This letter I have read was from Prof. 

 Henry telling how averse he was at first to short courses, but you see 

 the result. 



But if I understand it. it is done right here today, only it does not 

 appear in print. These 102 scholarships at the request of the Illinois- 

 State Farmer's Institute may be filled by boys who have completed 8th 

 grade work, and, in some cases, who have not merely completed 8th, 

 but have come here and may come here by and by when completed 5th 

 grade work. If they can come here and do such work, let me tell it, 

 and give me some printed matter that will help the boys to understand 

 this and bring the boys in here. 



We used to teach, or some people did, that a school must not special- 

 ize until through high school and college and then specialize. How 

 many would be helped in schools of specialization if that was the rule? 

 In the 2nd grade only 91 get to the 3rd grade; 78 to the 4th grade; 71 

 to the 5th grade; only 37 to the 7th grade; only 26 to the 8th grade, and 

 only 12 to the high school, and only 1 in 30 goes to college. If you can't 

 specialize until after you go through college, what will you do with the- 

 99 who can't go to college? Circumstances will not permit some boys 

 to go there, and he ought to have some chances to do his special work. 



