VOL. LXII<
1NDTANAPOLIS, JANUARY 12, 1907
NO. 2
Proposed   School Laws  and What
They   Would Mean.
Editors Indian/* Varmer:
We have claimed all through the discussion of the school question that it is a
business proposition, and that many of
the laws for its administration are unjust.
These statements are now verified by the
fact that all engaged in the service are on
a strike for more pay, or are urging those
measures on    the    ground	
tliat the labor imposed
on them by the laws is
worth more money than
they now get.
The question is now at
issue and we ask who
were baok of some of our
present school laws? We
answer by saying some
of the same combination
that are now advocating
some of the proposed
school legislation.
We wish to call attention to some of the proposed laws of the State
Board of Education, namely: Laws to increase
length of scnool term; to
extend centralization of
the rural schools; to raise
salaries of teachers; to
add manual training, domestic science, and agriculture to the common
school course and the enactment of a new text
took law.
What would these laws
as a whole mean?      They
would   mean  an    increase
of taxes,  a  loss on much
of  our    school     property,
the purchase and  building
of   other    property;    they
would  mean the  purchase
of hacks    and the'  hiring
of  men   and   teams;   they
would mean an uneven development  of  the   county,
a great loss in the value
of   those  lands   more    remotely     situated;        they
mean to   deprive    parents _———-—-_____
of the aid  of  their child-
ren, mornings aud evenings; they mean fnr
you  to  hand   your   children   over  to  the
state for eight months of the year; thus
placing them in the same line as those of
the Reform School; they mean a check to
the child for freedom of thought and action which develop a strong individuality;
they mean the destruction of those environments best adapted for the development
of those broad-minded, intelligent, healthy
and   honest   boys   and girls,    the State's
future citizens;  and  parents  of the next
generations. They mean the wiping out of
those  rural  communities  which  surround
the  district  school,  and  also   the  State's
most valuable    ealucational    institution—
the district school; they mean additional
studies to the exclusion of the fundamental
ones and the purchase of more text books.
Laws like these mean more; they mean
that there is no limit to the power of the
State over the rights of its citizens, when
demanded in the name of education; in
short these laws would mean a complete
revolution of our whole social system.
Irr the light of the above, and as ground
for still insisting that the common school
institution, which all will agree is a State
institution, should have at its head good
business men, we submit without comment
the conclusion of the State Board's recom
mendation. They say, "these suggestions grow out of experience and obser-
vation; Ihey embody no changes of a radical character, and none which has not the
general   approval  of  the  public. The
Board of Education believes that conservative legislation all of the above lines
would contribute towards substantial educational progress in the State, and it advises all persons interested in the public
NKW ALFALFA
What is believed to be a discovery that
will be an epoch in the agriculture of the
rorthwcsipi'n prairie regiona of this country, has been maale lay the Department's
explorer, Prof. N. E. Hansen, of the
South Dakota Agricultural Experiment
Station, of a Siberian alfalfa, an excellent forage plaut with yellow instead of
the  usual   blue  tiowers. This  plant  is
Percheron Stallion Mulot 5403, Importe-*  '
schools to give these matters consider;-  loa
and support.
We suggest to our representative •
only to carefully "consider these proi d
laws," but investigate some of the existing school laws and some of the evil results that grow out of them. For the
benefit of those who have to bear the burden of maintaining this institution, will
some member of this board please define
this so-called "common school system." If
not, if the institution has a head, will you
please give a description of it and its
fuuc*' i? We say we do not have a
systei.i of common schools and never can
have under the present management, and
the sooner the public in general is made
aware of this important fact the better it
will be for all concerned, and for the
cause of education. This school question
is a question of public policy. It is one
in which various interests are at stake
and none are greater than the rights of
the individual citizen and the family. The
tax payers, or employers, want this question settled on right principles, and then
those who are engaged in the service will
have time to devote their energies to promoting the end or purpose of the shool.
Ben Stuart.
Geo. M. Sonera .*c Sam, 'Warren, Ind.
native aaf the dry steppes of Siberia, where
the mercury sometimes freezes without
■now. It is said that the plant aan
withstand a temperature aaf alaaaiit 40 decreet) below aero, with naa protection. I'r.
Hansen is making a stualy aaf tiia> plant
with i view t.a its cnltivation in thia coon-
try, and has sent the Department quantities  "i   (be s 1  which  will  lae given    a
thorough trial at an early date. It will
supi lament durum wheat in a rotative system, nnd avoid the necessity of rammer
fallowing. Arahiau alfalfa is being
grown lu California and the Southwestern
Stata s but on account of its lack of Hardiness is ununited to the collier parts of tli"
country. A apecle* of vetch called the
Tangier pea, has proved snperiaar ta. all
others in California In its luxuriance of
growth, having yielded as high as nine
tame of green food per ncre. On account
of its great amount of herbage it effectually eliaakes ont weeds. A large quantity
of this seeal is being selected and tested,
with a view to its introduction next season.
It is understood that the Stanalaral Oil
Company is making an attempt to gain
control of the denaturized alcohol output
of the various distilleries in our State.
Care in Grading and Planting Seed
Corn.
Editors Inallana Fi-rnui:
As tlia* air is getting thick with seed
corn talk, 1 will give a bit of experience in
grading and (helling .-..rn, anal the result.
If, in planting, Wt use a alrill that is accurate, lliat is one that sel.lom alraaps but
'uu- grain, it will naat drop thia-k grains at
all. Shelling  the butts  will  get  rial  of
 most ot these,    but there
are always enough in the
middle of the ear to make
an  accumulation  in a half
day's planting that will in-
terfare with accuracy,   as
they    prevent      the    free
movement      of      medium
grains    to    the    dropping
plates, lst before shelling I
taaaak   thre*     grains     from
each      ear,       one      from
tha' niialilla'. the others near
the ends, anal each on    a
alifferent   side,   and   examined the    germ.      I    consider  this as  accurate    a
method of ascertaining the
vitality   as   the   sprouting
test.       If  my  ear showed
a weak or lifeless germ, it
was thrown asiale.      Each-
ear that stood the test was
shelled      separattely      and
carefully    scrutinizeal,   before being poured with the
rest.  Sometimes there are
small    particles    of mold
that    are only    noticeable
after   the   whole   ear     is
shelled, and    the least bit
of mold about an ear, renders it uncertain.
For a  grader  I  made  a
box about 12x20 inches, 4
inches    deep, with    a slat
bottom.       I   used   plastering  lath     for     the    slats,
dressing the edges perfectly true,    ami leveling them
on  the  upper  siale,  so  the
grains could  start through
easily.      The    slats    were
spaced  with    a grain    as
__________ large as would go through
the planter. I held the
grad< r aaver a tula, pouring in a gallon of
a a,rn. anal shaking out the thick grains
anal repeating the process. It takes about
Jo minutes fa grade a bushel, but one
caaulal make the graaler considerably larger,
anal  siaeealier. We  haal  the best  stand
last upring we aver secured in drilled corn,
notwithstanding the drouth aud the general complaint ol poor stands. As an ex-
IK-riment, we planted part of a field 10
Inchea apart, the balance 20 inches the
former making considerably the best yield.
Na-xt year we will plant 14 inches apart.
Onr lest yields nave been invariably with
siamls which olal corn raisers said were
"entirely too thick."
Our fertilised corn made better cars,
but no perceptible difference in the stalk.
Our experience justifies ns in being just
as particular in the selection, care of, test-
ing, shelling, grading and planting of corn,
:,s we possibly enn. C. Sumner Beard.
Wayne Co., Jan. 1.
The f.allowing named Indiana organiza-
tiaans will watch agricultural legislation at
the coming session of the General Assembly: Live Stock Association, Corn
Growers' Association, Dairymen's Association anal Farmers' Institute Workers.