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AGRICULTURAL DEP
BY E. E. LUMPKIN.
Seven years ago, the trustees of Kiln High School, realizing that timber was soon to be gone in Hancock county that fanning must come to be'the chief remunerative industry, or be the basis of su.li industry, petitioned the State Board of Vocational Education for financial aid in nutting an Agricultural Department in KI -1; High (School. This aid was secured, r.: ' for six years the school has taught !• n-ture. The State and Federal gov-e nts give $1,200 yearly for this de-p..; unent. The department has 100 volumes of textbooks in agriculture, has more than 1,000 State and Federal farmers bulletins, has five sets of charts, numbering around 30 illustrations in all. has a terracing outfit, a soil laboratory outfit, has a filing cabinet where all records and reports of the department are filed; has a farm shop building equipped with a forge, anvil, grindstone, medal drill, vices, hammers, saws, squares, brace and bits, blow torch, soldering outfit, and one set of awls for leather work, worth over $150.
The department purposes to teach the students at school, and to supervise project work for them at home, also to benefit the farmers by giving information regarding growing crops, livestock, fruits, etc., spraying and pruning trees, doctoring livestock, terracing and improving the land, and in every way possible help build an agricultural community.
The people are realizing more and more that the department is here to help them, and are using the services of the teacher more each year. There are many ways in which he can be used when called on and when the people co-operate to do thing? as they are beginning to do.
Some of the work of the Agricultural class this year includes making 30 bookcases for their homes, and 'teachers, making 24 screen doors and windows for peo pie in the community, making a dressing room for the boys Athletic Department, making 12 bulletin cases for the Agricultural Department, making a foods cabinet for the Home Economics Department, making 33 hurdles for the track team, and making one large and 10 small signs for the School Agricultural Demonstration plats.
The teacher, with the class assisting, has pruned 100 peach trees, 70 pear trees, and
6	grapes. The class sprayed 15 fig and pear trees. Has encouraged the planting of 50 pecans, 30 pears, and 100 satsumas. Has bought 5,000 cabbage plants, 2,000 onion plants, and 5,000 strawberry plant:-, for people in the community. Has terraced three farms totalling 4-10 acres, has layed off rows for 2 acres of sweet potatoes, assisted farmers in laying oil rows and planting 4 acres of cucumbers, and
has examined and treated one sick hoise and three cows. Has taken farm surveys of 10 farms in the community.
The Community Organization, an organ of the Agricultural Department, put on a Fair in the Community where livestock and crop products were shown. Near 1,000 people attended the Fair. The organization was instrumental in signing growers of 16 acres of cucumbers; buying a community canner for use by the people in the community, and signed up nine gardeners to grow produce to can under the direction of a trained Home Economics teacher; signed three farmers to grow cotton and corn demonstrations. Has.monthly meetings where speakers like Mr. Anderson, from Poplarville Experiment Station, Mr. Greene, of McNeill Experiment Station, and Mr. J. W. Geraty, of Picayune Farmers Marketing Organization, bring helpful messages. Has given one free picture show dealing with fertilizers. Had a livestock judging demonstration and contest on the day of the Fair. The Agricultural class and three farmers of the community went to Poplarville to study experiments there. A night class is organized to continue for ten lessons for adult farmers.
The recrentional functions of the class include a hunting trip by the class, a public dinner at the Fair, a Planters dinner in February, a Project Boys dinner, and the Father and Son banquet which has come to be a custom of the department.
Seventeen boys of the class have signed up for projects as follows: 5 boys taking 14 acres cotton, 4 boys taking 8 acres of corn, 4 boys taking 2 acres of Irish potatoes, 2 boys taking 1 1-2 acres sweet potatoes, 3 boys taking 3 pigs. In addition to the regular class the junior project class has signed to grow G pigs.
Class Roll—Uris Cuevas, Cornelius Farve, Walter Garriga, Wallace Harrell, Eldon Ladner, Albert Ladner, Claiborne -Ladner, Curvis Ladner, Roosevelt Ladner, Morrell Lee, Leander Malley, Reginald Moran, Theodore Necaise, Leroy Ory, Albert, Seal, Lester Seal and Clarence Wic-tom.
Mr. Lumpkin (as he picked up the hair brush instead of a mirror): “Goe! But I need a shave!”
24 HOURS MORE
Thousands of shells are cracking open now. Hatching time is here. 50 per cent of the chicks fed average mixtures die before they ever lay an egg or earn a cent! A total loss. But of the hundreds of thousands being raised on Purina Chick Startena, !J0 per cent live! Which way are' you feeding? The 50 per cent lost way? Or the (K) per cent saved way? Call on us i'"r Startena and waich them grow!
ICILIn HEADQUARTERS STORE
ATTENTION!
The Home Economics Department renders service to:
The Community by assisting and arranging the exhibits for the Community Fair; staging a Singer Sewing Machine attachment demonstration by experienced instructors; giving over 18 days of class time in order that a State Health nurse might train the girls in community nursing; assisting the baking of 18 fruit cakes for ladies in the community; turning our Home Economics laboratory into a clinic whereby 1G children of our community were enabled to have their defective tonsils and adenoids removed by a specialist with the assistance of Dr. Shipp and 4 trained nurses; giving a “George Washington tea” to entertain the mothers of the Home Economics girls; preparing and serving a luncheon to the Hancock County Parent-Teacher Association; supervising Home projects in which the girls are attempting to beautify the community; trying to gain the co-operation of the parents by making personal home visits and by giving a “style show” to entertain the P. T. A.
The School by training the girls in character development by discussing topics of honesty, courtesy, etc.; assisting the agricultural department in successfully staging a "Planter’s dinner”; planning and serving a Father and Son banquet; mending the stage curtains for the faculty play and laundering the curtains in the superintendent’s office.
The Department by saving chewing gum wrappers to buy odd pieces of silver; getting subscriptions to the Needlecraft Magazine to buy an imported tea set; giving a box supper and making nearly $50.00 to buy equipment; buying cretonne, re-arranging and making new draperies for the bedroom; making machine covers to protect machines during the summer and buying the required equipment so that our department has now been passed on for Smith Hughes aid by the State Vocational Department.
First Year Home Economics Class: Mabel Cuevas, Hilda Cuevas, Gladys Cuevas, Thelma Depreo. Lucille Fisher, Lillie Hart, Carrie Hart, Esther Haas, Odessa Haas, Naomi Lott, Adelle Lott, Alice Ladner, Mary Moran. Vera Moran, Alice Necaise, Grace Wolfe, Martha Stringer and Lucy Curet.
Second Year Home Economics Class: Igerine Bennett. Ztilma Dubuisson, Norma Loewer. Rhoda Lee. Ruby Moran, Ida Mac Ladner. Vallie Mitchell. Irene Wolle. Martini Waters, Annie Maude Williams and Estelle Kellar.
Instructor; Mrs. H. L. Holcombe.


Kiln The Mill Whistle (5)
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