AN ANALYsss OF THE PROGRAM or VOCA'I’EONM AGNCULTURE IN M LEAKE COUNTY, MISSISSEPPI, AGRICULTURAL Hm set-too; mama THE YEARS 19:: To 2952 M for the 009m d M. A. Mimi“ $TATE cm Jane Anderson Morris 39 54 \P _ _A._ — h'u- _ This is to certify that the thesis entitled AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAM OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE ' IN THE LEAKE COUNTY, MISSISSISSIPPI, AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL DURING THE YEARS 1938 TO 1952 presented by Jesse A. Morris has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for I'LL. degree in Education {/0 Major professo Date March 8. 1951+ 0.169 ‘ -- . - - L I: . - . _. ,~' 3:}. .l .‘ ' .L h I l . ~ - 'V l .1. .h ‘3‘: '1 ’ ‘ : in; I" ‘. "_. ‘ I. . . "‘ . . '~. _ _..'.l'-’.,.‘) ., "-- ".1_."..'_ .,‘ '. .. ..‘““‘s;‘.' ”I" a) i '_“"‘:’Q E'b‘1r.:fi1 ,A' .-._’ ,‘ ._.‘|\.H —' .." ‘ - :cn .5 sat-w :e (flagging rr’fiw'v? irle-hnfii‘v WWWEMH‘ "‘I‘W‘LEJF’EWW 3919““ *7 ’3’ J t " ‘ ‘ ' ' Y l‘lllnll: 1“ Y Y Y - . Y. - Tuflivucnnaiw Y...v .c. 1.. (I. . Net 141...}.13 A: mink-NQ‘YNNHI'HEMY " ..ll- . AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAM OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE IN THE LEAKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL DURING THE YEARS 1938 to 1952 By Jesse Anderson Morris M A THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS School of Education 195k THEE-715 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was conducted under the direction of the following committee: Dr. H. P. Sweany, Chairman, Dr. H. M. Byram, Dr. R. M. Clark. The author wishes to express his sincere thanks and appreciation to the members of his committee for their useful suggestions, and constructive criticisms which have helped to complete this study; to Dr. H. P. Sweany whose lofty inspiration, constant supervision, and kind guidance have influenced the progress of the study; and to his wife, Alpha L. Morris, for her cheerful assistance in the preparation of this manuscript, the results are herewith dedicated. He is also greatly indebted to all of the former students of vocational agriculture at the Leake County Agricultural High School; to the Mississippi State Department of Public Instruction; and to the Principal, and Teachers of Leake County Agricultural High School, and all other persons, who have provided data used in this study. ‘~.‘§ r‘~‘}‘; (534" .‘Jr‘w ', TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITION OF TERMS USED...... 1 Introduction. ....... ........................ General information concerning the school. The problem................................. Purpose of the study..... ........ ... ..... . Limitations of the study.................. \A r: -: e- n) +4 Definition of Terms Used.................... A graduate of Leake County Agricultural High School. ...... . ..... . ................ U't Non—graduates of Leaks County Agricultural High SChOOlCOOOOOOOOOOOO...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO A student of vocational agriculture....... Establishment in farming.................. O\O\U\\n Procedure Followed.......................... II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE...................... 9 Studies Concerning Former Students of Vocational Agriculture, and Local Departments of Vocational Agriculture................... 10 Studies Concerning Drop Outs in Secondary SChOOlSOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 19 Summary and The Relationship of the Studies Reviewed to this Study...................... 23 CHAPTER III. IV. PRESENTATION OF DATA........... ...... ...... Trends in Education in Leake County...... Personal, Sociological, and Economic Characteristics of Boys Who Graduated From the High School..................... Characteristics of the High School Graduates Now FarmingOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.. Farming Experiences and Plans of the Graduates Not Now Farming...,............ Information Concerning the Drop Out Situation at the High School............. Out of School Education in Agriculture... summaryOOOoooeooeoooooooooooooooooooocoo. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY.............. A Summary of the Findings................ COHClUSiOHS..o.... ooooo 0.0000000000000000 RecommendationsgoOooone...ooo-oooono.0... Suggestions for Further Study............ BIBLIOGRAPIIIYOOOCCOO......OOOOOOOOO......OOOOOOOOOO.0 APPENDIX... ..... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. ........... 00...... A. B. Courses of study offered by the Leaks County Agricultural High SChOOlOCOOOOO0.0.0.000... Exhibit 1, Letter sent with the check lists to the graduateSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Exhibit 2, Informational survey of former students of vocational agriculture who are not now farming.. ......... ... ..... ......... PAGE 25 25 31 38 1+5 1&8 52 59 65 66 69 72 74 76 80 81 82 83 iv APPENDIX B. (Continued) Exhibit 3, Informational survey of former students of vocational agriculture who are now farming............... ..... ............ Exhibit A, A copy of the follow-up letter sent to the graduates...................... Practices carried out by evening class farmers in the years l939~h0 and l940—bl... PAGE 86 9O 91 TABLE II. III. IV. VI. VII. VIII. IX. XI. XII. LIST OF TABLES THE ENROLLMENT OF STUDENTS IN VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE CLASSES DURING THE PERIOD 1938 TO 1952 AT LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL.... ..... ..00....0... ..... ....... THE MEDIAN YEARS OF SCHOOL COMPLETED BY NON-.. WHITE RURAL FARM MALES 25 YEARS OLD AND OVER AS REPORTED BY THE CENSUS OF 1940 AND 1950 IN MISSISSIPPI...... THE DISTRIBUTION OF GRADUATES RECEIVING AND RETURNING CHECK LIST BLANKS ACCORDING TO THE YEAR TMT THm GRADUATED....0.0...0...000... THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE GRADUATES AT GRADUATION AND IN l95l‘l’oooooooooooooooooooso. THE PRESENT RESIDENCE OF THE GRADUATES OF LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL....... THE OCCUPATIONS THAT THE GRADUATES REPORTING WERE FOLLOWING..... THE VALUE GRADUATES PLACED ON THE PROGRAM OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE.. .............. ...... EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES PARTICIPATED IN BY GRADUATES SINCE LEAVING HIGH SCHOOL......... THE DISTRIBUTION AND THE FARMING STATUS OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO REPORTED THAT THEY ARE NOW FARMING BY YEAR OF GRADUATION....... THE REASONS GRADUATES GAVE WHY THEY ARE NOW FMNG....O00..0.00.0 ......0.......0....... HOW GRADUATES REPORTED THAT THEY SECURED THE FIRST FARM THAT THEY OPERATED.. ........... .. AREAS THAT GRADUATES WHO ARE NOW FARMING REPORTED WOULD BE PROFITABLE FOR FURTHER TRAINING IN AGRICULTURE.. .......... . ...... .. PAGE 28 30 31 32 33 35 36 37 39 H1 ”3 1m TABLE XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XXII. THE REASONS GIVEN BY THE NON—FARMERS FOR NOT FWING NOW.’O...............0.......0.00.00.. THE FUTURE PLANS BEING MADE BY GRADUATES WHO REPORTED THAT THEY PLAN TO FARM IN THE FUTURE. THE NUMBER OF RURAL FARM NON—WHITE MALES AND THE PER CENT ENROLLED IN SCHOOL BY AGE IN MISSISSIPPI IN 19500 o o o e o o o ooooooooooo o ooooo 0 0 THE NUMBER OF FORMER STUDENTS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE WHO LEFT SCHOOL BEFORE GRADUATION, REASONS, AND THE NUMBER.NOW FARMING........... THE NUMBER OF BOYS ENROLLED IN SPECIFIC CLASSES BY YEARS AT LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL DURING THE YEARS 1941 TO 1952..... THE ENROLLMENT IN THE ADULT CLASSES FOR FARMERS AT LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL BY CENTERS, AND BY YEARS.. ....... ................ THE NUMBER OF MEETINGS HELD AT EACH EVENING CLASS CENTER BY YEARS AND THE LENGTH OF THESE MEETINGS..I.......0..... ....... ..0.....O...... THE NUMBER OF YEARS THAT 219 FARMERS ATTENDED ADULT EVENING CLASSES AT THREE CENTERS. ...... . THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS BY PER CENT ATTENDANCE OF THE TOTAL MEETINGS OF THE ADULT CLASSES IN AGRICULTURE CONDUCTED BY THE LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL...................... THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF PRACTICES CARRIED OUT YEARLY BY 219 FARMERS ENROLLED IN ADULT CLASSES OVER AN ELEVEN YEAR PERIOD AS A RESULT OF THE INSTRUCTION IN THE ADULT CLASSES....... vii PAGE ’46 47 1P9 50 51 54 55 56 57 58 FIGURE 1. LIST OF FIGURES Leaks County Agricultural High School and Parts of the Beats Which are in the School Service Area........ ...... . ................... . The Location of Negro Schools in Leake County, M1851851pp1 in 1938 and 19520000000000.00000000 PAGE 26 CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITION OF TERMS USED Introduction This is a report of a study of the program of vocational agriculture in the Leaks County, Mississippi, Agricultural High School during the years 1938 to 1952. The origin of this study grew out of the author's interest in this department of vocational agriculture as a high school student of vocational agriculture there during the years of 1938 to l94h; and from later experiences of the author in graduate courses in agricultural education at Michigan State College, East Lansing, Michigan. If a department of vocational agriculture is to fulfill its major objective to train present and prospective farmers for proficiency in farming, much planning, studying, and evaluating will have to be done to make sure'that this major objective is being carried out, and that as many persons who can profit by training in agricultural education as possible are being reached. It is important also to study any program of education in order to determine if the right persons are being reached; to determine if the right type of program is offered to the persons being served; and to find out if there are implications in the progress report of the past which will serve as suggestions for future improvement. Location 9§_the school community. The Leaks County Agricultural High School is located in the rural area about two miles north of the town of Walnut Grove, Mississippi, and about one mile due east of Mississippi Highway #35. Leaks County is in the central part of the state. The type of farming is predominantly general with cotton as the major cash crop followed by beef cattle and broilers. Figure 1, shows the Leaks County Agricultural High School and parts of the beats which are in the school service area. General information concerning the gghool. This school, originally a training school, became an agricultural high school in 1942. The average enrollment of students is around 425 for the elementary school and the high school. The school program is arranged on the eight-four plan. Twenty-seven acres of land are owned by the school on which there are six buildings, namely: a high school building; an elementary school building; a vocational agricultural build- ing; a community canning plant; a principal's cottage; and a teachers' home. Seven buses transport the high school children from all parts of the school district which is county wide. Fifteen teachers are employed by the school, for the term of eight months or 160 days. BEAT II BEAT I BEAT III ‘5???§§§§57777 7///7777///777/7777/777//////////////7~ BEAT V ///////////////////////////////////////\ AMWZW zzzzimzzm /// ////////////////////////////////////////~. ////////////////////////2//// ///////////////~.. - //7///////////7////////////// ///////////////////7777777777/ mswmwsmswsmmssswssws //////////////////////////////V///////fi§§/////////////////// //////////éé/4/44///////////////////// //////////////////fl ////////// A ///////////////§ 7?. o. }y 9§§/////////// //////////////////////////////// 7 ///77 // //////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// JY/jj/fjj[////!//1!;/£![///Z // ///fi/[/[////[//[//1/////[/ ' v v r v v w Figure l. Leaks County Agricultural High School and Parts of the Beats Which are in the School Service Area A teacher of vocational agriculture is employed for twelve months of the year, and a teacher of Home Economics for ten months of the year. The school's curriculum is based around agriculture and home economics, (See appendix "A" for the courses of study). The Problem Purpose g£_the study. It was the purpose of this study (1) to obtain certain personal, sociological, and occupational characteristics of the graduates who studied vocational agriculture in high school; (2) to determine the number of former students of agriculture who dropped out of school, the cause of their dropping out, and the number now farming; (3) to determine the nature and extent of the out— of-school education in agriculture and to determine its effectiveness in serving the farmers of the community; and (h) to determine the implication of such data for programs of vocational agriculture at Leaks County Agricultural High School, and similar high schools in Mississippi. Limitations Q§_the study. The findings, recommenda- tions, and conclusions of the study are applicable to the Leaks County Agricultural High School community, Leaks County, and may be applicable to other communities which are similar. No data were obtained to study the drOp-out problem in the Institutional—On-Farm—Training Program. No contacts by letter or interview were made with the drop—outs of voca— tional agriculture to obtain data not found in school records. Definition of Terms Used Aggraduate g£_Leake County Agricultural High School. A graduate was construed to mean any male student who had completed the four year course of study as prescribed by the board of trustees of the school, and the Mississippi Department of Public Instruction. Such graduation was veri— fied by the records of the school. A_non-graduats g§_droR:out 9£_the Lgake Cpunty Agricultural High School. In this study the terms, a non— graduate and a drop-out, are used interchangeably. Either designates a boy who was enrolled in a class in vocational agriculture at the Leaks County Agricultural High School, but did not graduate from the high school. Such enrollment might have been in any grade between 7th and 12th. A_student 9:.vocational agriculture. A student of vocational agriculture was defined to mean any male person who was regularly enrolled in a class in vocational agricul- turs for in-school persons, or out-of—school persons (includ- ing veterans in the Institutional-On-Farm Training Program) at Leaks County Agricultural High School. Establishment, in farmi g. Establishment in farming was construed to mean farming as an owner, renter or partner with a definite agreement as to the division of income. It was assumed that such persons had actual control of the farm business and made managerial and operative decisions and assumed major responsibilities for the success of the business. Procedure Followed A list of the 80 young men who were former students of vocational agriculture and graduates of Leaks County Agricultural High School during'the period 1938 to 1952 was secured from the records of the school at Walnut Grove, Mississippi. Additional information was secured from the school concerning the number of years of vocational agricul- ture that had been studied and the number who were presently farming. Inasmuch as the group of former students of vocational agriculture who graduated was relatively small, it was decided that no sampling technique would be used. The writer secured the addresses of the former students from the records of the department of vocational agriculture, from students currently enrolled at the school who were relatives, or neighbors of the former students, and from the agricultural teacher, Mr. Robert A. Gray, and the science teacher, Miss Minnie Lee Johnson. Other addresses were secured from relatives of the former students whom the writer knew personally or indirectly. Addresses of 68, or 85 per cent of the 80 boys who graduated between the years 1938 to 1952 were obtained. Of the remainder, a member of the class of 1942 was found to be dead, and the addresses of 11 were unknown. A letter, and a check list, (see appendix B, exhibits l, 2, and 3) were mailed to each of the graduates, except 21 who were interviewed personally by the writer and asked to fill out the check list. A different check list was sent to the graduates who were farming than to those who were not farming. A self—addressed, stamped envelope was also sent to the former student for convenience in returning the check list. Three weeks after the check lists were mailed, a follow—up letter, (see appendix B, exhibit 4) was used to encourage those who had not responded to return the check list. In this way, 55, or 81 per cent of the check lists were returned. Data concerning the adult farmer classes, and the drop— outs from all—day classes in vocational agriculture were obtained from the reports submitted by the department to the state office. These reports were secured from the teacher of vocational agriculture for those years covered in the study which were available in the school files. Some information concerning the drOp—outs from classes in vocational agricul— ture at the school, was obtained from the office of the County Superintendent of Education, Leaks County, Mississippi, and from the office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jackson, Mississippi. Interviews were held with the teacher of vocational agriculture, the school principal, members of the faculty, and numerous requests for information were forwarded to the teacher of vocational agriculture. A review of the literature on related studies is presented in Chapter II. In Chapter III, the data are presented. The findings of related studies are compared with the findings of this study in this chapter. In the final chapter, IV, the summary and conclusions of this study are reported. The needs for further study arising from this problem are listed in this chapter also. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Much has been written regarding former students of vocational agriculture, and departments of vocational agriculture. However, only a brief summary of the work of writers whose contribution was closely related to this study was. reviewed. The literature which was reviewed for this study has been divided into two classifications, namely: (1) studies concerning former students of vocational agriculture, and local departments of vocational agriculture, and (2) studies concerning drop-outs from secondary schools. The writer does not mean to imply that all of the literature written on these two classifications has been reviewed. Many of the representative studies for each class- ification which were reviewed had been made in the south in Negro schools similar to the Leaks County Agricultural High School. This limitation to such studies does not imply that other studies of similar problems are not significant. 10 Studies of Former Students and Departments of Vocational Agriculture In a study which was made at the Plain Dealing High School, Louisiana, of the graduates who were former students of vocational agriculture from 1928 to 1950, Oren S. McFattsr,1 found a high percentage of the former students of vocational agriculture were not farming. McFatter wrote: This study indicates that an alarming trend away from the farm has been established in this area, but that the trend may be approaching its end. The problems of vocational agriculture in the Plain Dealing High School will probably be best solved by means of guidance programs, and diversified offerings in other vocational programs. Another study, made by Arthur P. Bell,2 to determine the occupational status of all former students of vocational agriculture who attended the Washington High School of Reidsville, North Carolina, discovered that: lOren Shelton McFatter, “A Study of the Occupational Status of Former Graduates of Vocational Agriculture of Plain Dealing High School, 1928-1950". Unpublished Masters Thesis, Louisiana State University, 1951. 66 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bulletin No. 180, Supplement No. 6, Bul. No. 251, U.S. Office of Education, p. 54. 2Arthur P. Bell, “Occupational Status of Former Students of Vocational Agriculture in a North Carolina High School”. Unpublished Masters Thesis, The Pennsylvania State College, 1952. 75 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bulletin No. 180, Supplement No. 6, Bul. No. 251, U.S. Office of Education, p. 6. 11 A study of the first jobs engaged in by the students after leaving school showed 55 per cent farming; 8.1 per cent in occupations related to farming; and 36.9 per cent in occupations not related to farming. The present occupations of the former students showed #4.5 per cent farming, 11.1 per cent in related occupations, and nu.u per cent in unrelated occupations. Of the 99 former students, 82.8 per cent had farmed at some time since leaving school; 17.2 per cent had not farmed since leaving school. There were 160 former students included in the study and 99, or 61.9 per cent responded to questionnaires. Factors found to influence the choice of farming as an occupation were: reared on the farm; trained in vocational agriculture; liked farming; and parents occupation. Factors influencing the choice of other occupations were: liked the Job; good pay; and only available Job. A similar study was made by L. E. Baker,3 at the Madison County High School, Alabama. This study was con— cerned with determining the farming efficiency of graduates of vocational agriculture in the years 1935—1939, and come paring the farming efficiency of this group of former 3L. E. Baker, "Determining the Present Farming Efficiency of Graduates of the Madison County High School Who Had Had Four Years of Vocational Agriculture in the Years 1935 to 1939“. Unpublished Masters Problem, The University of Georgia, 1951. 57 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bulletin No. 180, Supplement No. 6, Bul. No. 251, U.S. Office of Education, p. 5. 12 students with that of the average farmer of Madison County. The important findings of this study were that only 15 per cent of the boys who had studied vocational agriculture were now farming. The majority of them were owners, but the size of their average farm unit was smaller than that of the average farmer of the county. Their labor income was three times as large as the average farmer in the county. Morrison,“ in an occupational follow-up study of former pupils of the Quitman High School, Quitman, Georgia, discovered that out of the pupils of vocational agriculture who graduated during the years 1940, 1941 and 1942, the following occupations were followed. There were 34 former students. The largest group was employed as farmers. Only five had left the state of Georgia, more than two-thirds were living in their home counties. Nine of the 34, or 26.47 per cent of the former students were farming. Joe D. Lewis,5 in an occupational study of former students of vocational agriculture who had completed at “Dorsey D. Morrison, “An Occupational Follow~Up Study of Former Pupils of the Quitman High School, Quitman, Georgia“. Unpublished Non—Thesis Study, University of Georgia, 1950. 63 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bul. No. 180, Supplement No. 5, Bul. No. 248, U.S. Office of Education, p. 37. 5Joe D. Lewis, "An Occupational Study of Former Students of Vocational Agriculture Who Have Completed At Least Three Years of A riculture, and Who Graduated from Whigham High School 19 2—1945“. Unpublished Non-Thesis Study, University of Georgia, 1950. 33 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bul. No. 180, Supplement No. 5, No. 248, U.S. Office of Education, p. 33. 13 least three years of vocational agriculture, and who graduated from‘Whigham High School during the years 1942 to 1945, found the following among 30 former students. Ten, or 33.3 per cent were engaged in farming, none were in college. The thirty had been employed in thirty-one different occupations from 1943 to 1949. During the seven year period covered by the study, 53 per cent had farmed since leaving school. No changes had been made in employment by five of the group. From one to four changes in employment had been made by 25. An average of 1.9 changes had been made per student. Four, or 13.33 per cent of the group were definitely estab- lished in farming. In a study of young men out-of—school on certain Michigan farms, Byram,6 found the following. The typical young farmer is not quite 20 years old, has no older brothers, probably has a younger brother, and lives on a general farm of 87 acres. Forty—three per cent of the young men in this study had become established in farming. 6H. M. Byram, Qut—of—School Young‘Men on Farms. Bulletin No. 274, Lansing, Michigan. State Board of Control for Vocational Education, 1941. p. 8-35. 14 The per cent of young men farming that Byram found was similar to the per cent found farming by Bell,7 in a North Carolina Study. L. T. Clark,8 in a study of fifty young men in Richland County, Illinois, to determine the factors associated with establishment in farming discovered that most young men started out as workers at home on the home farm with or without a definite allowance. In a study of former students of vocational agricul- ture, Wright9, listed the following conclusions concerning factors associated with the students becoming established in farming: (1) boys whose fathers are farmers are most likely to enter farming, and boys from small families, with no brothers, or one brother are likely to farm. Boys who have studied vocational agriculture are most likely to farm, and (2) the longer out of school, the smaller the possibili- ties of entering farming. 7Bell, loc. cit. 8Lloyd T. Clark, “How Fifty Young Men Became Established in Farming”, The Agricultural Education Magazine. 12:132—33, January, 1940. 9C. E. Wright, "Occupational Distribution, Entrance Into Farming, and Opportunities for Farming of Former Students of Vocational Agriculture", The Agricultural Education Magazine. 16:14—18, July, 1945. _ 15 Part of these findings are in agreement with those made by Byram,lo with reference to the number of brothers of former students of vocational agriculture who are farming. Deyoe,11 in a similar study discovered factors similar to those found by Wright,12 regarding former students of vocational agriculture. A study of the former students of vocational agricul- ture in four Negro High Schools in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, from 1948 to 1952, made by Ethelbert Smith,13 revealed the. following facts. Twenty-seven and one-half per cent of the students were engaged in farming. Of those farming, 23.3 per cent were owner Operators, 10 per cent were renters, 13.4 per cent were employed as farm laborers, 33.3 per cent in father son partnerships, and 20 per cent were at home with income from one or more enterprises. Reasons given by graduates not farming as to why they were not farming were: 10Byram, loc. cit. 11G. P. Deyoe, "A Study of the Association of Certain Factors With the Careers of Young Men From Michigan Farms“, The Agricultural Education Magazine, 12:112-113, 118, December, 1939. leright, loc. cit. 13Ethe1bert Smith, ”A Follow-Up Study of Graduates of Vocational Agriculture in Four High Schools for Negroes in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, from 1948 to 1952", Unpublished Masters Study, Michigan State College, 1953. p. 33-35. 16 do not like farming as an occupation; lack of finances; army or draft; in college; the type of farming not suitable; unable to secure land; and physically unfit to farm. Smith recommended that since such a low percentage of the students were engaging in the occupation of farming, the guidance program of the school be re—examined to see if students can be better directed into fields of their choice. Other types of vocational education should be offered by the school for the boys who are not interested in farming. 1“ in a study similar to the one made by Hudson, Smith,15 found only 25.9 per cent of the former students of agriculture farming at the time his study was made. He found no significant difference in the farming status of the graduates and the farming status of the drop-outs. He concluded that the majority of the former students of vocational agriculture were not becoming established in farming, and that the school should place more emphasis on guidance in the selection of pupils for vocational agriculture training in order to better fulfill the aims of vocational agriculture as set up by the leaders in the profession. l“Joseph Thomas Hudson, "Occupational Distribution of Former Negro Students of Vocational Agriculture in Alabama, From 1938 to 1943“, Unpublished Masters Study, Michigan State College, 1949. p. 49-52. 15Smith, loc. cit. fl...”— ,17 John E. Briggs, Jr.,16 in a study of the occupational placement of former Negro students of vocational agriculture in Georgia listed the following findings and conclusions. Of the former students, 43.7 per cent were farming. Thirty were owner-operators, 10 were renters, and 5 were share- croppers. There was a greater number farming from local departments of agriculture having teachers with long tenure. Other vocational subjects should be added to the curriculum so that boys not interested in agriculture can study the vocational course of their choice. That guidance programs be inaugurated at all Negro schools in the south to direct students into the proper fields. Makel,l7 in a follow-up survey of graduates and non- graduates of the saranac, Michigan, High School, found 9.5 per cent of the graduates who had studied vocational agri- culture farming, and 15 per cent of the drop—outs who had studied vocational agriculture farming. Other findings indicated the graduates, in evaluating the program of agri- culture rated classroom instruction highest. Other phases 16John E. Briggs, Jr., "A Study of the Occupational Placement of Former Negro Students of Vocational Agriculture in District II, Georgia, From 1948-52", Unpublished Masters Study, Michigan State College, 1953. p. 45-48. 17George Makel, "A Follow-Up Survey of Graduates and Non—Graduates From the Saranac, Michigan High School During the Period 1935 to 1949", Unpublished Masters Thesis, Michigan State College, 1952. p. 43, 92, 89, 90, and 117. 18 of the program evaluated in the order of value were: field trips; supervised farming; F. F. A. contests; Fair exhibits; and contests and teams. Courses desired in agriculture by a majority of graduates were: farm shop; dairying; beef; hogs; sheep; poultry; crops; soils; and farm management. Makel stated that, There appears to be a greater need for vocational guidance in curriculum choices, because both.graduates and non-graduates listed certain subjects as being of little value to them. The writer reviewed one study made in Leaks County, Mississippi, involving the school used in this study. This study, made by George M. Jones,18 determined the degree of establishment in farming of the boys enrolled in vocational agriculture classes at the Negro high schools of Leaks County, Mississippi, in 1950-51, and the graduates of vocational agriculture in 1950. It was interesting to note such findings as there were 214 boys enrolled in classes in vocational agriculture in the four Negro high schools of Leaks County, in 1950-51. Fifty-four of these students were enrolled at the Leaks County Agricultural High School. 18George M. Jones, “Establishment in Farming of Present and Former Negro Pupils of Vocational Agriculture in Leaks County, Mississippi“, Unpublished Masters Thesis, Iowa State College, 1952. p. l4, 17, 94. 19 Of the parents of these students of vocational agri- culture, 66 per cent were owners, 26 per cent were renters, and eight per cent were sharecroppers. The average size of farm operated by these parents was 63 acres. Of the 38 out-of—school students included in the study, 18, or 47.35 per cent were farming. Their farming status was found to be one owner, one operator, six partners, and 10 renters. Of the 20 not farming, 9 were in military service, 7 were attending college, and 4 were in other occupations. Of the eight out-of—school students of Leaks County Agricultural High School, 4 were farming, 4 were in other occupations. One of the farmers was a partner, and three were renters. The more training the boy had had, the larger was his supervised farming program, and the more were crop and livestock production projects included. Studies of Drop-Outs in Secondary Schools Few studies have been made specifically dealing with drop-outs from Negro high schools in the south. The writer was handicapped in making the review pertaining to this area of the literature because of this factor. 20 James Cotter,19 in an effort to find out why rural boys drop out of school made the following conclusions con— cerning rural boys in Michigan. Most of the boys dropped out at the age of 16, and in the eighth grade. This was particularly true in the gardening, chicory, and best raising areas among the boys of foreign ancestry. Parents and teachers have not exhibited particular interest in further education for boys. Both have failed to study the real interests of boys of this age. The rural schools were in— adequate, and the teachers were unprepared to do a good job of educating the rural boys. No recreational equipment was present at the school to make it interesting and enjoyable. Courses of study offered by the schools were unadaptsd to the community. Warren K. Layton,20 in citing a study made by the National Child Labor Committee in 1950-51 of the drop-outs in the public schools in Detroit reported the following. The typical drop-out is 16 to 17 years old, usually a boy, in the 10th or 11th grade, a citizen by birth, has a good l9James Cotter, "Why Rural Boys Drop Out of School“, Unpublished Masters Thesis, Michigan State College, 1927. p. 85 20Warren K. Layton, Special Services for the Drop Outs gpd.the Potential Drop Outs. Publication No.408, National Child Labor Committee, 419 Fourth Avenue, New York: New York, 1952. p. 4-14. 21 family background, of average economic status, slightly below average scholastic standing, has unfavorable social relation— ships, and does not make good progress in school. Voluntary reasons for leaving school were: loss of interest in school; financial need at home; and emotional disturbance owing to home conditions. Voluntary drop outs in Detroit in 1950 made up 68 per cent of the total drop-out number. Involuntary reasons for leaving school were found to be: personal illness; marriage; enlistments in the armed forces; moved; enlisted reserves; and tuition cases. The study concluded that the cause of students dropping out of school are many. It recommended that the following things be done by the school for the benefit of the drop outs: (1) provide adult education, particularly evening classes to prepare these students for a gainful occupation; (2) provide better counseling facilities to increase the holding power of the school; develop a technique of observation which could help to identify likely drop outs. Carl A. Ziebarth,21 made a study of the drop outs in the Alexandria, Minnesota, High School from 1948 to 1952, and 21Carl A. Ziebarth, “A Study of the Elimination of Students from the Alexandria Minnesota High School, 1948 to 1952“, Unpublished Masters Problem, University of Minnesota, 1952. 59 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bulletin No. 180, Supplement No. 6, Bul. No. 251, U.S. Office of Education, p. 96. 22 found: (1) the majority of the drop outs were in the 10th and 11th grades. Farm boys dropped out of school earlier than farm girls. Eighty per cent of the group received below average grades; and (2) more students failed to return to school at the beginning of the fall term than dropped out during the school term. The majority of the drop cuts were capable of doing high school work. Byram,22 found the reason why young men on farms left school were: economic, and a lack of interest. His study showed that the drop outs were as interested in young farmer classes as the graduates. Of the drop outs of the Saranac, Michigan high school, Make1,23 found: (1) fifteen per cent of the drOp cuts were farming. Of the number farming, 14.3 per cent were owners, 42.8 per cent were partners, 14.3 per cent were renters, and 14.3 per cent were laborers away from home. (2) There were 155 drOp outs during the period 1935 to 1939, distributed in the following manner: pre—war period, 48; war—period, 37; and the post-war period, 70. The highest per cent of the drop outs came from the ninth grade. 22Byram, loo. cit. ——-—- 23Make1, 92, £13,, p. 46, 89, 90, 92, 106—7, 117—18. 23 Reasons given by the drop outs for leaving school in the order of frequency were: preferred work to school; to be married; to work at home; lack of interest in course; and no money. Of the drop outs, 87.2 per cent received no further education. A smaller per cent of the drop outs received counseling in school than the graduates. Classes desired by drop outs in agriculture were: farm shop; and mathematics. Interest, need of money, parents, and ability were the factors which influenced drop-outs in the selection of their work. Summary and the Relationship of the Studies Reviewed to This Study The studies reviewed have shown that a low per cent of the former students, particularly Negroes, who had studied vocational agriculture were farming. In no case, were over 60 per cent found to be farming. However, it might be noted that most of the occupational and follow up studies were made immediately after the students had left school. Possibly, in some cases former students were farming temporarily, and in other cases they had not had sufficient time to enter the occupation due to such things as non-farm work or further education. In practically all cases, a high percentage of‘7 the former students of vocational agriculture had farmed some since leaving school. 24 Common reasons for dropping out of school found in the drop-out studies were: a lack of interest in school; armed forces or draft; desired to work; needed at home; and got married. The highest per cent of the drop outs occurred in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. There was a higher per cent of the drop outs farming than the graduates of vocational agriculture. This study will differ from the ones reviewed in that it treats the adult education in agriculture program as well as the high school program. Only a few studies reviewed covered 15 year periods. CHAPTER III PRESENTATION OF DATA This is a study of the program of vocational agriculture in the Leaks County, Mississippi, Agricultural High School during the years 1938 to 1952. All of the data have been grouped into Six areas in order to facilitate the presentation of the findings. These areas are: trends in education in Leaks County; character- istics of boys who graduated from the high school; character- istics of the high school graduates now farming; farming experiences and plans of the graduates not now farming; information concerning the drOp—out situation at the high school; and out-of—school education in agriculture. Trends in Education in Leaks County Schools. Reference to the map of Leaks County, Mississippi, in Figure 2, page 26, shows there were 28 Negro schools in 1938. All were elementary schools except two. In 1952, there were 13 elementary schools. and four high schools for Negroes in Leaks County. The reduced number of elementary schools and.the increased number of high LEAKE COUNTY 26 LEAKE COUNTY h ®-© c rd?) 0 o ‘w zz d k b k” 33° @ 1MP o 1’ o x m m 8 8 t u QD' u (g) QD"GD 1 f 1 1938 1952 Figure 2. The Location of Negro Schools in Leaks County, Mississippi in 1938 and 1952 KEY a. Balatusha 0. Mary Bethel Small letters b. Christian Union p. Mac Afee Camp represent 0. Cobb Creek q. Mc Ville elementary d. County Line r. Mt. Olive schools. e. Conway s. Pilgrim Rest f. Ealy t. Rocky Hill Capital letters 8- Goodhops u. 31X Town circled represent h. Gray v. Spring Hill high schools. 1. Greenwood Chapel w. Stevens j. Harmony x. Swamp (Harris) Small letters k. Jerusalem y. Tribulation circled and 1. Johnson 2. Tuscola connected m. Jones Chapel aa. Wesley Chapel represents n. Leaks County AHS zz. Zion Hill elementary schools having joint departments of vocational agriculture. 27 schools was the result of the consolidation program.Which went into effect in 1946. At this same time, numerous buses were added to tranSport children from the areas where elementary schools had been eliminated to the high schools of the county. Vocational agricultural education. Vocational agriculture was introduced to the Negro schools of Leaks County in 1926. The first school to organize a department was Leaks County Agricultural High School, followed by Harmony Vocational School in 1930. Figure 2, shows the location of the departments of vocational agriculture in 1938 and 1952. Three joint departments were organized in six elementary schools in 1935. Vocational agriculture was taught to the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade boys in the joint departments of agriculture. The high schools taught agriculture to the boys in the grades seventh through twelfth. Both, high school departments and joint departments of agriculture, taught out-of—school classes for adults. In 1946, two of the joint departments of vocational agriculture in elementary schools were discontinued. The third was continued in a new high school at Conway, and a department was added at Wesley Chapel School which became a high school in 1946. The high schools discontinued the teaching of vocational agriculture to the seventh, eighth, and 28 twelfth grades in 1949. Thus, at the present time, vocational agriculture is taught for three years to the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade boys in the four high schools in Leaks County. Vocational agriculture and vocational home economies are the only types of vocational education available for Negroes in Leaks County, Mississippi, at the present time. Since this study is concerned with the program of vocational agriculture at Leaks County Agricultural High School during the years 1938 to 1952, the enrollment of students in vocational agriculture classes at this school during this period is shown in Table I. TABLE I THE ENROLLMENT OF STUDENTS IN VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE CLASSES DURING THE PERIOD 1938 TO 1952 AT LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL All Day Evening Total Year Classes Classes Enrollment 1937-38 22 51 73 1938-39 27 63 90 1939—40 34 54 88 1940—41 33 55 88 1941-42 28 136 164 1942-43 32 400 432 1943—44 31 116 147 1944-45 21 87 108 1945—46 47 86 133 19h6_h7* * w * 1947—48 59 68 127 1948-49 48 34 82 1949—50 54 66 120 1950-51 54 43 97 1951:52 54 43 97.1 Average 39 .93 132 * No classes were offered this year because the school did not have a teacher of vocational agriculture. 29 It should be noted that during the period 1938—52, the Leaks County Agricultural High School had an average enrollment of 39 in—school students, 93 evening class or out- of—school students, and an average total enrollment of 132 students. During the war year of 1942-43, the enrollment for evening classes affected the picture inasmuch as many of the students were enrolled in War Production Courses. Some persons might have been counted more than once when enrolled in more than one course. Educational attainments. The writer was unable to secure data specifically relating to the educational attain— ments of Negro farmers in Leaks County, Mississippi. An examination of the census of population for 1940,2Lp and 1950,25 showed information for the non-white rural-farm population. Table II, shows the median years of school completed by non-white rural farm males in Mississippi in 1940, and 1950 25 years of age and older. It was found that the median years of school completed by non—white rural farm 2“Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Population Characteristics by Age, Marital Status, Relation— ship, Education, and Citizenship, Volume IV, Part 3. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Washington, D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1943. p. 331. 25United States Census of POpulation, 1950. Character— istics of the Population, Volume II, Part 24 of 48 parts, Mississippi. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Washington, D.C: United States Government Printing Office, 1952. pp. 138 and 147. 30 males 25 years of age and older was 4.4 years in 1940, and 4.6 years in 1950. TABLE II THE MEDIAN YEARS OF SCHOOL COMPLETED BY NON-WHITE RURAL FARM MALES 25 YEARS OLD AND OVER AS REPORTED BY THE CENSUS OF 1940 AND 1950 IN MISSISSIPPI Age Median Yeigfioof Schoolinglg%gpleted 25 years and over 4.4 4,6 25 to 29 4.8 5.8 30 to 34 4.6 5.4 35 to 39 4.4 5.1 40 to 44 4.2 4.8 45 to 54 4.0 4.3 55 to 64 3.9 4.0 65 to 74 3.2 3.5 75 years and over 1.4 2.8 It would seem that the majority of the Negro rural farmers of Mississippi have had no high school education. This would imply that most of these farmers have not had training in all-day classes in agriculture. The educational significance of this data will be discussed in Chapter IV. 31 Personal, Sociological, and Economic Characteristics of Boys Who Graduated From the High School During the years 1938 to 1952, 80 boys graduated from the Leaks County Agricultural High School. Check lists were distributed to 68 whose addresses were known, and 55, or 81 per cent responded. Table III, shows the distribution of graduates receiving and returning the check lists according to the year in which they graduated. TABLE III THE DISTRIBUTION OF GRADUATES RECEIVING AND RETURNING CHECK LIST BLANKS ACCORDING TO THE YEAR THAT THEY GRADUATED Year of Number* Number* Number Per cent Graduation Graduating Receiving Returning Returning 1938 3 3 2 66.6 1939 0 1940 1 1 1 100.0 1941 8 5 4 80.0 1942 6** 5** 5 100.0 1943 6 6 6 100.0 1944 5 5 5 100.0 1945 l l 1 100.0 1946 1 1 1 100.0 1947 12 ll 9 81.8 1948 7 6 4 66.6 1949 12 7 4 57.1 1950 6 5 4 80.0 1951 7 7 6 85.7 1952 5 5 3 60.0 Totals 80 68 455 80.9 * The difference between these two numbers is because it was not always possible to obtain the address of all graduates. ** One member of the class of 1942 was deceased. 32 The highest per cent of returns tended to come from the classes that had been out of school the longest. Lowest returns came from the class of 1949. There were no boys in the graduating class of 1939, and the average number of boys graduating each year was approximately six. Three classes had only one boy each to graduate. Age gf_the boys who graduated. An analysis of the data concerning the age of the graduates showed the average ages for members of the classes. Table IV also shows the average age of the graduates at graduation. TABLE IV THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE GRADUATES AT GRADUATION AND IN 1954 Average age Avera e5 Year of Number of Graduate age a% Graduation Reporting in 195” Graduation 1938 2 34.5 18.5 1940 1 33.0 19.0 1941 4 33.0 20.0 1942 5 32.6 20.6 1943 6 29.0 18.0 1944 5 27.8 17.8 1945 1 27.0 19.0 1946 1 30.0 22.0 1947 9 26.0 19.0 1948 4 27.0 21.0 1949 4 23.2 18.2 1950 4 23.0 19.0 1951 6 22.6 19.6 1952 3 21.3 19.3 Average 19.4 33 The average age of the graduates at the time of graduation was found to be 19.4 years. One would think that possibly the graduate in 1946 was a veteran returning to school and graduating. Where the graduates live pew. Approximately two— thirds of the graduates were found to have left the state of Mississippi. Table V, shows where the graduates live now. TABLE V THE PRESENT RESIDENCE OF THE GRADUATES OF LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL Place Number Per Cent In the same County 13 23 In Mississippi 10 19 Out of Mississippi 32 458 Totals 55 100 Of the 55 graduates, 13 still lived in Leaks County. A total of 23 lived in the state of Mississippi at the time of the study, while 32 had left the state of Mississippi. Most of the graduates who had left Mississippi reported that they were now living in Northern, Northwestern, and North- eastern oities. Over half of the graduates reported that they now lived more than 500 miles from the home they lived in while in high school. 34 Marital status. It was interesting to note that 27 of the 55 graduates reported in the study were married. A higher percentage of the members of the first seven classes were married than of the members of the last seven classes. Possibly, this is true because of the difference in age. The number 9§_children reported. Twenty of the graduates, or about three-fourths of those married reported that they had children. Of this twenty, eight reported one child, nine reported two children, and three reported having three children. Only one reported as many as five children. It was interesting to note that the size of the families is still relatively small in number. This may be due to the fact that the families are young or it may represent a trend toward smaller families, particularly for those graduates living now in northern cities. Thsnumber gf_brothers and sisters reported. The average number of brothers reported by the graduates was 3.3, and the average number of sisters reported was 3.2. It was also found that the average number of brothers and sisters at home when these graduates were in high sehool was 4.6. The modal position for the graduates in their families was second. Occupational information concerning the graduates. Of the 55 graduates reporting, 31 reported that they had farmed since leaving high school. The occupations that the 35 graduates reported that they were following at the time the study was made are shown in Table VI. Only eight of the 55 graduates were found to be farming. This amounted to approxi- mately 15 per cent of the total number reporting. This per cent of boys farming tends to agree with.the finding of a similar study made by Baker,26 reported in Chapter II, who found that only 15 per cent of the boys in Madison County, Alabama, were farming. TABLE VI THE OCCUPATIONS THAT THE GRADUATES REPORTING WERE FOLLOWING Occupations Number Per cent Factory workers 13 23.8 Farming 14.5 Attending college 1 Armed forces Office workers Mechanic Teaching Vocational Agriculture Teachers (other than Voc. Agr.) Laborers Civil Service Upemployed Tetals OUKA’KAJKJ‘flflwWN o o o o o o o o o o ONQQMNNOOQ KANNNKJJ P-F'UIUI'QOJ H O Kn I Four of the graduates were found to be teaching vocational agriculture. The largest number of the graduates, 13, were found to be working in factories, seven were attending 26Baker, loc. cit. 36 college, five were in the armed forces, five were office workers, four were mechanics, and three were teachers other than vocational agriculture teachers. Two of the graduates were unemployed at the time the study was made. Education g§_§he graduates. All of the graduates included in this study had studied vocational agriculture while in high school. Of the 55 reporting, 10 had studied it for six years, 30 for four years, 12 for three years, and three for only two years. The graduates were asked to evaluate the program of vocational agriculture in high school as they remembered it. Table VII,shows the evaluation of 55 graduates on phases of the program of vocational agriculture. TABLE VII THE VALUE GRADUATES PLACED ON THE PROGRAM OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE Value Program Much Some Little None No. i No. S No. S No. Classroom instruction 46’ 84 7 l3 2 4 0 0 N.F.A. program 37 67 13 24 5 9 0 0 Field trips 34 62 19 35 2 4 0 0 Supervised farming 32 58 15 27 8 l5 0 0 Contests and teams 29 53 13 24 10 18 3 6 Fairs and exhibits 26 47 20 36 3 6 6 ll A majority of the graduates reported all phases of the program were of much value to them except the area of fairs and exhibits. As many as 15 per cent of the graduates 37 reported supervised farming, and contests and teams of little value to them. Nine, or 17 per cent of the graduates report— ing, reported that contests, teams, fairs,and exhibits were of no value to them. It was significant to note that class— room instruction was rated as being of much value by 46, or 84 per cent of the graduates reporting. The graduates were asked on the check list if they would want their sons to study vocational agriculture in high school. It was found that 44, or 80 per cent of the graduates reporting wanted their sons to study vocational agriculture in high school. A variety of educational experiences had been participated in by the graduates since leaving high school. Table VIII, shows these experiences. TABLE VIII EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES PARTICIPATED IN BY GRADUATES SINCE LEAVING HIGH SCHOOL Type of educational Graduates participatigg _g eXperiences Number Per cent Attended college 32 58.1 Attended Institutional-on-Farm Training School for Veterans 5 9.0 Attended trade school 4 7.3 Attended business school 2 3.6 Attended graduate school or university 2 3.6 None 20 36.3 38 Fifty-eight per cent of the graduates had attended college. Twenty of the graduates had not furthered their education, five had attended veteran‘s farm school, four had attended trade school, two had attended business school, and two had attended graduate school. Of the five who had attended veteran's farm school, three reported that they were still farming. Occupations Qf_the fathers gf_the graduates. A study of the occupations of the fathers of the graduates while their sons were in high school showed that fifty fathers were farm- ing, one father was a commercial fisherman, and four fathers were unemployed at the time their sons were in high school. Of the parents engaged in farming while their sons were in high school, a limited analysis was made of their farming business, and their farming status. It was found that the average size of farm operated was 89 acres. Forty-three, or 86 per cent of these farmers were owners, three were renters, and four were sharecroppers. Characteristics of the High School Graduates Now Farming The writer, in attempting to analyze and present the data concerning the characteristics of the high school graduates who reported that they are now farming, was concerned 39 because only eight or 15 per cent of the graduates were found to be farming. Because this is true, it seems that the out- of—school program of vocational agriculture at the Leaks County Agricultural High School is more important for farmer training than the high school program. A report on the out—of—school program of agricultural education is discussed later in this chapter. This section of the thesis is specifically concerned with the graduates who were found to be farming at the time the study was made. The distribution and farming status. The check lists returned by the graduates now farming were analyzed in an effort to determine the number farming by classes, and the farming status of the graduates by classes. Table IX, shows the distribution and the farming status of the graduates now farming by year of graduation. TABLE IX THE DISTRIBUTION AND THE FARMING STATUS OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO REPORTED THAT THEY ARE NOW FARMING BY YEAR OF GRADUATION Farminggstatus Year of* Owners Renters _Sharecroppers Graduation No. Per cent No. Per cent No. Per cent 1941 2 25.0 0 0 0 0 1942 1 12.5 0 O O O 1947 0 0 1 12.5 0 0 1950 O 0 1 12.5 0 0 1951 0 0 2 25.0 0 O 1952 0 0 O 0 1 12.5“” Totals 3 37.5 4 50.0 1 12.5 *Only the classes in which graduates were found to be farming are reported in this table. 40 It was found that of the eight graduates now farming, five graduated within the past six years, while the other three had farmed more than ten years. These findings are in agreement with the statement made by C. E. Wright,27 concern- ing a study that he made which was reported in Chapter II. Of the eight who were farming, three were owners, four . were renters, and one was a sharecropper. All of the owners had been out of school for over ten years. Personal information concerning the graduates now :arming. Three of the graduates now farming reported that they were married. Two of the three who were married reported that they had one child each. The average age of the graduates now farming was found to be 28. The average number of brothers that the graduates reported was three, and the average number of sisters was also three. An average of three brothers and sisters were at home when the graduates were in high.school. All of their fathers were farmers when these graduates were in high school. The average size of the farm that these fathers operated was 217 acres. Of the eight fathers, seven were farm owners, and one was a sharecropper. According to the Census of Agriculture for 1950,28 the average size of 27Wright, 100. cit. 28U.S. Census of Agriculture for Mississippi, 1950. Washington, D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1952, p. 68~9~ 41 farm operated by non—white farmers in Leaks County was: all Operators, 47.5 acres; owners, 71.6 acres; croppers, 24 acres. The fathers of graduates not farming were found to be farming 89 acres while their sons were in high school. Thus, it would seem that the graduates of Leaks County Agricultural High School whose fathers were farming large acreages while they were in high school are now farming. Why the graduates are now germing. The reasons given by the graduates now farming as to why they are now farming is reported in Table X. On the check list mailed to the graduates, they were asked to check the reason or reasons which best described why they are farming. Some of them wrote in reasons other than those listed on the check list. TABLE X THE REASONS GRADUATES GAVE WHY THEY ARE NOW FARMING Graduates reporting, Reasons Number Per cent Like to farm 6 75.0 Vocational agricultural training 5 62.5 G.I. Bill of Rights, and Veterans' Farm Training School 4 50.0 To care for mother 1 12.5 Trained in farming l 12 5 Own.boss 1 12.5 A future in farming 1 12.5 Ipfluenced by parents 1 12.5 42 Fifty per cent or more of the graduates reported that they were farming either because they liked to farm, had vocational agricultural training, or because of the G.I. Bill and the Veterans Farm Training School. Other minor reasons were given. Similar findings were made by Arthur P. Bell,29 which are reviewed in Chapter II, concerning why graduates of high schools who had studied vocational agriculture were now farming. Size and value g£.farm operated. The average size of the farm operated by the graduate now farming was found to be 62.5 acres. The graduates were asked on the check list to estimate the value of the farm business that they operated including land, buildings, equipment, and livestock, (particularly in the valuation process). The average gross value of farm business operated was found to be $6,675.00. Major cash crop. It was found that five, or 62.5 per cent of the graduates now farming reported that they received most of their cash income from the sale of cotton. The other three reported their cash crops to be: beef cattle, corn, and forestry products. pr the first farm operated was secured. The graduates reported that they secured their first farm in various ways. On the check list, they were asked to check 29Bell, loc. cit. W 43 the manner in which they secured the first farm that they operated. Table XI, shows the ways in which the graduates reported that they secured their first farm. TABLE XI HOW GRADUATES REPORTED THAT THEY SECURED THE FIRST FARM THAT THEY OPERATED Graduates usingp Method Number Per cent Share rented 4 50.0 Share cropped 2 25.0 Inherited 1 12.5 Bought 1 12.5 Totals 8 100.0 It was found that four of the graduates secured their first farms by share renting, two secured their firSt farms operated by sharecropping, one inherited his first farm, and one bought his first farm operated. Significant to note was the fact that 50 per cent of the graduates now farming secured their first farm by share renting. Source g£_credit used pg start germing, The graduates were asked on the check list to indicate the source of credit used to start farming. Five reported using their parents‘ money and the other three their own money to start farming. Interest ;p_further training ;p_vocational agriculture. Of the eight graduates now farming, six reported that they were interested in attending agricultural classes and meetings 44 for out—of—school persons, and two reported that they were already attending such classes and meetings. The graduates were also asked to check the areas in which they felt that they could profit by further training, in agriculture. Table XII, lists these areas. TABLE XII AREAS THAT GRADUATES WHO ARE NOW FARMING REPORTED .WOULD BE PROFITABLE FOR FURTHER TRAINING IN AGRICULTURE Graduates reporting Area Number Per cent Livestock and dairy production 8 100.0 Government programs 7 87.5 Crop production 6 75.0 Farm mechanics 5 62.5 Keeping records 5 62.5 Farm management 5 62.5 Soil testing 4 50.0 Orchards, and fruit production 4 50.0 Poultry production 4 50.0 Forestry 2 25.0 Leadership activities 2 25.0 It was interesting to note the areas where further training would be a benefit to the graduates. At least fifty per cent expressed a need for training in all but two of the areas mentioned in Table XII. Conclusions relative to the educational significance of these data will be presented in Chapter IV. 45 Farming Experiences, and Plans of the Graduates Not Now Farming An analysis of the data showed that 47 of the 55 graduates reporting were not engaged in farming at the time the study was made. However, four of these 47 graduates were employed as teachers of vocational agriculture. This section of the thesis is devoted to: the reasons why the graduates were not farming; farming done by these graduates since graduation; and future plans for farming. Reasons for not pow farmipg. The graduates were asked to check the reasons why they were not now farming. The list given by the writer did not contain all of the possible reasons and many of the graduates added reasons to the list before checking. Table XIII, Shows the reasons given by the graduates. Considering the reasons that at least 15 per cent of the graduates not now farming gave why they were not now farming, the writer summarized the following reasons: didn't like to farm; drafted in military service; not enough money in farming; home farm too small; and not physically able to farm. 46 TABLE XIII THE REASONS GIVEN BY THE NON-FARMERS FOR NOT FARMING NOW Graduates reporting _1_ Reasons Number Per cent Don‘t like to farm 15 32 Drafted in Military Service 14 30 Not enough money in farming ll 23 Home farm too small 7 15 Not physically able to farm 7 15 Profits too low in farming 6 13 No farm equipment 5 11 Too much risk in farming 4 8 Teaching school 4 8 Wife doesn't like to farm 3 6 Tired of the country ' 3 6 Farm hours too long 3 6 Farm prices too low 3 6 Farm work too hard 2 4 Went to college 2 4 Making a career of the army 1 2 Land prices too high 1 2 Sun too hot 1 2 1 2 Dpn't have any land Farming_done since graduation. Of the 47 graduates of the high school not now farming, 23, or approximately 50 per cent reported that they had farmed from one to five years since leaving high school. The average number of years they farmed since leaving high school was 2.69. A similar study by Lewis,30 which is reviewed in Chapter II, in Georgia, shows that 53 per cent of the graduates had farmed since leaving high school. Future plans for farming. The graduates not now farm— ing were asked if they planned to farm in the future. If they did plan to farm, they were asked to check the plan or plane 30Lewis, loc. cit. —-—* 47 being made to achieve this objective. Some were added by the graduates to those in the check list. Eighteen of the graduates who are not now farming stated that they plan to farm in the future. Table XIV, shows the plans being made by these graduates. TABLE XIV THE FUTURE PLANS BEING MADE BY GRADUATES WHO REPORTED THAT THEY PLAN TO FARM IN THE FUTURE Graduates reporting gr Future Plans Number Per cent Saving to buy a farm 9 50 Plan to use G.I. Bill (Veteran‘s Farm School, and Farm Loan) 7 39 Will operate home farm when father retires 3 1? Partner in the home farm 3 17 Buying farm equipment 2 11 Buying a farm 1 6 Have a farm rented out 1 6 Will buy a farm when health is regained 1 6 Paying for home farm 1 6 ._ The Table shows that of the 18 graduates not now farm- ing who are making plans to farm in the future, the following plans are being made by at least 15 per cent of them in the order according to the highest percentage: saving to buy a farm; plan to use the Veteran's Farm School, and the Veteran's Farm Loan; will operate the home farm.when the father retiree; and a partner in the home farm. Plans being made by one or 48 two of the graduates are: buying farm equipment; buying a farm; have a farm rented out; will buy a farm when health is regained; and paying for the home farm. Information Concerning the Drop—Out Situation at the High School Data concerning the drop—outs from the high school who had studied vocational agriculture were obtained from the records of the department of vocational agriculture. Records reviewed were the annual reports of supervised farming to obtain the probable drop-outs. Some of the drop—outs discovered in the analysis of the reports were boys in the seventh and eighth grades. This is specifically true for all of the drop- outs uncoversd prior to 1949, at which time vocational agri- culture was no longer taught to these boys. Rural farm non-white males enrolled ;p_school Lg _ississippi. From the 1950 Census of Population in Mississippi,31 the writer determined the number of non-white males from the rural farm population who were enrolled in school by age. Data of this type were not available for Leaks County. Table XV, shows these data. 31United States Census of Population for 1950, pp, cit., p. 138 and 147. 49 TABLE XV THE NUMBER OF RURAL FARM NONwWHITE MALES AND THE PER CENT ENROLLED IN SCHOOL BY AGE IN MISSISSIPPI IN 1950 Total Per cent Age . Number enrolled in of bgys school 6 8,640 ‘ 57.4 7 8.750 84.2 8 8.755 89.4 9 7,650 92.2 10 8,265 91.1 11 6,960 93.2 12 8,560 91.2 13 7,690 90.6 14 7,145 85.5 15 6.945 78.1 16 6,875 67.6 17 6,590 49.0 _18 6,425 32.4 A study of Table XV, shows that the enrollment of rural farm nonawhite boys in Mississippi starts decreasing at the age of 11, and continues each year. This would imply that the non-white rural farm boys in Mississippi start leaving school at this age. The educational significance of school drOp—outs will be discussed in Chapter IV. Why the :Qrmer students g£_vocational ggriculture dropped gpt g§_school. From the analysis of the school records and information received from the teacher of vocational agriculture, it was found that approximately 100 former students of vocational agriculture dropped out of 50 school during the period covered by this study. Table XVI, shows the number of these drop-outs by years and the reasons why they dropped out. TABLE XVI THE NUMBER OF FORMER STUDENTS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE WHO LEFT SCHOOL BEFORE GRADUATION, REASONS, AND THE NUMBER NOW FARMING No. of Reasons for leaving school Number Year drOp- To Moved To now _* outs Drafted Farm away {arry farming 1938-39 3 0 3 0 0 0 1939-40 2 0 l 0 1 0 1940-41 1 l 0 O 0 0 1941-42 2 l 0 1* 0 0 1942-43 8 6 1 l 0 2 1943-44 6 5 l 0 0 3 1944-45 9 6 2 1. 0 3 1945-46 6 2 3 l 0 3 1946-47 14 5 6 3 0 4 1947—48 2 0 1 0 1 2 1948-49 17 0 6 ll 0 6 1949—50 1 0 O 1 0 0 1950-51 17 8 3 6 0 3 1951-52 12 2 4 6 0 4 ,_ Tetals 100 36' 31 31 2 3O * One died at the end of the school year. Of the 100 former students of vocational agriculture who left school before graduation, 36 were drafted, 31 quit school to farm, 31 moved from the community, and two got married. Most of these school leavers did not return at the beginning of the next school year except the draftees, some 51 of which were drafted during the school year. Some of the boys who farmed after leaving school dropped out during the -school term. Thirty of the drop—outs are now farming in the community. These 30 constituting 30 per cent of the total drOp-outs is twice the per cent of the graduates who had 5 studied vocational agriculture that were found to be farming. Makel,32 found a similar condition at Saranac, Michigan, where one and one-half times as many drop-outs were farming as graduates. From the enrollment figures of the boys in high school by years obtained from the state department of public instruc— tion, the writer followed specific classes through.high school to obtain the percentage or rate of drop—out by classes over the. period followed by this study. Table XVII, shows these figures. TABLE XVII THE NUMBER OF BOYS ENROLLED IN SPECIFIC CLASSES BY YEARS AT LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL DURING THE YEARS 1941 to 1952 01 f Grades Number 388 0 9th 10th 11th 12th ,graduating 1944—45 8 7 8 2 1 1945-46 10 2 2 3 1 1946—47 20 9 9 12 12 1947-48 5 3 7 8 7 1948-49 20 16 12 12 12 1949-50 19 15 12 7 6 1950-51 25 19 8 7 7 r951—52 24 13 10 5 5 Avergges 16 ll 8 7 6* Per cent of decrease 31 .50 56 62 ——v 32Makel, loc. cit. 52 It was found that of an average ninth grade class of 16, 31 per cent dropped out in the 10th grade, 50 per cent had dropped out by the time they reached the eleventh grade, and 56 per cent had dropped out at the twelfth grade level. Some of these drop-outs left school during the school term, but a majority of them did not return at the beginning of the following school term. Only 38 per cent of the boys of the average ninth grade class graduated from high school. The highest rate of dropping out occurred between the ninth and tenth grades. Second highest rate of dropping out was between the tenth and eleventh grades. Outvof—School Education in Agriculture This section of the thesis is primarily concerned with the program of the adult or evening classes held for out-of—school farmers at the Leaks County Agricultural High School. No young farmer classes were held during the period' covered by this study. Limited data are presented concerning the Institutional-on~Farm~Training Program which the school has Operated. The writer has referred to this phase of the program as a possible area of further study in Chapter IV. Source g§_§he_gg£g, Data for this section were secured from the "Annual Report of Evening Class Instruction“ submitted to the state Office by the school. These reports 53 were not available for four years covered by this study, and no adult classes were held during the school year 1946—47 because the school did not have a teacher of vocational agri- culture. The writer was able to obtain data for the school year 1952—53, which originally was not included in the study. The enrollment ;p_adu1t classes. It was found that the school had held evening classes for adult farmers at three centers during the period covered by this study. Table I, of Chapter III, shows the total number of farmers enrolled in adult classes for each year covered by this study. The annual reports were not available for all the years shown in Table 1, page 28, but in Table XVIII, the enrollment by years and by centers is for years for which data were available. It was found that the total enrollment in adult classes per year ranged from a low of 28 to a high of 155. The average enrollment per year was found to be 79. An analysis of evening class reports showed that 219 different farmers had attended adult classes, at one of the three centers sponsored by the Leaks County Agricultural High School, at various times during the period covered by this study. The regularity of attendance by these farmers at these classes will be discussed in another section of this chapter. 54 TABLE XVIII THE ENROLLMENT IN THE ADULT CLASSES FOR FARMERS AT LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL BY CENTERS, AND BY YEARS Centers re ortin Total W_-_Leagka Comes. . . E. nr. .01. l. m. as; 1938-39* 1939—40 20 34 54 1940—41 21 34 55 1941—42 68 68 136 1942—43 19 68 68 155 1943—44 19 34 63 116 1944—45 19 34 34 87 1945-46 19 33 39 86 1946—47** 1947-48* 1948-49* 1949—50 32 34 66 1950—51 20 23 43 1951—52 19 24 43 1952-53 11 17 28 Average enrollment per year 79 * Records not available. ** No teacher. The number g£_meetings, and the length 9; meetings helg_g£_each evening class center. A large number of meetings were found to have been held at each center each year. Table XIX, shows the number and length of these meetings. All of the evening class meetings were two hours in length. The total number of meetings held per year ranged from 28 to 118 for the three centers. None of the centers held less than 13 meetings in any one year that was reported. By centers, as many as 50 meetings were held in a given center, 55 during a given year. The following section of this chapter discusses the number of these meetings attended by individual farmers by centers and according to the years for which reports were available. TABLE XIX THE NUMBER OF MEETINGS HELD AT EACH EVENING CLASS CENTER BY YEARS AND THE LENGTH OF THESE MEETINGS Centers reporting; _, Totals Rocky Hill Johnson Leaks CO.AHS Number Average Year Hrs. Hrs. Hrs. of Length No. Lgth. No.Lgth. No. Lgph. Meetings 1938-39* 1939—40 32 2 36 2 68 2 1940—41 36 2 36 2 72 2 1941—42 50 2 50 2 100 2 1942—43 21 2 43 2 46 2 110 2 1943-44 20 2 48 2 5O 2 118 2 1944—45 16 2 l7 2 22 2 55 2 1945-46 16 2 22 2 22 2 60 2 1946-47** 1947-48* 1948—49* 1949—50 26 2 32 2 58 2 1950-51 18 2 19 2 37 2 1951—52 14 2 14 2 28 2 1952-53 13 2 20 2 33 2 * No records available. ** No teacher. The attendanc§_gf_the farmer§_g§_the community g3 eyening class meetings. An examination of the evening class reports showed that 219 different farmers had attended classes during the 11 years reported. Table XX shows the number of farmers attending classes a given number of years by centers. 56 TABLE XX THE NUMBER OF YEARS THAT 219 FARMERS ATTENDED ADULT EVENING CLASSES AT THREE CENTERS No. of Number per center attending Total Per cent years Rocky Hill Johnson Leaks AHS of total 1 l 10 16 27 12.3 2 36 15 51 23.3 3 2 15 23 40 18.3 4 17 ll 8 36 16.5 5 ll 3 14 6.7 6 4 4 8 3.7 7 3 15 18 8.2 8 4 5 9 4.1 10 1 5 6 2.7 ill 1 5 6 2.7 Totals 20 100 _99 219 100.0 Of the 11 years of adult evening classes reported and of the 219 farmers who attended these classes, the highest per cent had attended classes two years. Thirty per cent of the farmers attended classes five or more years. Approximately six per cent of the farmers attended classes at least 10 years. Probably, it should be mentioned here that some of the farmers did not attend classes in consecutive years. In some cases a farmer missed one or two years, and then re—enrolled. In most centers, new members were enrolled each year. Only six, of the 219 farmers were enrolled by the teacher each year for 11 years. It was interesting to note the numbers of the members of the evening classes who attended a specified per cent of the meetings. Table XXI, shows these figures. 57 TABLE XXI THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS BY PER CENT ATTENDANCE OF THE TOTAL MEETINGS OF THE ADULT CLASSES IN AGRICULTURE CONDUCTED BY THE LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL Y Per cent of meetings attended* Total ear 0 to 25 26 to 50 51 to 75 over 75‘ enrollment 1939-40 11 28 8 7 54 1940—41 39 15 l 55 1941—42 84 52 136 1942—43 89 62 4 155 1943—44 58 46 12 116 1944-45 10 42 19 16 87 1945—46 15 45 ’ 24 2 86 1949-50 25 25 ll 5 66 1950—51 2 17 16 8 43 1951-52 1 16 13 13 43 1952-53 1 7 7 13 28 Sub totals 335 355 115 64 869 Per cent of’total enrollment 38 41 14 7 100 * A farmer had to attend at least 3 meetings to be considered as enrolled. Thirty-eight per cent of the farmers attended up to 25 per cent of the meetings; 41 per cent of the farmers attended between 26 and 50 per cent of the meetings; 14 per cent of the farmers attended between 51 and 75 per cent of the meetings; and only seven per cent of the farmers attended over seventy-five per cent of the meetings. These figures were computed on the basis of the number of meetings held per year and the per cent attended by an individual farmer by years. 58 The number 93 practices garried out py_evening class members as a result of instruction. Many practices were *—-—__—_—_ carried out each year by the evening class members as a result of instruction in agriculture in these classes. Table XXII, shows the number of practices carried out each year. TABLE XXII THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF PRACTICES CARRIED OUT YEARLY BY 219 FARMERS ENROLLED IN ADULT CLASSES OVER.AN ELEVEN YEAR PERIOD AS A RESULT OF THE INSTRUCTION IN THE ADULT CLASSES Total number Total number Average number—Of Year enrolled in practices practices carried classes carried out out per farmer 1939—40 54 788 1416’ l940~4l 55 850 15.4 1941—42 136 2355 16.6 1942-43 136 3330 24.5 1943—44 116 8048 69.3 1944—45 87 1915 22.0 1945-46 86 2076 24.1 1949—50 66 1724 26.1 1950—51 43 837 19.5 1951—52 43 537 12.5 1952—53 28 743 26.5 Averages 79 2109 26:0 It was found that an average of 79 farmers were enrolled in evening classes each year for the eleven year period studied. These 79 farmers carried out an average of 2109 improved practices in connection with or as a result of the evening class instruction. This was an average of 26 practices per farmer per year (see Appendix C for an example of some of these practices). 59 The Institutional gp_farm training_program. It was found that a class was organized June 1, 1947. Sixty-two veterans, including four currently in training, have been in training at this school since the program.was organized. Of this number, 17, or 27.4 per cent are now farming. Summary This was a study of the program of vocational agri— culture in the Leaks County, Mississippi, Agricultural High School during the years 1938 to 1952. The more important findings resulting from the presentation of the data are listed below, and they are summarized in the same order and arrangement as they appear in the presentation. Trends ;3 education ;p_Leake County. The number of elementary schools decreased from 26 to 13, and the number of high schools increased from two to four during the years 1938 to 1952. In 1938, vocational agriculture was taught to boys in the grades 6th through 12th, and to adult farmers in two high schools and six elementary schools. In 1952, it was only taught to boys in grades 9th through 11th and adult farmers in four high schools of the county. Vocational agriculture and vocational home economics were the only types of vocational education available for Negroes in Leaks County in 1952. The average enrollment of 60 students in vocational agriculture for the period 1938 to 1952 at Leaks County Agricultural High School was: 39 all- day students; 93 adult students; or a total of 132. Median years of schooling completed by non—white rural—farm males in Mississippi in 1950 was less than eighth grade for age 25 and over. Personal, sociological, and economic characteristics g£_boys pho graduated from the high school. Eighty boys graduated from the high school during the years 1938-52. Check lists were distributed to 68, or 85 per cent who could be located; and 55, or 81 per cent responded to the check lists. Present age of the graduates was found to range from 21 to 34, and age at the time of graduation ranged from 17 to 22. Modal family position of these graduates was second, and they were found to have an average of 3 brothers and 3 sisters, and 5 of which were at home when the graduates were in high school. At the time the data were secured, sixty per cent of the graduates lived outside of Mississippi mostly in northern cities. Twenty per cent lived in the same county as when in high school. Twentyuone of the 28 married graduates reported the following number of children: eight, 1; nine, 2; three, 3; and one, 5. 61 Percentages of the graduates engaged in the following occupations were: industry, 34; professional, 18; farming, l5; attending college, 13; armed forces, 9; related agriculture, 7; and unemployed, 4. Thirty—five of the graduates had furthered their education by attending schools in the follow— ing order: college; institutional—on—farm training; trade and business schools. Fathers of the graduates pursued the following occupations while their sons were in high school: farming, 50; unemployed, 4; and commercial fishermen, 1. Of the farm— ing fathers, 43 were owners, three were renters, and four were sharecroppers. They operated an average of 89 acres while their sons were in high school. Characteristics g£_the high school graduates pew farming. Eight, or 15 per cent of the graduates reported in the study were farming. Of the 8, three were owners, four were renters, and one was a sharecropper. The average size farm was found to be 62.5 acres, and.the farming business investment was estimated to average about $6,675.00. Most of the graduates reported cotton as their major cash crop. Most of them used their parents' money to share rent or share crop the first farm that they operated. Significant reasons the graduates gave as why they chose farming as an occupation were: like to farm; vocational 62 agriculture training; and the Institutional-on—Farm—Training Program. All of the graduates were reared on farms which averaged 217 acres in size; and all of their fathers were owners except one who was a sharecropper. There was no significant difference in the age, number of brothers and sisters, and modal position of the graduates farming and the graduates not farming. All of the graduates farming when the datanweresecured expressed an interest in attending classes in agriculture. Areas of instruction desired were: livestock and dairy; government programs; crop production; farm mechanics; keeping records; farm management; soil testing; orchards; and poultry production. Farming experiences and plans g§_the graduates not now farming. Fifteen per cent or more of the 47 graduates not now farming gave the following reasons why they were not now farming: don't like to farm; drafted into military service; not enough money in farming; home farm too small; not physically able to farm; and profits too low in farming. Eighteen of the graduates not now farming reported that they are making the following plans to farm in the future: saving to buy a farm; plan to use the Veterans' Farm Loan; plan to attend Institutional-on-Farm—Training School; will operate home farm when father retires; and a partner in 63 the home farm business. Fifty per cent of the graduates not now farming had farmed from one to five years since leaving high school. Information concerning phe droprout situation g3 Egg high school. The highest per cent of rural farm boys in Mississippi tend to start dropping out of school at the age of 11. Approximately 100 boys who were former students Of vocational agriculture at the Leaks County Agricultural High School dropped out during the period 1938-52. Of this number, 36 were drafted into military service; 31 quit school and farmed; 31 moved from the community; and two got married. Thirty per cent of these boys were now farming in the community. During the period 1941 to 1952, it was found that only 38 per cent of the boys who enrolled in the ninth grade graduated from high school. The highest per cent of school leavers left in the ninth grade, followed by the tenth, and 11th grade. Out—of—school education ;p_agriculture. A total of 219 different farmers were reached through three evening class centers during 11 of the 15 years covered by thisstudy. An average of 93 attended classes for the 15 year period. The number of meetings held at each center ranged from 13 to 50, and the length of these meetings was two hours. Of the 219 different farmers attending classes during the 11 year 64 period: 27 attended one year; 51 attended two years; 40 attended three years; 36 attended four years; 14 attended five years; and 51 attended more than five years. The 219 farmers attended the following per cent of the meetings held in a given year: 38 per cent attended up to 25 per cent of the meetings; 41 per cent attended up to 50 per cent of the meetings; 14 per cent attended up to 75 per cent of the meetings; and seven per cent attended over 75 per cent of the meetings. An average of 2109, or 26 improved practices per farmer were carried out each year as a result of the evening class instruction during the 11 year period analyzed. Sixty-two veterans had trained in the Institutional- on-Farm-Training program at the Leaks County Agricultural High School. Of the 62, 17 or 27.4 per cent were farming in the community. CHAPTER IV SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY This was a study of the program of vocational agriculture in the Leaks County, Mississippi, Agricultural High School during the years 1938 to 1952. The purposes of the study were (1) to obtain certain personal, sociological, and occupational characteristics of the graduates who studied vocational agriculture in high school; (2) to determine the number of former students of agriculture who dropped out of school, the cause of their dropping out, and the number now farming; (3) to determine the nature and extent of the out— of—school education in agriculture and to determine its effectiveness in serving the farmers of the community; and (4) to determine the implication of such data for programs of vocational agriculture at Leaks County Agricultural High School, and similar high schools in Mississippi. Procedure followed. A list of the graduates who had studied vocational agriculture during the period 1938-52 was secured from the records of the school. Data were obtained from the graduates by interviewing and mailing check lists to those who could be located. Data concerning the drop—outs 66 of vocational agriculture, and the adult education program in agriculture were obtained from the office of the State Department of Public Instruction, the office of the County Superintendent of Education, and the records of the Principal's Office and the department of vocational agriculture. Some data were obtained from United States Census Reports. A Summary of the Findings. Trends ;3 education ;p_Leake qunty. The number of elementary schools decreased and the number of high schools increased. The number of high schools offering vocational agriculture increased, while the number of years of vocational agriculture offered in the high schools decreased. Vocational agriculture and vocational home economics were the only types of vocational education available to Negroes in Leaks County in 1952. Median years of schooling completed by rural farm males in Mississippi in 1950, 25 years and over, was less than eighth grade. Certain Personal, sociological, and economic pharacteristics 9§_boyg_who graduated rrpm the high school. Check list responses were received from 55, or 81 per cent of the 68 graduates included in the study. The average graduate in this study ranged in age from 21 to 34; had 3 brothers, 3 sisters; 5 brothers and sisters at home when in 67 high school; and was second in the family. Sixty—three per cent had furthered their education by attending college; Institutional-on—Farm Training, trade, and business schools. Most of the graduates now lived in northern cities more than 500 miles away. Only 15 per cent of the graduates were farming, and seven per cent were in related agricultural work. Other occupations in which individuals were engaged included: industry, the professions, college students, armed forces, some were unemployed. The highest per cent of the graduates were employed in industry. Most of the fathers of the graduates were farming when their sons were in high school. Of the eight graduates farming, three were owners, four renters, and one a sharecropper. Cotton was the major cash crop. A farm business of 62.5 acres, estimated to be worth $6,675.00, was operated by the graduates who were farm— ing. All eight were reared on larger than average farms, and all were interested in attending adult classes in agriculture. Important reasons why these graduates were farming were interest and previous vocational training in agriculture. Important reasons why 47 graduates were not now farm- ing were: lack of interest, military or draft, financial, and physical reasons. Fifty per cent of the graduates not now 68 farming had farmed some since leaving school. Thirty—eight per cent planned to farm in the future. Information concerning the drpp—out situation g3 the high school. A larger percentage of the drOp-outs were farm— ing than the graduates. Most of the drOp-outs left school during or at the end of the ninth grade. Many of the school leavers were drafted into military service, or moved from the community. The holding power of the high school for grades 9 through 12 during the period 1941 to 1952 was 38 per cent of the boys. Census data reveal that the non-white rural farm boys in Mississippi start leaving school at the age of 11. Out-of—school education ;p_agriculture. A large number of different farmers had been reached through the adult evening class program. An average of 79 farmers were reached through this program. On an average they carried out 26 improved practices each year as a result of the instruction. Much interest was expressed in the adult classes inasmuch as a large percentage of the farmers attended each year for most of the years studied. Adult Classes have been held in as many as three centers in the community. The number of meetings per year ranged from 13 to 50. Sixty-two different veterans had been enrolled in the Institutional-on—Farm Training program, and 17, or 27.4 per cent were now farming. 69 Conclusions The following conclusions have been drawn based on an analysis of the findings of this study. 1. A low percentage of the boys who study vocational agriculture at Leaks County Agricultural High School enter the occupation of farming. Likewise, only a low percentage of the Negro farmers had attended high school and, consequently had not had training in vocational agriculture in all-day classes. Therefore, the main way that the Negro farmer in this school district has been trained in vocational agri- culture is through the out—of—school program. No classes have ever been offered to young farmers so that the only educational program has been through adult classes. 2. A high percentage of the boys who enroll in high school drop out before graduation. A higher proportion of the drop—outs of the high school who have studied vocational agriculture seem to farm than do the graduates who have had similar training. Possibly, this is true because at the time the drOp-outs leave school farming is the only type of work available to them in this community. Most of these drop-outs are too young to migrate to northern cities for work in induStries at the time of leaving school and since they make some kind of a start in farming, they may tend to remain and follow up any advantage that they may have gained in these early years. 70 3. Since such a high percentage of the boys who were enrolled in classes in vocational agriculture at the Leaks County Agricultural High School entered occupations other than farming, and since there are no vocational education programs for these occupations, it would seem logical to assume that some of these former students could likely have profited more had they been guided into these other types of vocational education while in school. Onereason possibly for these students not being guided into such programs is that this high school, like others in Mississippi, does not offer such programs in vocational education. Such enriched curricula in high school particularly the addition of vocational educa— tion subjects would likely increase the holding power of the schools. Even it might increase the percentage of students enrolling in high school. 4. The average size of farm operated by graduates now farming who had studied vocational agriculture was not quite as large as the average farm operated by non—white owner operators in Leaks County in 1950. However, the size of the farms of fathers of graduates who are now farming was much larger than the average farm operated by nonawhite farmers. Graduates of vocational agriculture now farming expressed a definite need for further training in agriculture. 71 5. A large number of rural boys from the Leaks County Agricultural High School Community migrated to northern cities. It would seem that this would help to justify federal aid for vocational education. By providing federal aid for vocational education, a citizen could be trained in one section of the country to do proficient work in another section of the country. This training would also prepare the citizen for the pursuit of a gainful occupation in Mississippi if the vocational opportunities were available. However, this is not the case for many of the occupations. 6. All boys are required to study vocational agri- culture in high school, and the curriculum does not provide for elective courses (see page 81 in the appendix). Also, the school does not have a counseling and guidance program for its students other than that provided by busy teachers. Such a program, if available, might help to discover students with problems who for the lack of guidance drop out of school. These two conditions are probably the principal factors con- tributing to the number of drOp-outs from.the Leaks County Agricultural High School. 7. In addition, a high percentage of the rural-farm male pupils in the Leaks County Agricultural High School area do not attend school beyond the eighth grade and thus vocational agriculture at the high school level has no opportunity to influence these persons who never attend high school. 72 Recommendations The writer would suggest these recommendations for the consideration of persons responsible for the administra— tion of the Leaks County Agricultural High School. Recommenda— tions might be applicable to similar rural Negro schools in Mississippi. 1. It would seem that if vocational agriculture is to reach the Negro farmer in Leaks County, the out—of—school program of agricultural education should be expanded. More emphasis should be placed on young farmer classes and adult farmer classes. More adult farmer class centers should be organized in sections of the school district not now being reached. Young farmer classes should be organized to provide vocational agriculture instruction for drop-outs from high school, and for graduates of vocational agriculture who farm. Rural farm boys who have never attended high school, but who have entered the occupation of farming should be encouraged to enroll in young farmer classes. 2. The possibility for Offering vocational agri~ culture to boys in the seventh and eighth grades who are desirous of entering the occupation of farming should be considered again. Many of the boys who drop-out of school early could be reached through an in—school program in this way. This does not mean that less emphasis should be placed 73 on the high school program of vocational agriculture. It would seem, however, that boys for these classes should be screened, and only those boys who were sincerely interested, who had home situations that were conducive to carrying out supervised farming programs, and who possessed other character- istics which are usually associated with establishment in farming, should be enrolled in classes in vocational agri- culture in the high school program. 3. A program of vocational guidance should be organized and staffed by trained personnel to assist the students in planning their careers, to improve the curriculum of the school, and to improve the holding power of the school. At the time the study was made, no organized guidance program in the school was available for the students. 4. The school should evaluate and reorganize its curriculum to make needed courses of study available to the students. There is a need for diversified offerings in vocational education and industrial arts courses. Much thought and planning should be done by administrators, teachers, lay leaders, and citizens committees to make sure that the right type of courses are placed in the curriculum of the school. Only those courses which will fulfill a definite need for the student in the community, or for the student in the world of work and society should be included 74 in the curriculum. It would seem that if the Leaks County Agricultural High School is to fulfill its role as an institution of learning, its objectives and goals could be well set on preparing citizens for the world inasmuch as the data have shown that most of the boys who graduate from this school scatter widely geographically. Every effort should be made to provide for the needs of the Negro children of the Leaks County Agricultural High School Community. Suggestions for Further Study This study has suggested to the writer the following areas for further study. 1. A follow—up study of the former students of vocational agriculture of Leaks County Agricultural High School for the period 1926 to 1938 should be made. Commencing from 1953, a followeup study of the former students of vocational agriculture should be made every five years. Every ten years, a case study of the students who were followed up and found to be farming the past five years should be made. 2. The Institutional On-Farm-Training Program should be studied to determine the effect it has had on the community, and the benefits that Negro Veterans have derived from it. 3. The student-personnel files of the school should be improved so that the teaching staff could more effectively 75 counsel students. These records should help to identify students in need of counseling before they drop out of school. 4. An occupational study should be made to determine the number and kind of job opportunities available for Negroes in Leaks County, Mississippi. 5. The availability of vocational education for Negroes in Mississippi should be studied. After the avail- ability of vocational education for Negroes is determined, a long time plan should be made which would assure adequate vocational education for every Negro in Mississippi who desired it and could profit by it. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Good, Barr, and Scates, Methodology in Educational Research, New York: Appleton-Century, 1936,890 pp. Sixteenth Census of the United States,_l940, Population Characteristics by Age, Marital Status, Relationship, Education, and Citizenship, Volume IV, Part 3. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Washington, D.C: United States Government Printing Office, 1943, 903 pp. United States Census of Agriculture for Mississippi, 1950, United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Volume I, Part 22 of 48 parts. Washington, D.C: United States Government Printing Office, 1952, 288 pp. United States Census of Population, 195g, Characteristics of the Population for Mississippi, Volume II, Part 24 of 48 parts, United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Washington, D.C: United States Government Printing Office, 1952, 206 pp. Bulletins Byram, H. M., Survey of Out-Of—School Young Men on Farms in Certain Michigan Communities. Bulletin No. 274. Lansing: Michigan State Board of Control for Vocational Education, 1941, 47 pp. Layton, Warren M., Special Services for the Drop Outs and the Potential Drop Our, Publication No.7408, New York: National Child Labor Committee, 419 Fourth Avenue, 1952, 16 pp. 78 Periodical Literature Clark, Lloyd T., "How Fifty Young Men Became Established in Farming“. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 12:132—33, January, 1940. Deyoe, G. P., “A Study of the Association of Certain Factors With the Careers of Young Men from Michigan Farms“. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 12:112-113, 118, December, 1939. Unpublished Material Baker, L. E., “Determining the Present Farming Efficiency of Graduates of the Madison County High School Who Had Had Four Years of Vocational Agriculture in the Years 1935 to 1939“. Unpublished Masters Problem, The University of Georgia, 1951, 57 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bulletin No. 180, Supplement No. 6} Bulletin No. 251, Washington, D.C: United States Office of Education, 100 pp. Bell, Arthur P., “Occupational Status of Former Students of Vocational Agriculture in a North Carolina High School”. Unpublished Masters Thesis, The Pennsylvania State College, 1952, 75 pp. (in) gummaries of Studies in Agricultural Egucation, Vocational Education Bulletin No. 180, Supple— ment No. 6, Bulletin No. 251, Washington, D.C: U.S. Office of Education, 100 pp. Briggs, John E. Jr., "A Study of the Occupational Placement of Former Negro Students of Vocational Agriculture in District II, Georgia From 1948—52". (in) Unpublished Masters Study, Michigan State College, 1953, 51 pp. Cotter, James, “Why Rural Boys Drop Out of School". Unpublished Masters Thesis, Michigan State College, 1927, 96 pp. Hudson, Joseph T., "OccupationaLgDistribution of Former Negro Students of Vocational AgricuItune in Alabama, from 1938 to 1943“. Unpublished Masters Study, Michigan State College, 1949, 60 pp. Jones, George M., "Establishment in Farming of Present and Former Negro Pupils of Vocational Agriculture in Leaks County, Mississippi“. Unpublished Masters Thesis, Iowa State College, 1952, 107 pp. Lewis, Joe D., “An Occupational Study of Former Students of Vocational Agriculture Who Have Completed at Least Three Years of Agriculture, and Who Graduated From.Whigham High School 1942-1945“. Unpublished Non—Thesis Study, University of Georgia, 1950, 33 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bulletin No. 180, Supplement NO. 5, Bulletin No. 248, Washington, D.C: U. S. Office of Education, 62 pp. Makel, George, "A Follow-Up Survey of Graduates and Non- Graduates From the Saranac Michigan High School During the Period 1935 to 1949". Unpublished Masters Thesis, Michigan State College, 1952, 135 pp. McFatter, Oren S., "A Study of the Occupational Status of Former Graduates of Vocational Agriculture of Plain Dealing High School, 1928-1950". Unpublished Masters Thesis, Louisiana State University, 1951, 66 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bulletin NO. 180, Supplement No. 6, Bulletin NO. 251, Washington, D.C: U. S. Office of Education, 100 pp. Morrison, Dorsey D., "An Occupational Follow—Up Study of Former Pupils of the Quitman High School, Quitman, Georgia“. Unpublished Non—Thesis Study, University of Georgia, 1950, 63 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bulletin No. 180, Supplement No. 5, Bulletin NO. 248, Washington, D.C: U. S. Office of Education, 62 pp. Smith, Ethelbert, "A Follow—Up Study of Graduates of Vocational Agriculture in Four High Schools for Negroes in Bienville Parish, Louisiana from 1948 to 1952“. Unpublished Masters 'Study, Michigan State College, 1953, 49 pp. Ziebarth, Carl A., "A Study of the Elimination of Students From the Alexandria Minnesota High School, 1948 to 1952“. Unpublished Masters Problem, University of Minnesota, 1952, 59 pp. (in) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Vocational Education Bulletin No. 180, Supplement No. 6, Bulletin No. 251, Washington, D.C: U.S. Office of Education, 100 pp. APPENDIX 81 APPENDIX A COURSES OF STUDY OFFERED BY THE LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL Grades 9-12 Units or Units or Ninth Grade Credits Tenth Grade Credits Agriculture I 1 Agriculture II 1 Home Economics I 1 Home Economics II 1 English I 1 English II 1 Algebra I 1 Algebra II 1 Biology 1 History, U.S. 1 Total 5 Total 5 Eleventh Grade Twelfth Grade Agriculture III 1 English IV 1 Home Economics III 1 Mathematics, gen. 1 English III 1 Civics ; Geometry, plane 1 Government History, world ,1 Geography 1 Total 5 General Science ; Total 5 l. Seventeen credits or units are required for graduation. No electives are offered.by the school. 2. Only boys study vocational agriculture, and only girls study vocational home economics. .a . - L- - -... - .. ...—... _ ._ _ 4‘ 82 APPENDIX B, EXHIBIT 1 LETTER SENT WITH THE CHECK LIST TO THE GRADUATES Michigan State College 809 F Birch Road, East Lansing, Michigan December 21, 1953 Dear Did you ever stop and think about the many students who studied vocational agriculture at Leaks County (Training) Agricultural High School? Have you ever wondered where these students are, and what they are doing now? I am now making a study of the former students of vocational agriculture at Leake County Agricultural High School for the past fifteen years as a part of my school work in Agricultural Education at Michigan State College. I hope to use the information obtained from the study to write a thesis for my Master of Arts Degree. The information will also help the school to develop a better program for future students. Will you please fill out the attached check list and return it to me in the enclosed (stamped self-addressed) envelope as soon as possible? It will take you about ten or fifteen minutes and the results will enable me to complete the study. During the past few days, I have personally contacted some of the members of your class and they have responded wholeheartedly. Due to the fact that you lived quite a distance, this appeal is being made by mail. I will gladly send you a copy of the results of the study if you so desire it. Thanks in advance for your cooperation. Please accept my sincerest wishes for a very enjoyable holiday season, and a prosperous and happy new year. Sincerely yours, Jesse A. Morris Graduate Student in Agricultural Education. 83 APPENDIX B, EXHIBIT 2 INFORMATIONAL SURVEY OF FORMER STUDENTS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE, LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL, WALNUT GROVE, MISSISSIPPI WHO ARE NOT NOW FARMING 1. Name Age Address city state 2. Distance from your home when in high school. (Check one) __Under 5 miles __26 to 50 miles ,__501 to 1000 miles .__6 to 10 miles __51 to 100 miles __Over 1000 miles .__11 to 25 miles __101 to 500 miles 5. Are you Married? Yes No Number of children 4. What is your present Job2#_ TExample: Mechanic,student,teacher) 5. Number of brothers Number of sisters Your position among them (let, 2nd, 5rd, etc.) 6. Number of brothers and sisters at home when you were in high school 7. How much education have your received? Please circle the highest number of years received inmeach group below. High Schggl Vocational Agriculture Veterans Farm Schog; l 2 5 4 l 2 5 4 5 6 l 2 5 4 Trade_§chogl Business School College Grad. Schoollor University 1 2 5 4 l 2 5 4 l 2 5 4 l 2 5 8. If you did not graduate from high school, please check the reason below which best describes why you left school. Lack of money .__Drafted into Military Service :ZNeeded at home for work ._;Lost interest in classes To take a Job .__To help support mother and family :ZLessons too hard __Couldn't get along with teachers __Wanted to get married ._4Parents wanted me to leave school .__Got married .__Failed to get promoted in grade __Friends had left school .__Wanted to go to the city 9. As you remember your classes in vocational agriculture in school please indicate below the value each part was to you by a check.(v0 Much _§ome Little a. Classroom instruction......... I b. Field trips and demonstrations c. Individual projects...........__ d. NFA programs and activities..._¢£~fi e. Contests,teams,Judging,speaking_ f. Fairs and exhibits............ Z O :3 (D IHII p u . - .__..q. I \ W \ .J 4 I . » EM‘ - _. .. .— - _ - '— _._._... _~ 1... ”—4.— —-n. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 84 Would you want your son to study vocational agriculture in school? Your fathers' occupation while you were in high school (Farmer, mechanic, etc.) If your father was a farmer while you were in high school, please give the following information: Size of farm Status (acres) (Owner, renter, cropper) How many years have you farmed since leaving high school? If you have farmed since leaving high school, please fill out the chart below indicating your experience. Year Or Years a. Worked on family farm with or without pay b. Farmed at home growing 1 or 2 crops for cthOOOOOOOOOOOOOIOOOOO0.0.0.00.0....0... c. Partner in the farm business at home..... d. Farm worker for pay on the home farm..... e. Farm worker for pay, away from the home farmOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIOO000.000.000.000... f. Partner in a farm aWay from home......... g. Renter and operator of a farm............ h. Owner and operator of a farm............. Please check the reasons below which.best describes why you are not now farming. .__Tired of the country Land too high __Don't like to farm ‘__Wife doesn't like to farm __Farm work too hard .__Sun too hot __Hours too long _4Profits too low __No farm equipment __Home farm too small __Farm prices too low ._;Not physically able to farm __Drafted in the Army Others: Not enough money __Too much risk Do you plan to farm at some future date? (yes or no) If you plan to farm in the future, have you made any of the following plans towards getting started? Please check the ones below that you have done. ._;Bought a farm ‘_;Will return to farm when discharged __Inherited a farm from military service __Buying a farm __Plan to operate home farm when __Wife has a farm father retires __Euying equipment __Plan to use G.I. Loan and G.I. Paying for home farm schooling to get established ave farm rented out Others: :Saving to buy farm ._;Partner in home farm . . ..__. '— _...- o .— 17. 85 Would you like to receive a copy of the summary of this study? THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS. NOW, PLEASE PUT THIS BLANK IN THE STAMPED SELF ADDRESSED ENVELOPE WHICH IS ENCLOSED AND MAIL TO ME IMMEDIATELY. 86 APPENDIX 5, EXHIBIT 3 INFORMATIONAL SURVEY OF FORMER STUDENTS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE, LEAKE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL, WALNUT GROVE, MISSISSIPPI, WHO ARE NOW FARMING Name __gAge Address city state Distance from your home when in high school. Check ( ) one. __gUnder 5 miles ___26 to 50 miles ___501 to 1000 miles ____6 to 10 miles ___51 to 100 miles .___Over 1000 miles .___11 to 25 miles .___101 to 500 miles Are you married? Yes No Number of children Number of brothers Number of sisters Your position among them (lst., 2nd., 5rd., etc.) Number of brothers and sisters at home when you were in high school How much education have you received? Please circle the highest number of years received in each group below. High Schogl VocationglgAgriculture Veterans'_Farm School 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 Trade Schog; Business_§chool College Grad. Schoolipr Univ. 1 2 5 4 l 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 l 2 5 If you did not graduate from high school, please check the reason below which best describes why you left school. __gLack of money .___Drafted into Military Service ___Needed at home for work. ___Lost interest in classes '___To take a Job ___To help support mother & family Lessons too hard ____Couldn‘t get along with teachers Wanted to get married Parents wanted me to leave school Got married Failed to get promoted in grade Friends had left school Wanted to go to the city As you remember the class in vocational agriculture in school, please indicate below the value each part was to you by a check (VG. Much Some Little None a. Classroom instruction....... . Field trips and demonstrations c. Individual projects......... d. NFA programs and activities. e. Contests,teams,Judging, speaking................... f. Fairs and exhibits.......... 0" . . u n J. J ...-.-....— o --.—..___-—. ‘Q a \ ‘- ‘4 - ‘ - I \.l . .... -. O .. . i v _, 1 A * _ - .- -— 7 - -— - .. N - r~ - v .- -~ — .. .. - ..— ——— __- _ — — — - — —- .. m ..—.--——-— — ”......- - _— n n Y .7; - . _— _ . . . .- v \ A u r ... .. - _ __ ‘ .... _. _— .— .-..- _ . - . ___. .— -n— — — .t..-.1 . v . _ .——. l . - t . . e , . J - —-—~. , - - .- ——. —. ._ w--- - I" - , . i- . --- O n a l .4 - i..- ‘1 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 87 Would you want your son to study vocational agriculture in school? Your fathers' occupation while you were in high school (farmer, mechanic,) If your father was a farmer while you were in high school, please give the following information: Size of farm (The no. of acres) Status (Owner, renter, cropper, etc.) How many years have you farmed since leaving high school? Please list the year or years when you farmed under any of the below listed conditions. Year or Years an Worked on father's farm with or without pay .................................. .. b. Farmed at home growing 1 or 2 crops for money.................................L_ c. Partner in the farm business at home... d. Farm worker for pay, on the home farm..__ e. Farm worker for pay, away from the home farm................................... f. Partner in a farm away from home....... g. Renter and operator of a farm..........i h. Owner and operator of a farm...........i. What is your present farming status? (Owner, renter, etc.,) What is the size of the farm you operate? (No. of acres) What is the estimated value of the farm business you "operate? (Please include land, buildings, equip- ment, livestock, etc.,) Please list the number of the following animals that you own. Sows____Milk Cows____Beef catt1e____Work Stock___.Hens___ Bulls____Meat Hogs____Boars____Sheep___,Goats____Ducks____ Turkeys____Geese____ Please list the number of the following pieces of equipment owned. Car Truck Tractor Mower Planter Wagon Trailer Hay rake Syrup mill Disc Harrow Listing plow Middle Buster Georgia Stock Cultivator Harrow Stalk cutter -.‘ 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 88 Please check (VT the crop which you receive most of your cash income from. Cotton___.Milk___-Syrup____Hay Poultry & Eggs___ Forestry (lumber, pulpwood, etET);___Corn____Hogs____ Oats____Beef Cattle____Truck crops____ Please check (v) the reasons which best describe why you are farming. __Like to farm __Wife likes to farm __Not skilled at __A future in __Voc. Agr. training other jobs __Trained in __Farm work satisfying __Influenced by __Healthy life __To care for mother parents __Inherited land __Hard work as laborer __Ideal place to Own boss Grocery bill low raise a family I l Unable to get a Job in the city G.I. Bill & Vet. Farm Schooling _fipther: l Please check (v) the areas below that you could profit by further training in. __Dairying __Seed Treatment __Forestry __Livestock __Crop production __Keeping records __Farm shop __Pruning Orchards ‘__Butchering,curing, __Terracing __Spraying Orchards pork __Leadership __Castrating pigs __Government programs __Soil testing __Poultry production __Other: __Machinery repair __Farm management Are you attending any type of school meetings, discussions, or classes for farmers? (Yes or No) If you are not, would you be willing to attend such meetings? Please check the source or sources of credit you used to start farming. (“7 __Own money __Landlords money __Farm Security Adm. __Parent's money __Local bank __Federal Land Bank __Wife's money __In-laws money __Production Credit Loan Association Please check the manner you secured the first farm that you Operated. (V) __Inherited __Bought __Cash Rented __Share Rented __Share crOpped Please check the problems listed below that you think confront most oung men Who would like to become established in farming. ( 89 __Lack of money _fiLand too high __No situations for __Lack of credit __Wives do not like sharecroppers __Lack of training farming __Machinery too high and experience __No situations for __Army or Draft __No land for sale renters __Others: __Others:_ __Others: 26. Would you like to receive a copy of the results of this study?g+ THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS. NOW, PLEASE PUT THIS BLANK IN THE STAMPED SELF ADDRESSED ENVELOPE WHICH IS ENCLOSED AND MAIL TO ME IMMEDIATELY. 90 APPENDIX B, EXHIBIT 4 A COPY OF THE FOLLOW-UP LETTER SENT TO THE GRADUATES Michigan State College 809F Birch Road East Lansing, Michigan January 11, 1954 Dear On December 21, 1953, I mailed you a check list to fill out. As of now, I have not heard from you. This same check list was mailed to other men who were former students of Leaks County (Training) Agricultural High School between the years 1938 to 1952. Over sixty per cent of your classmates and school— mates have responded by returning to me their check lists filled out. In order for the study that I am making to be more complete and more accurate, information concerning you is needed. Perhaps you did not get my first letter, or perhaps you Just mis laced it. I am enclosing another check list and another stamped, self-addressed) envelope for your convenience. Will you please fill out the check list and return to me at once? Thanking you in advance for your cooperation, I am Very truly yours, Jesse A. Morris Graduate Student in Agricultural Education 91 APPENDIX C PRACTICES CARRIED OUT BY EVENING CLASS FARMERS IN THE YEARS 1939—40 AND 1940—41 SOIL CONSERVATION Planting cover crops Terracing Gully control Crop rotation Home mixing fertilizer Using A. A. A. Assistance CROP PRODUCTION Fertilizing corn Fertilizing cotton Cultivating cotton Spacing cotton Selecting a variety of cotton Producing hay Producing home gardens Producing home orchards LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION The care of poultry The-care of livestock Growing baby chicks Selecting a breed of hogs FARM MACHINERY, BUILDINGS, AND EQUIPMENT Repairing farm tools Housing farm tools Repairing farm buildings PLANNING FAMILY FOOD AND FEED BUDGETS ROOM us: om . - ' ._ ' — .. 300% 355 EN". . [Play 8 ’56 May 13’56 . - ' May 22.56 We}? 7";ng v—Tfi—__ -. , .._ - vwr . w - v~ »- ... . 1' . ~ m: *7rmi;¥~‘iw Ts: » A, _ h'l'aizgtc7%%'*31.f‘fib. r31!» rng-J 'fl (n. I ' ”#15, » “ng , ~ ‘. o‘“'. _ . o‘ . . -l. 3...." '3 ,K‘A.‘ .. 3 ‘ f, - "3&3:st ‘3: fr, ~ . x » :e-s-znr-ggi' A .' av- ‘Q: . _.. _' .. PM? : . -. {:3 a * hwy. ‘ r. .9- -, j. , ~ . ' v ' Y$ -. 'w 21... 1g : u ‘l " ‘ ' I1 .r/!:‘ ijri-s' .1" I I“ - p . .1 . . ym“v4fi _- . it" .45.; g (Vi, ("21); I g ‘(wv J U" a ti» rIF"V . ' '_.—., vu' -. I" “_.-__.J..—’A-; .: 'T'-'-r ‘r’A'ul 3*. x’ -“ ' " x ;. IT'S ?. ‘. x-i‘x 7 ‘10,- . 1 .'~- .12: 3.7-. ,- . I~l'.'