Eatonville High School Ag Room (ca. 1916)

This shot of the Ag Room at the high school is packed with detail about what farming was all about back then. Notice the poster for the farm horse, and others on the hog, the sheep and bottler are covering one on beef.

Lots of grasses are being grown and lots of testing.

The Popular Educator wrote in December 1915 of Eatonville’s Ag department:

“With seven acres as a background, agriculture began in real earnest — agriculture which is being learned not only by school chilren, but by their parents and anyone in the district who will learn. Eatonville must hope to be a strong agricutlural center when the teimber begins to fail.

“As a beginning in practical agriculture, then, three pens of pure bred poultry were obtained from the State Agriculture Experiment Stations, and were kept on the school grounds and cared for by the class in agriculture. This created a great deal of interest among the pupils, who kept records of feed and of egg productions.  Good results were obtained , and the immediate and direct benefit to the community has been more good poultry in Eatonville this year than in may years before.

“The class in agriculture also purchased six pigs, paying three dollars each for them and buying all feed at retail. These were also cared for on the school farm, and accurate records kept, showing feeding, expense and increase in weight each week. Prizes of five, three and two dollars were offered by citizen [for the best raised pigs]. And as a result to the community, the parents are gaining confidence in the school. One man who saw his boy’s record decided that his hon knew more about raising pigs than he did, and turned his pigs over the boy to manage.

Besides these experiments in managing live stock, there were over two hundred experiments in grains, grasses, and various crops carried on by the class in agriculture. These best breeds of live stock, the best crops to suit local conditions, will be determined by these experiments and by visits to successful farms nearby.”

Photo and information courtesy of the Haynes family and Rich and Ruthie Williams.

Click on image to enlarge.