Adventism and Rural Life

don · 03-16-09 1:08 am

Adventism and Rural Life Our readers here at atomorrow may enjoy an essay written by Oshawa Missionary College's farm manager, L. N. Holm in 1921. (Kingsway College's administration building has been named after this man.) <a href="http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/ECM/ECM19210719-V21-29__B/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=1" target="_blank">Eastern Canadian Messenger, July 17, 1921, page 8</a> (Holm describes the farm in detail and provides a theology of farming. This seems to reflect <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A06E7D8173AE733A25757C2A96E9C946196D6CF" target="_blank">Teddy Roosevelt's support of rural life (1910).</a><blockquote>The College Farm The college farm consists of two hundred and fifteen arces of surveyed land. About one hundred acres of this is in pasture, ten acres in orchard, five acres in college campus, and one hundred acres in field. The farm is equipped with good modern buildings, a herd of fifteen milch cows, three teams of horses, one hundred and fifty White Leghorn chickens, silo, and necessary farm machinery. It is situated in the southern Ontario fruit belt, and the prospects for fruit growing are very good. There is a fine orchard of select trees which, when properly trimmed and cared for, will become a valuable asset to the school. Last year we picked about two hundred barrels of apples which more than supplied our dining department for the school year. We are work ing on the orchard as fast as we can, and hope to have it in good condition by another year. Strawberries do very well in this locality and raspberries exceptionally well. This spring we set out three thousand of each, and hope to be well supplied with these delicious fruits by next year. This land was occupied by tenants for a number of years before it was purchased by the college, and in attempting to grow crops of any kind we are constantly reminded of the double curse resting on the earth because of sin. We are trying to eradicate some of the foul weeds by seeding much land into hay, summer fallow ing a part, and planting as much as we can in a hoe crop. Then we are building up the soil, by a rotation of crops, providing better drain age, carefulness in tilling the soil, and by the use of natural and artificial fertilizers. The hay crop is considerably better this year than last, the corn and garden also look fair, but the small grain and potatoes are poor, due partly to drought. We have laid definite plans for developing the dairy and poultry industries, and have done something along this line during the past few months. At present the college dairy supplies the dining roon with milk and butter. We also deliver bottled milk to twenty-five families living near the school. This industry will grow as we get more land in hay and have better facil ities to care for our dairy products. The poultry industry is almost entirely new. This spring we purchased a new incubator and brooder and raised about two hundred and fifty chickens. Aside from the need for eggs at the college, there is a splendid market for fresh eggs at a fancy price. As this department de velops, we believe that financially it will become one of the most successful departments of the farm. Practically all the farm work is done by stu dents, who are thus enabled to work their way through school, at the same time gaining an ex perience along this line. In harmony with the instruction given this people through the Spirit of Prophecy, it is the plan of the school to teach both the theory and practice of agri culture. The book of Genesis teaches that the place of all places to live is on the farm. God's plan for the race is to keep close to the soil, and all great reformers in the earth's history have sent the people back to the land. At one time God sent three million men and women to Palestine, where he placed every family on a farm which they were forbidden to sell. City property could be sold, but the farm belonged to a man, or his posterity, for all time. Besides these reasons, denominational statistics show that more than fifty per cent of the boys and girls who come from the farms to our schools, return to the farm often less prepared to cope with the practical tasks confronting them than before they attended school. Courses in agriculture overcome this difficulty. Agriculture as a subject of study contributes to certain values and controls of life the same as any other subject; it applies directly to concrete problems of everyday life, whose solution has educational values; and it liberalizes the education of the student. Successful farming requires education, energy, a keen and orderly intellect, executive ability, foresight, wide experience and a knowledge of farm machinery. Which of these qualities do you desire? Come to Oshawa Missionary College and our farm department will help you acquire them. L. N. HOLM Farm Manager <a href="http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/ECM/ECM19210719-V21-29__B/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=1" target="_blank">http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/ECM/ECM19210719-V21-29__B/index.djvu?djvuo pts&page=1</a> </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kingswaycollege.on.ca/admin/images/Building&Facilities/admin%20(2).JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.atomorrow.net/discus/messages/10/802.jpg" alt=""></a> (Click on picture to enlarge) .

bob_2 · 03-16-09 3:55 am

Try putting a chicken coup in that suburban area and see what the zoning boys do to you, eh???? To say nothing of the stench from the dairy cattle, that close to suburban homes. Good research for the article though, Don, and a good choice for a rename or combined name with Leland.

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#1 03-16-09 1:08 am

Adventism and Rural Life

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