Organizing part time classes in vocational agriculture, with boys 14-21 years of age in the Ritta community, Knox County, Tennessee

Census data*, as well as surveys**, that have been made in Tennessee, and in other states, seem to indicate that in many rural communities a large numbers of boys between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one years, inclusive, are out of school and living on farms. There has been a feeling on the part of those interested in teaching Agriculture that these out-of-school farm boys are excellent prospects for part-time*** training in Agriculture and that vocational agricultural teachers should provide such part-time instruction for these boys.

This study was undertaken for the purpose of determining:

(1) The actual number of boys between fourteen and twenty-one years of age who are out of school and living on farms in the Ritta Community,

(2) The location of these boys in the community in order to determine the possibility of organizing groups for instruction,

(3) Whether these boys are interested in farming,

(4) In what phase the boys are interested, and

(5) Whether these out-of-school boys who are interested would attend a part-time class in Agriculture.

It was decided before this study was begun that if a sufficient number of boys were found to be interested in a part-time class in Agriculture, we should determine:

(6) The agriculture of the community, and

(7) The enterprises to be placed together in the course in Agriculture for the boys who were found to be interested.