TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION R. D. LEWIS. DIRECTOR. COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS SUMMARY This study was conducted in 1957 and 1958 by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station to deter- mine attitudes of high school seniors toward occu- pational opportunities and social services in the Blacklands. Only 137 of 318 rural seniors interviewed indi- cated that fanning or ranching was the maior job of their fathers. Of 150 fathers who were not en- gaged in farming or ranching as a primary or sup- plementary job. 115 had farmed or ranched at one time. The reasons given most frequently for getting out of farming were “the offer of a better job in town" and “couldn't make a living." Each student was asked: “If you were ready to begin your life's work. which of the following would you prefer: (1) to own and operate your own farm. (2) to have an average job in town or (3) other?" Girls were asked which of these alternatives they would prefer that their future husbands select. An average iob in town was the preference of 154 stu- dents (48.4 percent). Ownership and operation of a farm was selected by 106 (33.3 percent). Other al- ternatives were selected by 41 and 17 indicated they did not know which alternative they preferred. Only 10.7 percent of the students interviewed for an earlier study made in Cherokee county. an East Texas county, selected the ownership and operation of a farm. Only 40 students had earned $150 or more do- ing farm work the year prior to the study. Nonfarm work possessed greater economic significance. since 100 students earned $150 or more doing this type of work. Of the 78 farm boys included in the study. 64 helped to operate the home farm, but only 24 received pay for the work. This failure of fann operators to develop a standard rate or pay system for family members representsa cultural lag. Farm youngsters with modern transportation facilities have more opportunities to earn money in nonfarm jobs and thus do not develop very favorable atti- tudes toward farming. Various studies of young people in rural and urban areas of Texas indicate a trend toward cul- tural uniformity. The cultural standards and - : tions of farm boys and girls now differ little those of urban boys and girls. Thus. economic ues of farm youth will become more domin their total value systems. Each student was asked which job he l‘ like to do most. assuming he had the nece training and qualifications. The first choice ~ girls was secretarial work, while the first choi the boys was engineering. Only 12 boys = farming as their first choice. Students who preferred to work as adults ' home county numbered 152 as contrasted wit who preferred work elsewhere. Thirty-four undecided. However. when asked if most of classmates planned to remain in the coun l adults. only 70 of the 318 answered yes. As lo moving to a big city carries a distinctive m high status. fann fathers in the area probabl not exert much effort toward interesting their in farming or rural residence. Any move to down or reverse the trends now underway ' Blacklands first should concern itself with the ~ population. Community members need to ev their attitudes toward personal situations an community. Restoration of high morale shoul the special concern of business people. local -~ ters and other service people whose personal cess or failure depends largely on the local co ity. Primary dissatisfactions of the students cen around the lack of social and recreational fac' Frequent references also were made to the poo pearance of the business section of small t Business activity in many towns has suffered migration and competition of metropolitan ce The desire to cut operating costs, including t frequently resulted in physical deterioration ~ in turn caused further migration. Maintenan these small rural residence centers for comm who work in urban centers will require vig leadership. iitudcs 0/ youth TOWARD OCCllPATlONAl OPPORTUNITIES AND SOCIAl SERVICES IN A SIX-COUNTY AREA OE THE BEACKEANOS BARDIN H. NELSON Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Sociology TERMINE THE ATTITUDES of senior students ward occupational opportunities and social s, 318 senior students were interviewed in pfiunties located on the Blacklands or the nd Prairies area. This area was selected ‘ilample of the better farming areas of the The six counties selected for study were Hunt, Johnson, McLennan, Milam and Na- Each county studied was located within ile radius of a major urban center, Figure be 318 senior students interviewed were at- schools classified as rural according to i terminology. The schools were located in n country or in towns with less than 2,500 There were 160 rural farm seniors and ral nonfarm seniors. Girls interviewed ed 163, while the boys numbered 155. ,e term attitude as used in this study means "ness for action of a particular type toward len situation. As such, an attitude deter- ja characteristic or consistent mode of be- p in relation to particular stimuli. Atti- Ft. Worth -- - W; Dallas _1__ "u " f; .,_ a _dj.%__.mj"1_lj,_m~ --"-‘§..."'-...-- ""‘ """"'L . 7E1 .. " ' 2:." .... un|unnlum nwl a i! QBII ‘m ninja- mafi- ‘n m. . zlu an! “z f’ wllfl-m" pa» Al — ...;:t' .... " "'2... ~\"- 31% aw: ' . m" W“ T "b l e l. Collin, Hunt, Iohnson. McLennan, Milam and counties, the shaded areas on the above map. lolected ior this study. Each oi these counties is with- miles oi one oi the major cities shown. 21-. T. 1 s tudes were determined through projective-type questions and the “probing” technique. Patterns of past activity were used to determine the rela- tive strength of particular attitudes. Each in- dividual’s conception of his fellow students’ at- titudes also was studied. Situational analysis of this type is based on the assumption that people, whether individuals or groups, tend to pattern their behavior in accordance with their definition of the situation. Under ordinary circumstances, the individual uses such definitions as his guide or road map in making decisions concerning his behavior. circumstances are fairly routine for the area, it could be predicted reliably that practically all the citizens approaching a red traffic light in an automobile would stop at the light. This study represents an attempt to find those. norms or “definitions” of specific situations which senior students accepted and were using both as guide- posts for their appraisal of their present circum- stances and as significant determinants in future decisions. i CONTENTS Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Population Changes in the Six-county Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4 Background Inionnation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4' Live-at-home Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Work Experience oi the Students . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4-H Club Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . . . . . . . . 5 Vocational Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 College Training. . ., . . . . . . . . . . t . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Iob Preierences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Attitudes toward Fanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Attitudes toward Selected Farm Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Social Services and Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 High School Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Recreational Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1O For example, in a community where» POPULATION CHANGES IN THE SIX-COUNTY AREA The total population change in the six-county area during 1940-50 was a 1.01-percent decrease. Two of the counties showed increases in popula- tion. Johnson county had a 3.3-percent increase, while McLennan county had a 27.8-percent in- crease. This large increase for McLennan county can be attributed to Waco. The population in Waco increased 51.3 percent during this period. These trends have continued to the present. The farm population of the six counties dropped from 139,694 in 1940 to 74,816 in 1950, a decline of 46.4 percent. The comparable change for the State as a whole was a 39.8-percent loss. The number of farms in the six counties de- clined from 23,871 in 1945 to 19,608 in 1950, a drop of 17.9 percent. For the State as a whole, the corresponding change was a 13.8 percent de- cline in the number of farms. An analysis of changes in the age structure of the population of the six counties revealed that in every county with the exception of McLennan there was a population loss in each age category (5-year intervals) from 5 to 49 years of age. How- ever, every county reported a sizable increase in each age bracket from 55 years to 75 years and over. The percentage increases of those 75 years of age and over by county were Collin, 40.4; Hunt, 48.8; Johnson, 59.7; McLennan, 127.6; Milam, 30.5; and Navarro, 62.1. The greatest popula- tion losses in the sample counties occurred in the younger age groups. Particularly heavy losses were sustained at all ages from 15 to 35. For ex- ample, the population losses of those 15 to 19 years of age by county were Collin, 35.4 percent; Hunt, 29.8 percent; Johnson, 25.2 percent; Milam, 47.6 percent; and Navarro, 40.1 percent. McLen- nan, largely because of the influence of Waco, ex- perienced a 2.6-percent increase of those 15 to 19 years old. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Only 137 of the 318 rural seniors indicated that farming or ranching was the major job of their fathers. About 31 additional students re- ported that farming was a supplementary job for their fathers. All of the farms or ranches with one exception used tractor power. Cattle and hogs were significant enterprises on the Black- land Prairies farms and ranches, but only 10 stu- dents reported their fathers had broiler houses. Some 142 indicated they had lived in their present homes 10 years or more. A greater num- ber (178) indicated that they had lived on a farm 10 years or more. Of the 150 fathers who were not engaged in farming or ranching, 115 had farmed at one time. Reasons given for getting out of farming varied, but the three most frequent given were “was of- fered a better job in town,” “couldn’t make mon- ey farming” and “poor health.” 4 Factory employment was the main type work performed by working mothers. Of mothers who worked outside the home, 10 woe in factories. Jobs ranking next in order frequency were waitress and seamstress. 0. 17.5 percent of the mothers of rural farm : dents interviewed were working at nonfarm j The educational attainment of the stude parents was low. For example, 194 of the _ fathers had completed only elementary sc There were 78 fathers who had completed » school training and 14 who had completed 2 y of college. Only nine of the fathers had rec a bachelor degree. The educational backgroun the mothers was better than that of the fath For example, 136 of the mothers had compl high school training. The modal age group fathers and mothers was 40 to 49 years of with 166 fathers and 168 mothers falling in group. Only 29 fathers and 7 mothers were - 60 years old. LIVE-AT-HOME PROGRAMS The attitudes of the students were favo : toward farming activities such as gardens the production of meat, eggs and milk for h consumption. In general, they thought such tivities were worthwhile and represented som the many things that a person engaged in f ing should do. Their attitudes were different from thos senior students interviewed for an earlier s made in East Texas (Bulletin 859, “Attitude Youth Toward Occupational Opportunities Social Services in Cherokee County,” May 19 Students interviewed in the East Texas v’ associated such activities with a low level of ing and indicated that people who spent a l0 time working in their gardens and milking or two cows had little more to show for thei forts than the food they consumed. The Blacklands students viewed live-at-h programs as means of achieving more goods services rather than as deterrents. Of 78 I? who lived on a farm, 72 indicated that theirf ily had a home garden. Of 82 girls who live a farm, 69 said that they had a garden. Of students who were rural nonfarm residents, said that their family had home gardens. Rural farm youngsters living in the Bl lands indicated that 64.4 percent of their fam produced meat other than poultry for home i sumption. The comparable figures found in Cherokee county study was 52.5 percent. U, parable figures for a farm flock of chickens ~ 72.5 percent of the Blacklands students and percent for the earlier study. Families o ~ a milk cow accounted for 66.8 percent of thef ilies of farm students interviewed in the Bl lands, but only 51.3 percent of the familie farm students interviewed in the East T study. ‘ ’e more favorable toward live-at- f? in this better farming area than erokee county. Recent studies fga whole indicate a rapid decline if; - "of all food consumed which was Tqe. The information for this study inilies who had a senior student school. The situation among " ies or among younger farm fam- ifferent from these findings. i’; w I: or. 01-" THE STUDENTS “ents out of 318 had earned $150 jfifarm-work the year prior to this ltional 35 students had earned less farm work. Nonfarm work was It economically than farm work ‘ents earned $150 or more doing the year prior to the study. An ‘jtudents earned less than $150 do- l0rk. was of greater economic im- boys than was farm work. For t of 78 farm boys earned $150 or ; work while 24 earned $200 or _' arm work. Farm boys who earned p; farm work numbered 41, while ed no money doing nonfarm work More than half of the farm boys fey the year prior to the study. The ;these farm boys was different from f erokee county study. Every farm Hf». in Cherokee county had a part- “senior year. Earning during the - to the time of interview in April j .40 for the rural farm boys. farm operators in the six Black- _. to develop a standard rate or pay "u ily members represents a cultural c values loom larger and larger in ;Farm youngsters with present day facilities have more opportunities yin nonfarm jobs. Consequently, f increasingly apparent to farm chil- ff» gsters who work in town generally Q those who work on their fathers’ _' receive an immediate cash remu- f ing as an occupation from which a i_ eived but not a cash consideration I attitudes of the youngsters con- _ing. Of the 78 farm boys inter- j Blacklands, 64 indicated that they ate their farms. However, only 38 '_t they helped their fathers on a reg- the 64 who helped to operate their I said they received pay for their _ ormation indicated that improved facilities, mechanization of farm- s, increased opportunities for non- ww ent and increased emphasis on dance substantially changed the re- lationship between father and son. Most of the boys who worked on their fathers’ farm indicated that their work was spasmodic. Their time was taken going back to school to a basketball game, a play or other extracurricular activities. Satur- day was the only opportunity they had for driv- ing to Fort Worth or Dallas. On the other, hand, some boys whose fathers owned expensive ma- chinery and had heavy seasonal needs for extra labor indicated that their fathers did not like to rely on them very much as a source of labor. Since the economic situation of farmers in the Blacklands is, in general, better than that of farmers in poor land areas of East Texas, they can better afford extra hired labor. Studies of youngsters in rural and urban areas of the State indicate a trend toward cultural uni- formity. The cultural standards and the aspi- rations of farm boys and girls now differ very little from those of urban boys and girls. Thus, economic values of farm youth will become more dominant in their total value systems. Conse- quently, work for low or no pay on the farm may result in a more negative attitude toward farm- ing in the future than in the past. 4-H CLUB PROGRAM Of the 318 students interviewed, 201, or '63.2 percent, had participated in the 4-H Club pro- gram. When asked to rate the activities includ- ed in the program, 83.0 percent gave a favorable or very favorable rating. Despite their favorable reaction to the program, several students had suggestions for improvements in the program. Almost all suggestions dealt with the inclusion of a greater variety of activities and projects. VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE Of the 155 rural farm and nonfarm boys, 141 had taken vocational agriculture. When ques- tioned about the program, all except one reacted favorably or very favorably toward the program. Suggestions concerning the program were made by most of the boys. Examples are: “I would recommend that they give us more farm skill and shop work than they do.” “We learned lots of things like wood- work and how to make farm improve- ments, but the main thing was leadership and responsibility. Safety on the farm also was pretty important training.” “I liked the shop work and learning how to use tools. They also teach you how to get along with other people besides what you learn about farming.” COLLEGE TRAINING Students in the rural sections of the Black- lands viewed college training as very important, but they did not emphasize it to the same extent 5 TABLE 1. IOB PREFERENCES OF STUDENTS lob First choice Second choice Third choice rating rating rating — — — — ——Number—————— Business 60 54 41 Engineer 48 14 7 Teacher 29 24 7 Medical l9 24 5 Farmer 12 13 27 Undecided 24 _ 59 136 Other iobs 126 130 95 Total 318 318 318 as did students in Cherokee county. They con- sidered it helpful but not absolutely necessary for success in the adult world. Youngsters in other areas of the State viewed it as the primary, and in many instances the only, means for escape from a very poor economic situation. This gen- eral attitude is responsible for a smaller pro- portion than might be expected of the Blackland Prairies area students indicating that they planned to go to college. Only 154 of the 318 stu- dents indicated that they definitely planned‘ to attend college; 152 planned not to go and 12 were undecided. Of the 154 students who planned to go to col- lege, 42 planned to study business administration. Engineering placed second with 30 respondents. The remaining students indicated the following proposed majors: education, 16; medicine, 11; agriculture, 11; miscellaneous, 29; and unde- cided, 15. In addition to those planning for college train- ing, 71 students planned to take a shorter period of some type of specialized training. For ex- ample, 34 planned to take a business course. Other types of training included mechanical, 12; beauty operator, 10; airline hostess, 2; and mis- cellaneous, 26. l OB PREFERENCES Each student interviewed was asked the fol- lowing question: “Name in order of your pref- erence three jobs that you think you would like to do as an adult, assuming that you have the necessary training and qualifications.” The an- swers are given in Table 1. The 12 boys who listed farming as their first choice of jobs were rural farm boys. The job listed most frequently by both rural farm and rural nonfarm girls was business or secretarial work. The job listed most frequently by both rural farm and rural nonfarm boys was engi- neering. The majority of the students preferred work in their home county. This preference was ex- pressed by 152 students as compared with 132 who preferred work elsewhere. Thirty-four were undecided‘ as to their preference. The greatest 6 loyalty to their home county was found a the rural farm boys. Of the 78 farm boys, F 23 preferred to work elsewhere while 47 prefe the home county. Eight were undecided. A |= the remaining three groups, rural nonfarm ‘ rural farm girls and rural nonfarm girls, " elsewhere had a greater appeal than work in home county. The students were asked: “At the pre time do you think the chances of your livin your home county are greater than they are living elsewhere?” Only 123 felt that the chad were greater of their living in the home .5 as compared with 183 who thought about elsewhere. All four residence groups were r cord in their answers to this question. To determine what the student thought fellow students’ plans were, the following n, tion was asked‘: “Do most of the young peop your class plan to remain in this count adults?” Only 70 thought that most of t planned to remain, while 148 thought that ' planned to leave. One hundred students did know what their fellow students planned to r. The following comment made by a rural i male senior reflects the thoughts of a cons able number of the students interviewed: “If I could find a suitable job, I woul rather work around here. But I will pro ably go somewhere else. In our class th other morning, Mr ..................... “asked ho many were planning on staying aroun here and working. Nobody raised his han My brother tried to find work here. H finally got a job at 80 cents an hour. H left and went into service.” Another farm boy stated: “I’ve talk to several people, and they said there’ nothing around here. You have to go - a larger town like Dallas or Fort Wort I’d rather be here if I could possibly fin a job, but I don’t believe it would be wha I want. Most of my class will leave th’ summer.” i A young lady thought the future f0 her classmates would work out as followsf “Most of the young people will sta around here awhile because their famili live here. They will get jobs in Dallas an Fort Worth and drive back and forth. don’t think they will remain here aft they get married. There aren’t very man jobs locally, and what jobs there are don’ offer as much as elsewhere. ,Most of m class, after they drive back and forth Dallas or Fort Worth, will get tired of i and then they’ll move to Dallas or F0 Worth.” A primary deterrent to the youngsters preferred to live in their home county was lopportunity. Only 47 of the 318 stu- that their county had sufficient id industry to offer young people sat- mployment. There were 263 who opportunities were not available. UDES TOWARD FARMING "dent was asked: “If you were ready r_life’s work, which of the following ‘prefer: (1) to own and operate your ;;(,2),_to have an average job in town or a’. An average job in town was the ’f 154 students. Ownership and oper- éfarm was selected by 106. Various tives were selected by 41 while 7 in- j did not know which alternative they _r. Students selecting ownership and *5 their own farm accounted for 33.3 gthe students. In contrast, only 10.7 he students interviewed in the Chero- study selected ownership and opera- H own farm. 38 senior boys who lived on farms in jds, 33 selected ownership and opera- pwn farm as compared with 27 who average job in town. The remaining ecided. By way of contrast, in Chero- Only 5 out of the 47 rural farm sen- " ownership and operation of their own but qualifications. _wing comments contain a number of e= ‘seemed significant in determining at- A ose students selecting an average job . d‘ hard to make a living unless you (Ag operator.” are just too many ways to make on the farm.” ould like to farm if I could get set out farming as a sharecropper. You out of debt as a sharecropper. I {it to get a job and save money to I ' ers are treated as low class peo- 3;; they are really the foundation of jle thing.” “n’t like farming. You can make a nd eat, I guess, but that’s about all. ; end up farming, but not if I can in ililoye to farm if I could get set to do Q afien’t going to make any money so you might as well do what you f» do. The more you make the more f} to live; I want to be my own boss, j ‘t I want, work when I want to and I en I get ready.” ‘i ing on a small basis is not profit- fiTo farm you need to have around 500 acres or more. Smaller farms in this area are going out. The larger landowners buy them out.” “If I had a farm already paid for and didn’t have to start out paying for the land and equipment, I’d farm. If I had to pay for it, I’d rather have a job in town.” “I like farming, but it’s pretty risky. When you work on a job, you have a steady income. When you are farming, you just hope you can make a crop. If you don’t, you’re just up the creek. In my whole class there w0n’t be over two people ending up on a farm. That’s two country girls who are planning to marry farmers.” “I like farming and would like to farm, but you can’t make anything. A few farm- ers are doing pretty good, but it takes a lot of land. Most of them I know have jobs in town, or their wives have a job in town. I will probably go to Fort Worth and try to get a job after graduation.” In view of these attitudes toward farming, the question arises: “What are some of the back- ground characteristics of a boy who does have definite plans to farm?” John A.’s father owns 165 acres and rents 345 acres. The year prior to the interview his father had 325 acres in row crops, 100 acres in permanent pasture and 75 acres in improved pasture. He had 28 head of cattle. Both his father and mother received their bachelor degree in college. They had a family garden and produced their meat, milk and eggs for home consumption. John A. joined the 4-H Club but dropped out because, “We didn’t have any adult leaders to work with us.” He participated in vocational ag- riculture and FFA because, “It prepares you to stand on your own feet, go out alone in life whether you farm or whatever you do.” In other words, he valued the leadership training more highly than the subject matter taught. John A. stated: “In the summer I work for my Dad. He makes me keep account of the hours I work and pays me 50 cents an hour. This is the usual pay for farm labor around here. I’m also renting 122 acres on halves, trying to make American Farmer. I will get my Lone Star Farmer degree this’ summer. I’ve always liked farming or anything that is outdoors. It’s hard to get set up in farming now, but I will have a chance at home. I will work with Dad until I can get started on my own. I don’t care much for row crops, and I prefer beef cattle to dairy cattle. Most of the rest of the young people will move away because jobs are better away from here.” I John A. continued: “I would like to have had more math and science inschool. Since I’m going 7 to major in agriculture, I don’t particularly need more math, but I definitely need more science. We need other courses, but don’t have enough students. I don’t really like to see consolidation and prefer a smaller school, but this one could be larger—say 250 to 300 students. Then they could have more courses.” ATTITUDES TOWARD SELECTED FARM ENTERPRISES An attempt was made to determine the stu- dents’ attitudes toward particular farm enter- prises. For example, they were asked to rate dairy farming in the county in terms of its suc- cess or failure. The majority of the students had little or no knowledge concerning dairy farms. There were 161 students who were undecided as to Whether dairy farms were a success or a fail- ure. An additional 16 students did not know any- thing about dairy farms. Ten students thought dairy farms in the county were very successful and 111 thought they were successful. Only 20 students thought dairy farms were losing money and none of these thought they were losing a lot of money. Despite the favorable attitude to- ward the operation of dairy farms in the county, 229 said they would not like to go into the busi- ness. Twenty-eight students had an interest in TABLE 2. SOCIAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES getting into the dairy business and 69 were decided. Broiler houses were virtually unknown i Blacklands. Of the 318 students, 255 did know anything about the broiler business. students thought the people with broiler h were making a lot of money while 50 stu thought they were makingia little money; 2 dents thought they were losing a lot of m and 6 students thought they were losing a money. To determine other factors which migl fluence the attitude of farm boys toward “f3 ing, the farm boys were asked to rate a seri statements about farming. The first read: “Most farmers in this county who wa ' to better their situation have adequa credit available for their use.” Of the 78 rural farm boys, 13 strongly a with this statement and gave it a rating points. Fifty-three boys gave the statem 4-point rating which indicated they agreed it. Only 5 students disagreed with the state, and no student strongly disagreed. Thus, facilities in the county were viewed favorab the farm boys. ~ Rating score‘ Facility 1 2 3 4 5 Total — — — — — — — — — — -- — Number of facilities - — — — — — — — — — Iob opportunities 21 170 33 148 20 Recreational opportunities and programs 39 102 18 240 1O Availability of farm land for purchase 25 162 123 156 l0 Opportunities for special training or skills 17 126 66 212 5 Availability of farm land for rent 18 98 78 244 15 Availability of doctors 16 52 18 372 85 Adequate housing 5 56 72 352 65 Specialized help for farmers 3 54 86 312 90 Educational facilities and program in high school 4 » 62 48 368 75 Soil quality 2 28 105 344 185 Availability of hospitals and medical service 2 46 27 404 115 Credit facilities 1 20 81 428 75 Educational facilities and program (elementary and junior high) 2 26 57 420 95 College facilities and program 3 32 36 396 140 Church program and facilities 1 16 3 412 225 ‘Scoring: Very inadequate, 1 point: inadequate, 2 points.- undecided, 3 points: adequate, 4 points: and very acle l, points. 8 . statement was: ,,, u: men in this county who desire ~- farming can’t find land for l, were about evenly divided among iys on this statement. There were 35 T1: eed or strongly agreed with the there were 32 who disagreed. wing statement also was presented: Ters in this county who expect to f- financially have to spend half _"- doing work off the farm to sup- nt strongly disagreed. The students’ this statement and additional com- during the interviews revealed that the students thought off-farm work gas becoming a necessity for Black- 3~ A SERVICES AND FACILITIES 7}- was asked to rate 15 social serv- ties, using a 5-point scale. A score that the student felt the service _j equate. A score of 2 indicated that was inadequate. Correspondingly ‘ind 5 were for adequate and very ade- 2 gives the scores each social serv- received. Items receiving the high- terms of adequacy were church pro- ‘f ilities, college facilities and program nal facilities and program in ele- g junior high school. Items receiving T re or those deemed very inadequate c}. rtunities, recreational opportunities w availability of farm land for pur- gfpportunities for special training or "II SCHOOL FACILITIES a high school facilities were rated 1- te or very adequate by 33.6 percent ‘iors, practically all made suggestions “m of the school program. Most of tents emphasized the need for addi- "matics, science or foreign language f- need for vocational guidance also ized. Comments made by students q; I the school didn’t have to depend "s port so we could get subjects . e couldn’t get solid geometry ometry this year because you have a minimum of 10 students. If - were a little harder when you Q1’: or sophomores, you would out of subjects like math. Math U- a 4-year course like English. ‘ou- don’t realize the importance of it until you start thinking about what you are going to do.” “We don’t have enough math, science or foreign language. I wanted all of these things, but couldn’t get them.” “I need more math, solid geometry or trigonometry. If I go to college, I will need them and foreign languages. At least 10 out of 30 in my class will go to college.” “I think we will have to consolidate with another school. We like our high school here in the community, but I wish I had gone to a larger high school where I could have taken the courses I need. In a school like this it’s hard to get good teachers and the facilities you would like to have. I’d like to have chemistry, and I Wished that I could have had a better bi- ology teacher. If I get messed up my first year in college, it will be because of sci- ence. Otherwise the courses here are all right, I guess.” ‘ “The teachers don’t help us determine vocations or get a job. We are left pretty much on our oWn.” “No one talks to young people about jobs. You just decide for yourself.” “Nothing is done to help students decide on a vocation or What they should do. The students have no preference of jobs be- cause they don’t know what jobs there are. Most of the boys who don’t go to college just take a job and Wait on the Army.” RECREATIONAL FACILITIES The following comment of a senior girl is fair- ly typical of all statements made concerning the adequacy of recreational facilities: “There’s not much to do here—a few school parties. Our parents don’t like for us to go to Fort Worth or Dallas, so most of the time we are sitting around a drive- in cafe. That’s a joke. If some of them knew how much better off we’d be in a show in Dallas than at one of these drive- ins. I sure wish we had a youth center. The churches don’t do as much as they could. The——-—church has fellowship and games. I belong to the ' church, and we don’t have anything, but I go over to the parties some- times. All the churches could have more recreation at night.” Some of the students felt more strongly about the situation. A farm girl stated: “The community won’t let kids have recreation as they should. The local boys’ club is already having trouble. They are trying ‘to close it. Some boys went over one Sunday afternoon, and some of the citizens went over there and put them out.” The ratings and comments of the students re- vealed an interesting phenomenon. Church pro- gram and facilities received the highest rating of any service or facility. Recreational facilities received next to the lowest rating, scoring just slightly higher than job opportunities. Yet in their comments they indicated that the churches should provide recreational opportunities. When questioned about the rating of the church pro- gram and facilities, they indicated that the rating was of the formal worship service conduct- ed by the churches and thus did not reflect their discontent concerning social activities. IMPLICATIONS This study indicates that Blackland students will follow a pattern of behavior sanctioned by the thoughts and actions of their parents. For example, 106 students of the 318 interviewed pre- ferred to own and operate their own farm. How- ever, only a small number of these 106 actually will farm. Practically all of the students held a negative attitude toward tenancy. The major roadblock which students thought would stop those most seriously interested in farming or ranching was the problem of getting established. This pattern follows a trend set by the parents. Only 137 of 318 students indicated that farming or ranching was the major job of their fathers. Of 150 fathers not engaged in farming or ranch- ing, 115 had farmed or ranched previously. As long as migration to Waco, Dallas or Fort Worth carries a distinctive mark of high status, farm fathers in the Blacklands probably will not exert much effort toward interesting their sons in farming or rural residence. Unless some radically new development alters trends now underway, fewer and fewer individ- uals will be employed in agricultural activities in the Blacklands. Since the small towns have large- ly been oriented toward agricultural activity, there has been little industrial development in their midst. Consequently, rural residence cou- pled with employment in larger centers seems to be the primary avenue for growth in these small centers. However, the students were of the opinion that unless the leadership in the communities be- came more progressive, most of their classmates l0 dissatisfaction centered around the lack of a ating costs, including taxfes, seemingly re would leave their home community. The pr' and recreational activities. Frequent refer also were made to the poor condition or a ance of the business section of town. Appa the business activity in these small town suffered from both migration and the compe of metropolitan centers. The desire to cut in a failure to remodel or modernize busine tablishments which in turn produced furthe gration. Vigorous leadership is needed to c this cycle before conditions become too c for change. Discussions with adults in the area re doubts as to whether the necessary changes be made. The attitudes of the seniors undoubtedl result in a continued heavy out-migration. movement does not necessarily mean that vitality cannot be developed in the area. restoration of vitality and high morale sho the special concern of business people, local isters, school personnel, lawyers and all service people whose personal success orf depends largely on that of the local comm Services deemed to be most inadequate students included job opportunities, recrea. opportunities, availability of farm land f0 chase and opportunities for special training. resentment was expressed by the students t the absence of recreational activities and ties than toward the lack of job opportu Virtually all the social and recreational act’ seemed to center in the schools. With dec enrollments and increasing pressure for more fully equipped school plants, school a istrators face a difficult situation. These f coupled with increasing operation costs growing demand by the students for more s courses and foreign language make consoli a constant issue in many of the communit towns. The development of some small to rural residence centers may come too latef continued existence of a modern high sch tem. However, such developments couldi the continued existence of a modern elem school which does not require the extrem cialization required by a high school. [Blank Page in Original Bulletin] State-wide Research s: it‘, ‘k The Texas Agricultural Experiment Stati}. is the public agricultural research agen i MAIN STATION p ‘ntrs suttsnrtous fl nrs new utsoturotttss A coorstutrtnc sn-rtows oi the State oi Texas. and is one oi te parts oi the Texas AcStM College Syste Location oi field research units oi the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and cooperating agencies IN THE MAIN STATION, with headquarters at College Station, are 16 s, matter departments, 2 service departments, 3 regulatory services a administrative staff. Located out in the major agricultural areas of Te 21 substations and 9 field laboratories. In addition, there are 14- coope O R G N stations owned by other agencies. Cooperating agencies include the Forest Service, Game and Fish Commission of Texas, Texas Prison S” U. S. Department of Agriculture, University of Texas, Texas Techno College, Texas College of Arts and Industries and the King Ranch. experiments are conducted on farms and ranches and in rural homes. THE TEXAS STATION is conducting about 400 active research projects, gr in 25 programs, which include all phases of agriculture in Texas. I these are: Conservation and improvement of soil Beef cattle Conservation and use of water Dairy cattle Grasses and legumes Sheep and goats Grain crops Swine 0 P E R A T I o N Cotton and other fiber crops Chickens ‘and turkeys Vegetable crops Animal diseases and parasi Citrus and other subtropical fruits Fish and game Fruits and nuts Farm and ranch engineerin Oil seed crops Farm and ranch business Ornamental plants Marketing agricultural prod Brush and weeds Rural home economics Insects Rural agricultural economi Plant diseases Two additional programs are maintenance and upkeep, and central se Research results are carried to Texas farmers, wflfigffligLtlvlfigitLsFllimitiltiilttfi?lfllthittllvlitbitisflli I h d d i bl h‘ h i ranchmen and hvmemakers by county agents tiismafid Tanlzltcieaeldltid llfmsii“t'§l’$‘t§st?£§,'?f§,§in§l _ _ _ ing on or serving agriculture. Workers oi the Main.- and specialists of the Texas Agrtcultural Ex- Station and the iield units oi the Texas Agricultural _ S _ filxperimerfitl Station seek diligently to iind solutions to tenston ervtce ese Pm ems- ’ l? f7 ’ j 001a” 6 edearc/z ~95 OIWUTLOPPOLU 6 POgIWIl