The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-03

'tpI u lulu luDDTutpIJ.f IlIcN wv ti''' DIti's
work, and instead Of studying plants by
reading about them. they bring them into
the laboratory.
They also have their lectures on animal
husbandry. After the lecture the lecturer
takes the pupils out to barns In the
vicinity TO examine animals of the type
/ under consideration. or else gets the far
incrs to bring them to the SCHOOL and the
points he has been talking about are
brought out with the animals right before
tho pupils. one day when | was at the
school the class was taken TO see Il fine
Hamiltonian mare owned by n man In the
Z village. The mare was led out into the
yard and one boy held her while the diff
ferent points we've brought out by skilful
questioning on tho part of the teacher.
After n while. one boy thought that for a
Hamiltonian its head was most too long
and 1t had too much OF Romcn nose
We went Immediately from there over to
livery stable where there WIS a fine
black Perchoron stallion. The owner
brought linn out and the boys and girls
then and there compared the two animals.
When 1t came to the study of beef
animals the class was taken down to u
butcher shop and shown there the cuts
of meat which were the valuable cuts.
and were shown why 1t was important
to get an animal for beef that is heavy In
these cuts rather than in some other part.
When 1t came to the matter Of studying
farm machinery, they went 10 the ware
houses of the implement dealers.
Here was n school with.thrce teachers,
very little money, very little equipment,
and yet 1t was n school giving training
In the affairs of life. 1t is what Professor
Bailey would call school OF affairs. 1t
had faculty limited only by the number
of farmers In that township. Those far
mers were telling those boys and girls
how they had succeeded. The laboratory
facilities Were limited by the same town
ship boundaries. Every farmer in the
community. every barn. and every ware
house and dealer in farm implements and
supplies was contributing to the instruct
ion OF the boys and girls in that school.
This method OF instruction Is popular In
the whole surrounding country When
the teacher of agriculture, called away
BY higher salary, left the school, they
went right back to the same college he
came from and got another. And that,
think. is one of the best evidences of the
satisfaction they felt there in the kind of
instruction they We're getting
A point was emphasized here yesterday
by Professor Payne and that has been
emphasized here this morning by Dr.
Knapp. / would beg leave TO emphasize
once more. perhaps in n little different
way II is this.-that we cannot hope to
put agriculture in all of our schools at
once or at present. We must hit the high
places. When We find school where the
conditions are right, and find man we
can put into that school to teach asricul-
ture. we should strive to make success
of it there. and that Will open the way all
the more quickly for successful work
elsewhere. | do not believe in this law
requiring the teaching of agriculture in
all OF the schools with the teachers we
have at the present time. a good many
THINKS must be done before We can ac-
complish such wholesale introduction OF
agriculture into all of the schools.
And now. Just n word concerning helps
for those contemplating the organization
of agricultural courses in high schools
one OF the best things we have is the re-
port OF the Committee OF the National
Educational Association on Instruction in
Schools for Rural Communities, published
in last years proceedings of the y. L. A.,
and also published as n separate bulletin
Then there are the reports of the Com
niittee of Agricultural Colleges and EX-
pertinent Stations on instruction in Agri-
culture. This committee has been work
ing along different phases of agricultural
education for the past ewelve years. and
has issued reports covering different phas-
es of agriculture for college and school
work. One of these reports has been pub
lished as Circular 60 OF the Office of EN-
pertinent Stations on Agriculture in the
Rural Common Schools, another as Cir
cular - OF the Office of Experiment Sta
tons on Secondary Courses in Agricul-
fn,.f ifs "a II buc
taken n number of school curricula and
arranged parallel courses. substituting
agriculture for some of the subjects which
might be left out for the boy who does
not expect to go to college. That is all
that has been attempted in this. The
committee has not tried to create a new
curriculum but has taken conditions as
1t has found them. and made substltu-
tons These reports are on the table here.
If there are any who do not get them at
this time, they can secure them by writ
ing the Office of Experiment Stations.
Both of these reports have been supple
mented by a report submitted at Baton
Rouge last week, giving a series of con-
nected exercises in agriculture, taking UP
the subject and running through it in a
regular aud connected way. Circular 40.
Secondary Courses in Agriculture, was
also supplemented by a report at Baton
Rouge, which will be published soon. on
lessons and eercises In agriculture, con-
templating a course covering two years in
the high school and based on the Indiana
course in Circular 40. This course con-
templates a little preparation in the way
of a study of plants or economic botany
and q study Of animals or economic ZOO
logE
The Office of Experiment Stations is
also ready to send to any of you many
other helps in the way of publications
from the United State Department of Ag-
riculture. We want the teachers to feel
that We are anxious to be helpful to them
in this whole movement. and we can fur
nisl many of the Department Publca-
tions that will aid them, free of charge.
will close with a brief statement con.
corning the work of the Office OF Expert
ment Stations in relation to agricultural
education. We feel that the movement
for agricultural education needs n CEN
trail rallyng point and clearinghouse
These fundtions are already performed by
the Office of Experiment Stations for the
agricultural colleges, experiment stations,
and farmers Institutes. We have now
begun to extend this work so as to in