Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-21

boys wanted to find which was the
better-the one ear stand of corn or
the two ear stand they did not rely
upon the words of their agriculture
books but went into the fields, gath
cred the corn and weighed it. Even
the younger boys were interested.
| There was contact there.
Many teachers use tho Rotation
| Plan" in teaching agriculture. This
| plan is teaching n new subject each
year thru four successive years. BY
this method the child is not required
to take tho same thing year after
year or study what has been recited
| in his presence by the older pupils
. Tho Rotation Plan" is all right
where the school has the work for
cash yea planned or where a teacher
remains in the same school for sew
eral years.
use a plan similar to the ''Rota-
| ton Plan. But instead of teaching
Growing Things one year and
Making Things the next year and
so on for four years 1 bring them
all into one year by dividing the
term into three parts, fall, winter and
spring. This makes 1t easier TO
teach the things of special interest
in each of the seasons.
In the fall We study tho chief crops
of the neighborhood and the harvest
ing and storage of vegetables for win
ter use, make fruit surveys and col
lcct and study seeds. Fall is also a
good time to study insect life and
plant diseases.
During the winter months the pupils
make stock surveys. The feeding and
care OF stock is also studied. Farm
ing is a business. To know what the
business is doing 1t is necessary TO
keep accounts, so part of the WIN
ter months is spent with farm ac-
counts. One or two in the class keep
an account of dairy cows: others OF
chickens and hogs. No record should
be kept for which use cannot be
definitely shown.
AS February Is tho time for graft
ing and trimming fruit trees. the last
one or two has been spent along this
limo. The class IL taking great deal
Of interest and has mado several cN-
pcr!ments. We arc now getting ready
| to study soils and tho rotation OF
crops. / have asked tho CLASS to bring
bottles filled with clay. adobe. loan
sand and gravel. or course when We
begin to mako experiments with tn
different kinds OF soil larger amounts
| Will be necessary.
In. tho spring wc begin nlannin'
gardens carly. Each child draws ;
map of his own garden before h
makes hi. garden. l find the seed cat
slogucs great help in school gar
dcning. They arc up TO date and hnv'
attractive pictures. Many OF them give
~ =
good time to test seeds. This should
come before planting tho gardens.
There arc so many different things
to teach in each of the seasons ons
need not be afraid OF agriculture hc-
coming nonotonous to the child. OF
course, II n teacher remains scvcra
years In tho same school, she should
teach now things each year.
Even II tho school changes teachers
( tho new teacher will not teach exactly
tho same things last years teacher
taught. Nor Will she use the same
/ methods.
I use tho last twenty minutes In the
day for tho agricultural period as II
Z is easier to take the pupils into tho
I field Mt this time once month each
pupil gives a talk on some subject
In agriculture. Tho agriculture bullc-
tins. put out by the government. arc
great help to the child in preparing
his taik.-Las Animas Democrat.