VI Handbook of Nature-Study 



his influence and the support given him by the Chautauqua Horticultural 

 Society under the leadership of Mr. John W. Spencer, that an appropriation 

 had been given to Cornell University for promoting the horticultural inter- 

 ests of the western counties of the State. In addition to other work done 

 through this appropriation, horticultural schools were conducted under 

 the direction of Professor L. H. Bailey with the aid of other Cornell 

 instructors and especially of Mr. E. G. Lodeman ; these schools had proved 

 to be most useful and were well attended. Therefore, Mr. Nixon was open- 

 minded toward an educational movement. He listened to the plan of the 

 committee and after due consideration declared that if this new measure 

 would surely help the farmers of the State, the money would be forth- 

 coming. The committee unanimously decided that if an appropriation 

 were made for this purpose it should be given to the Cornell College of 

 Agriculture ; and that year eight thousand dollars was added to the Cornell 

 University Fund, for Extension Teaching and inaugurating this work. The 

 work was begun under Professor I. P. Roberts; after one year Professor 

 Roberts placed it under the supervision of Professor L. H. Bailey, who for 

 the fifteen years since has been the inspiring leader of the movement, as well 

 as the official head. 



In 1896, Mr. John W. Spencer, a fruit grower in Chautauqua County, 

 became identified with the enterprise; he had lived in rural communities 

 and he knew their needs. He it was who first saw clearly that the first step 

 in the great work was to help the teacher through simply written leaflets ; 

 and later he originated the great plan of organizing the children in the 

 schools of the State into Junior Naturalists Clubs, which developed a 

 remarkable phase of the movement. The members of these clubs paid 

 their dues by writing letters about their nature observations to Mr. Spencer, 

 who speedily became their beloved "Uncle John;" a button and charter 

 were given for continued and earnest work. Some years, 30,000 children 

 were thus brought into direct communication with Cornell University 

 through Mr. Spencer. A monthly leaflet for Junior Naturalists followed; 

 and it was to help in this enterprise that Miss Alice G. McCloskey, the able 

 Editor of the present Rural School Leaflet, was brought into the work. 

 Later, Mr. Spencer organized the children's garden movement by forming 

 the children of the State into junior gardeners; at one time he had 25,000 

 school pupils working in gardens and reporting to him. 



In 1899, Mrs. 'Mary Rogers Miller, who had proven a most efficient 

 teacher when representing Cornell nature-study in the State Teachers' 

 Institutes, planned and started the Home Nature-Study Course Leaflets 

 for the purpose of helping the teachers by correspondence, a work which 

 fell to the author in 1903 when Mrs. Miller was called to other fields. 



For the many years during which New York State has intrusted this 

 important work to Cornell University, the teaching of nature-study has 



