CALIFORNIA ITEMS 



In appointing John W. Wilkinson Supervisor of Agri- 

 culture and Horticulture in the San Diego city schools, the 

 Board of Education seems to have made a fortunate choice. Super- 

 intendent McKinnon is encouraged over the outlook for this new 

 feature of the work. An admirably definite and progressive plan 

 for the garden work in each of the grammar schools and the or- 

 ganization of a boys' and girls' agricultural club in each school are 

 two steps toward success already taken by Supervisor Wilkinson. 

 San Diego is the first and only city in California to have a 

 supervisor of agriculture. 



The City of Los Angeles has also taken an important step 

 in the direction of introducing agriculture, school gardens 

 on a larger scale, and better nature-study, by the appointment of 

 a special committee of four members of the teaching force for 

 the express purpose of introducing garden work into every 

 school in the city, and beginning the study of agriculture in the 

 grammar grades in a rational manner. 



Agricultural Education is to be given a separate section 

 meeting in the Southern California Teachers' Association, which 

 meets in Los Angeles the third week in December. 



Agriculture as a School Subject has been introduced 

 into the grammar grades of all schools in the ten counties of 

 southern California. All this means a more urgent need for ade- 

 quate instruction in nature-study in the primary grades, but 

 many school people do not seem to realize this. The mere 

 selection of a good text on agriculture is not sufficient to insure 

 to our boys and girls the full benefit which the study of agricul- 

 ture should bring to them. The State Superintendent of Public 

 Instruction is about to issue a special circular calling attention 

 to this important matter. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 

 Gi.nx and Company. 



Domesticated Animals and Plants. By Eugene Davenport. 

 Hexhy Holt and Company. 



Hardy Plants for Cottage Gardens. By Helen R. Albee. 



The Prince and his Ants. By Luigi Bertelli Vamba. 



Translated by S. F. Woodruff. Edited by Vernon L. Kellogg. 

 D. C. Heath axd Company. 



Farm Friends and Farm Foes. By Clarence M. Weed. 

 Sturgis axd Walton Company. 



Children's Gardens for Pleasure, Health and Education. By Henry 

 G. Parsons. 



