2 1 8 THE NA TURE-STUD V REVIEW [s:8-nov.. 1^09 



experience with oranges will be repeated in her secondary instruc- 

 tion in agriculture and, from a mixture of several elements or 

 types of instruction, only one or two become the accepted stand- 

 ard, remains for the future to disclose. Present signs indicate 

 that at least three will be of permanent value — the special state 

 school of agriculture, the regular high school with an agricultural 

 course, and the high school that emphasizes agriculture in teach- 

 ing natural science. Several high schools have announced that 

 they will introduce agriculture next year and the problem of 

 securing properly qualified teachers is one of the chief difficulties 

 now confronting us. 



AGRICULTURE IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OF 



LOUISIANA 



By V. L. ROY 

 Department 'of Agricultural Extension, University of Louisiana 



The incorporation of a new subject into an established school 

 system is not a thing to be accomplished by fiat of school authori- 

 ties. Years ago, Louisiana's legislature enacted a law requiring 

 the elements of agriculture to be taught in every common school 

 in the State. Until 1905, nothing was or could be done to carry 

 the law into effect. Then a new and virile school administration 

 began to grapple with the problem . Today a large majority of the 

 common schools are doing effective work along one or more of the 

 different phases which the subject assumes in our school system. 



Below the seventh grade there is no formal instruction given in 

 the subject. Here the work consists of nature-study, school- 

 gardening and home growing of crops through the means of boys' 

 agricultural clubs. The course in nature-study covers the first 

 six years, and has been evoh'ed out of loca,l conditions. A sylla- 

 bus of the course appears in the Louisiana course of study for 

 elementary schools. The work, as outlined in the course, is 

 today given in many of our schools; in abridged form, it is given 

 in practically all the remaining schools. 



The subject of school-gardens is one that has received a great 

 deal of attention during the last three or four years. Now the 

 work is general in the State. Not all schools do the work as com- 

 pletely as the outline given in the course of study would require ; 

 but, in very few schools indeed do we find that subject wholly 

 eliminated. Where that is the case, the students do home garden 

 work under the directions of the teacher. That, however, is a 

 form that has proved unsatisfactory in Louisiana. In schools 

 having but one teacher, the school-garden work is generally' done 



