PROGRESS I\ AGRICULTURAL l^.DUCATIOX. 1905. 



By A. C. True, 

 Director of the Office of Experiment Stations. 



EDUCATIONAL WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The United States Department of Agricnlture has continued to 

 promote the advancement of agricuHural education through its 

 different bureaus. During the past year increased attention has been 

 given to the needs of the public high and common schools, which are 

 rapidly increasing their demands for assistance in connection with 

 the studv of nature and elementarv aijriculture. "At every station 

 of importance occupied by the Weather Bureau it is the custom for 

 the official in charge to deliver such lectures as are desired by the 

 l^ublic schools in his immediate neighborhood, and to instruct such 

 classes as visit the offices of the Weather Bureau. During the past 

 year several hundred such lectures have been given." 



The Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry makes the following 

 report regarding the school-garden work: 



During the year reijiiests for iiifoi-niatioii and assistance have been received 

 from every State and Territory in the Union save three, and also from Porto 

 Rico. The States of New York, Ohio, and New Jersey have shown the Ki'eatest 

 activity in school-garden worlv. Some 4,000 combinations of flowers, 3,000 

 of vef;et;ii)Ies. and 500 ornamental collections, coniprisini? a total of nearly 

 40,(KK( i)ac kets of seeds, were sent U> New York alone : the other two States 

 mentioned receiving about one-half this amount each. For individual school 

 gardens there have been sent out over l.l.OOO collections of flower seeds, com- 

 pi-isiiif: T.").oo(» packets of live annual tlowerinj,' id.ints; and nearly 14,000 collec- 

 tions, or 70.00O i)ackets, of tive .sorts of vejijetable seeds. A third collection of 

 seeds, consisting of ornamental flowering plants suitable for school-gn)und 

 decoration, comprising ."Mhoou packets, lias l»een sent out. This makes a total 

 of 17."'),(K)0 ij.ickets of seeds sui»plie(l to sciiools during the year. 



The work on the Department grounds in c(»operation with the normal schools 

 of Washington has been continued in charge of teachers from the local normal 

 schools. Tills work consists of instruction given the normal-school students iu 

 the matti'r of liandling soils. i>rop;ig:iting iil:ints, handling seeds, etc. The 

 \arious school grounds of the city of W.ishington have been planted in accord- 

 ance with jtlans i)repare<l l)y the students. School-garden methods are also 

 followed in the homes of the students and elsewhere, if oi»i»ortunity offers. 

 With the view of putting iido practical o|>cr;ition (he knowledge g.iined. a 

 small area of land is set aside on the Department grounds for the use of the 

 lower-grade pupiks. The direction of these pupils gives practice to the normal 



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