324 Bulletin 146. 



Schools of Agriculture and Horticulture. 



The effort to organize schools of general Agriculture, Horticulture 

 and Dairy Husbandry has not, in all cases, been successful, as there 

 was often a great diversity of specialized agricultural activities repre- 

 sented by the persons in attendance, each calling for help. Wherever 

 practicable, it has been the aim to secure the attendance of those 

 persons who were engaged in like specialized activities. In such cases 

 it was not difficult to organize schools and carry on the work consecu- 

 tively and logically on restricted lines. 



The instructors in this line have also given attention to the pupils 

 in the country schools, and while it has been possible to reach and 

 teach but a comparatively few pupils in the *' red school-house," we 

 are led to believe that this work has been of great value, since it 

 touches agriculture at its fountain head. 



It is fully realized that it will be impossible for us to reach all the 

 school children directly, but it is believed that all can be reached as 

 soon as the public school teachers of the state have mastered the 

 leading fundamental principles which govern the soil and plant and 

 animal life, and have come to love the study of Nature in any or all 

 of her varied forms. 



Rural life gives unexcelled opportunities for securing fresh, living 

 objects for illustration. All that is now lacking is a teacher trained to 

 see the beauties and uses of the common objects which surround the 

 pupils of village and city alike. How all the teachers may secure 

 such an education in the particular lines referred to above is a problem 

 which is receiving careful consideration. Something has already been 

 done in this direction and the results reached lead to the conclusion 

 that much more should be done and that the wards of the state, the 

 children in both city and country, have a right to demand that they 

 have opportunity for securing some knowledge of and acquaintance 

 with the natural objects with which they are surrounded and with which 

 the- will have much to do in after life. 



Special Lectures. 



There has been a demand for information on many subjects, but 

 especially on the subjects of sugar beet and potato culture. This 

 demand has. been met so far as possible by sending out from time to 



