Report of Progress. 317 



PART II. 



Educational Work. 



It was decided at the first meeting of the Faculty of Agriculture to 

 emphasize the educational work, since the Federal Experiment Station, 

 a department of the College of Agriculture, was able to carry on many 

 investigations, especially those which, of necessity, must extend 

 through considerable periods of time, and which require ample and 

 permanent laboratories, equipment and investigators, while most of the 

 work contemplated under Chapter 128 could best be carried on away 

 from the college. 



The problem of how to successfully introduce into the schools of 

 the state a study of the fundamental principles which govern the soil, 

 the plant and the animal, or the study of Agriculture, has been con- 

 sidered most carefully by many distinguished educators. This subject 

 was long and carefully considered by the Faculty of Agriculture before 

 entering upon the work. The leaflets on Nature-study, which were 

 already issued, had been so kindly received and so fully appreciated 

 that it was decided to issue others, and to employ trained teachers to 

 visit the schools and to attend teachers* institutes for the purpose of 

 explaining how the subject-matter of the leaflets, as well as other 

 similar subjects, might be used as texts by the teacher, while the illus- 

 trations could not help but be useful to the teachers or classes in 

 drawing. It was hoped, too, that after the teacher had given instruc- 

 tion on some subject intimately connected with natural objects which 

 attract the attention of the pupil, the object having been used for a 

 drawing in the class room, the description of such object would form 

 ^ a most interesting subject for compositions, which are now required in 

 ' most departments of the public schools. By correlating with com- 

 position and drawing work, the objection of an added . study was 

 removed. 



It is believed that a study of the more common and familiar objects 

 of nature leads directly to a better understanding of those laws and 

 phenomena which are the very foundation of improved agriculture. 

 In the hands of the skillful teacher the leaflets may be used to impart 

 valuable lessons in natural history and in the conservation of energy as 

 applied to rural affairs, and may, in some cases, serve to interest 



