A Farm Census in the Rukal Schools 007 



and irrigation — plowing, hoeing, and harrowing — reaping, mow- 

 ing, and threshing — saving crops, pests of crops, diseases of 

 crops, and what will prevent or cure them — implements, utensils, 

 and machines, their relative merits, and how to improve them — 

 hogs, horses, and cattle — sheep, goats, and poultry — trees, 

 shrubs, fruits, plants, and flowers — the thousand things of which 

 these are specimens — each a world of study within itself." 



The children and their teachers in the schools of the state are 

 to have an opportunity to give a special service to the state in 

 making a census of the " exhaustless sources of enjo^Tnent," of 

 " the thousand things " — " each a world of study within itself." 

 It is a service that will not interfere with the regular work of the 

 school. Indeed, it should be indirectly helpful to every school, but 

 the value of it to the state will depend upon the cooperation of 

 every school in districts where these things are to be found. 



The State Department of Agriculture has requested the coopera- 

 tion of this department in making an enumeration or census of 

 domestic live stock, the quantity of hay and grain, and, to a lim- 

 ited extent, of fruit and vegetables produced in the state during the 

 year 1915. Such a census is considered desirable in order to show 

 the agricultural resources of the state, the progress being made 

 along agricultural lines, and as an indication to the various educa- 

 tional agencies, the sections of the state in which their activities 

 are particularly needed. 



A census of the United States has been taken for each ten-year 

 period since 1790, at which time the population of the country was 

 only 4,000,000, to that of 1910 when the population of the coun- 

 try had grown to a total of 93,402,151, an annual increase of 

 750,000 people. A state census is taken at the five-year period 

 between each Federal Census, but does not include agricultural 

 data. Such a census was taken in June last year and shows a 

 population in the state of 9,687,458. The population of the cities, 

 and a large proportion of the villages in the state, has been increas- 

 ing much faster than that of the rural districts, and the state is 

 becoming more and more dependent upon sources beyond its own 

 limits for food products to supply the people. The rapid growth 

 and development of the country makes it desirable to have accu- 

 rate knowledge of all matter pertaining to agriculture, oftener than 



