PROGRESS IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION, 1911. 



By Dick J. Crosby, Specialist in Agricultural Education, and C. H. Lane, Assistant 



in Agricultural Education. 



SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR. 



There is no longer any question as to the demand for instruction in 

 agriculture in colleges, normal schools, high schools, and elementary 

 schools. We read of it in the educational journals, the magazines, 

 and the daily papers; we hear of it at conventions, on railway trains, 

 and in street cars; and we find all of these agencies actively engaged 

 in promoting agricultural education. 



The educational demands upon the United States Department of 

 Agriculture have increased enormously. The enrollment in boys' and 

 girls' clubs conducted by the Bureau of Plant Industry increased from 

 46,000 in 1910 to 60,000 in 1911. The Division of Publications has 

 sent out more than 27,000,000 copies of publications, but has found 

 it impossible to comply with all of the requests from schools for pub- 

 lications to be used in agricultural classes. The Office of Experiment 

 Stations, which officially represents the department in its relations 

 with agricultural colleges and schools, has been favored with a larger 

 measure than before of assistance in this work by the other bureaus 

 of the department, but has found it impossible to keep pace with the 

 demands made upon it. 



Problems in agricultural education received a large share of atten- 

 tion at numerous national educational conventions, including the 

 Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Sta- 

 tions, the National Education Association, the National Society for 

 the Study of Education, and the Southern Educational Association. 

 A new association, known as the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Agricultural Teaching, was formed. The enrollment at 

 the fourth session of the Graduate School of Agriculture was larger 

 than at any previous session. 



The agricultural colleges have received large biennial appropria- 

 tions, some of which are among the largest ever given to educational 

 institutions. The University of lUinois was given $3,600,000; the 

 University of Miimesota, $1,283,900; the Kansas Agricultural College 

 and station, $985,000; the Oregon college and station, $681,500; and 

 the Washington college and station, $485,000. 



New secondary schools of agriculture have been established; 5 more 

 States have provided State aid to encourage the establishment of 

 departments of agriculture, home economics, and manual arts in pub- 



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