306 EEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPEEIMENT STATIONS. 



rural schools. As regards the number of units in the four-year high 

 school course, it was voted as the consensus of opinion that, if a special 

 teacher of agriculture is provided, four yeai's of agriculture are feasible 

 and desirable. There was also considerable discussion of the scope 

 of rural-school nature study and of ways and means of securing up-to- 

 date information on agricultural education. A resolution was adopted 

 requesting the cooperation of the United States Commissioner of 

 Education and the Director of the Office of Experiment Stations in 

 the collecting of such material. 



It was voted to foiin a permanent organization, and K. L. Hatch, 

 of Wisconsin, was elected president, and W. H. French, of Mchigan, 

 secretary-treasurer, with power to decide upon a name for the asso- 

 ciation and arrange for subsequent meetings. The name decided 

 upon was The American Association for the Advancement of Agri- 

 cultural Teaching. 



Somewhat similar State organizations of agricultural educators 

 have been formed in California, Illinois, Mchigan, Nebraska, Ohio, 

 Wisconsin, and probably other States. 



AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AT THE CONFERENCE FOR EDUCA- 

 TION IN THE SOUTH. 



The Fourteenth Conference for Education in the South was held 

 in Jacksonville, Fla., April 19-21, with its general subject the "Redi- 

 rection of education for rural communities." 



Speakers of prominence from all parts of the country and some 

 representatives of foreign countries described successful efforts to 

 adapt school instruction to the wants of rural communities. Dr. 

 Paul Hitter, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary from 

 the Republic of Switzerland, spoke on the " xVdaptation of education 

 to life in Switzerland"; Count Carl Moltke, envoy extraordinary and 

 minister plenipotentiary from the Kingdom of Denmark, on the 

 "Cooperative movement in Denmark and the benefits derived there- 

 from by the United States" ; Dr. II. B. Frissell, on the "Movement for 

 agricultural cooperation in Ireland"; Dr. J. C. Bay, on the "Folk 

 high school and rural life of the Scandinavian countries"; and 

 Clarence Poe, on "Some lessons from the Orient." 



Among the addresses on phases of rural-life instruction in this 

 country were an illustrated talk on the "Reconstruction of the one- 

 room rural school," by Miss Jessie Fields, superintendent of schools, 

 Page County, Iowa, and an address on "Some results of the applica- 

 tion of newer ideals in education," by O. H. Benson, of tliis depart- 

 ment, who described boys' corn-club work, public-school agricultural 

 exhibits, and other features of rural-school improvement in Wright 

 County, Iowa. Dr. J. L. Coulter, of the University of ^Minnesota, 

 described typical instances of rural cooperation in America. D. C 



