<).S() R7-:i'<)irr <>f okktck ok kxpkrimknt stattons. 



Till' l>(i\ s iilsii iiiiikc ohsrrvatioiis iis In harn-ii stalks dI' rnrii in plats 100 hills S(|uare 

 ami I'oinpiitc llu- pfrcciilap'. Tin' timr lln' tassel and silk ajipcar mi a stalk <il" com 

 is iKitrd. It is not cxpcclcil tliat a lOyrar-nM Iniylic ('(inipiifd with a coiMiiound 

 microscope of 10, ()()() ilianicti'is and liaxf him know t he w hi ije ni\ sler\ ot life from 

 the stu<ly of a cross section of a L'lain <if pollen, and thai at a siiif^lc sittinj^. Nay; 

 ratluT have him use his eyi's a little ohservatioii this week, more next week, more 

 next year — until the hahit of ohserviiig is tixi d and silently there grows within him 

 the power to judge and he heeomes educateil l)eeause lie sees things with liis eyes. 



During the past summer- the hoys have held nu'etings at various farms. * * * 



Last winter during the annual meeting of the county farmers' institute a half-day 

 session was devoted to the interests of thi' hoys. Several memhers of the experiment 

 chib gave an aeeount of their work; f-ome of the fathers suggested how they might 

 help along the work of the cluli, while a few teaehers told Iniw the district school 

 might assist such an organization of hoys. * * * 



We are arranging a monthly lecture course for the J>oys' l'",xi)eriment Clul), the 

 Girls' Home Culture Clul) — now being organized, and the parents of Winnebago 

 Comity during the coming fall and winter months on one Saturday of each month. 

 This is made possible by a small appropriation from the county l)oard of supervisors 

 toward the ex^jense of securing speakers. The deficit will l)e made up somehow. 

 The lectures are all free and held in the beautiful auditorium of the new Memorial 

 Hall erected by the people to the memory of the soldiers and sailors of Winnebago 

 County, and dedicated l)y President Roosevelt last June. 



The course, .so far, includes: 



October: Corn Growing, by Professor llolden, L)wa College of Agriculture. 



November: Stock Feeding, Dean Henry, Wisconsin CVillege of Agriculture. 



December: The Kind of School for (V)untry People, by Dean Davenport, of the 

 Illinois College of Agriculture. 



The remaining numbers will he provided for. It is the expectation to close the 

 coui-se in February with a lectnic on the X'alue of Birds to the Farmer, illustrated 

 with a stereopticon. 



A similar club iov ))oys and oii-ls has been formed in Ohio, under 

 the auspices of the Aoricultural Students' Union of the Ohio State 

 University, and a number of clubs have lately been formed ni Iowa. 



THE SCHOOL GARDENS. 



The nature ana extent of the school-garden movement in this 

 country have alread}^ been presented in another place in this report 

 (see pp. 573-584.) 



ELEMENTARY BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS. 



Until quite recently one of the greatest hindrances to effective work 

 on behalf of the introduction of school gardens and elementary courses 

 in agriculture has l)een the lack of suitable text-books, manuals, and 

 reference books. This difficulty is now being rapidly overcome, and 

 especially during the past j^ear a number of useful books in these 

 lines have been published. Mr. D. J. Crosby, of the Office of Exper- 

 iment Stations, recently made a list of some of these ])ooks which are 

 useful to teachers and scholars, and this was published as Circular No. 



