694 TJKTOKT OF OFFTf'E OF EXPFRIMKNT STATIONS. 



In the inodoni toxt-])ooks of .aoriculluic, tlip a<i;ricultiu-al point of 

 view has been more and more' (Miiphasizcd. Yot the ^roater part of 

 tht'in start out with the theme of the compo.sitiou of matter, as those 

 of James, Liipton, Tliompson, Gulley, Winslow, Walhice, Voorhees, 

 Dawson. Of the recent texts, rfames's Aj>ri<'ulture is the first work 

 since Gray's, unless we except PendU^toirs, which makes life, or 

 biolojry, the ])rimaiv theme of the treatise. Mills and Shaw's book 

 starts out with chemistry, but, like James's, it very soon picks up the 

 farmer's point of view and discusses farm management. Pendleton's 

 book, which is the most minute and extended American text, presents 

 both the bioloi^ical and physical science sides, making some practical 

 applications near the end. 



From the earliest agitation of agricultural education the State has 

 been urged, directly or indirectl}^, to promote the enterprise. Arm- 

 strong's original treatise, 1820, was strongh' commended by the New 

 York State board of agriculture. Norton's was a "prize essay of the 

 New York State Agricultural Society." Emerson and Flint's was 

 approved and recouuiiended by the Massachusetts State board of 

 agriculture. Ryerson's was "authorized by the council of puldic 

 instruction of Ontario." Janes's Scientitic Manual was published by 

 the department of agriculture of the State of Georgia. Lupton's 

 book was written under the auspices of the superintendent of public 

 instruction and the commissioner of agriculture of the State of Ten- 

 nessee. Gulle^^'s First Lessons was written at the solicitation of the 

 Agricultural College of Mississippi. Mills and Shaw's was "auth- 

 orized ])y the honorable the minister of education for use in the 

 public schools of Ontario." The plan of Voorhees's work was indorsed 

 by the New Jersey State board of agriculture and the State Grange. 

 Robins's edition of Dawson is published under the authority of the 

 Protestant committee of the council of pu])lic instruction. James's 

 book is written by the deputy minister of agriculture of Ontario. 

 Two text-books of agriculture, one for pupils and one for teachers, 

 have been "authorized by the advisory board of Manitoba" of the 

 department of education; these books are Our Canadian Prairies and 

 Prairie Agriculture. 



A new motive appeared in the American text-books of agriculture 

 in 1901, when Professor Brooks published his Agriculture, in three 

 volumes, for use in a correspondence school. These volumes proceed 

 from the chemical-composition idea, but soon take up the subject from 

 the view point of farm practice. 



The most recent tendency in text-books of agriculture is an adapta- 

 tion to the elementary countr}^ schools. At last a distinctly popular 

 movement has set in to introduce agricultural teaching into the rural 

 schools. This movement is necessarily experimental, and the experi- 

 ment will be reflected in the text-books. Two types of books will 



