AGRICULTURE IN NEGRO SCHOOLS. 743 



garden beds, vaivinj,'- in size from 4 by ti to 11 l)y 15 feet, used for 

 growing vegetables and flowers; section 3 is used for fai m crops. 



The fruit garden is divided as follows: Grapes, one-half acre; rasp- 

 berries and blackberries. H acres; pears, H acres; apricots, nectarines, 

 and persimmons. 1 acre: apples, 2^ acres; miscellaneous, three-fourths 

 acre. 



The remainder of the farm i> cut by ditches and convenient roads 

 into fields «_)f from .") to b! aci'es. 



The soil of the farm varies from a clay k)am to a sandy loam and 

 is in a very good state of fertility, to which it has been brought by 

 deep and thorough tillage and the free use of farm manure. The 

 principal crops grown on the fai'm are white potatoes and garden peas 

 for shipping; corn for grain, soiling, and silage: small grain for feed- 

 ing; grass, clover, alfalfa, and cowpeas for soiling, hay. and soil 

 improvement; garden vegetables for liome consumption. 



In general the method of cultivation is deep and thorough soil 

 preparation, with flat and shallow after cultivation. Fertilizing is 

 done mainly with stable manures and green crops turned under, with 

 the addition of l)one meal, acid phosphate, potash salts, and cotton- 

 seed meal. 



The work of the institute is largely don(^ by the students. An 

 average of 15 to 20 students are emploved all the year on the farm. 

 These students work all day and attend night school. A large num- 

 ber of day-school students spend one day of each week at work on the 

 farm. During the past summer 5«) students spent the vacation work- 

 ing on the farm. 



Elementary agriculture, a^ stated above, is a part of the prescriV)ed 

 course of the "Whittier School, and is required of every pupil who 

 enters the institute. Many of these pupils, particularly the older 

 ones, come from farming comnumities. Their experience with agri- 

 culture has been discouraging and they have developed more or less 

 prejudice against it. Others, coming from the cities, look upon farm- 

 ing with more or less disfavor. For this reason the institute finds it 

 necessary to use some judgment in ai)i)roaching the pupils with the 

 suVjject. With this in view the school is dividtnl into two large sec- 

 tions. Tin- first section consists of the younger children, or those of 

 the kindei'garten and lirst four grades, together with postgraduates 

 and special students, who elect some branch of agriculture. These 

 students begin the study by actual woik in the garden, field, or stable. 

 The second section, or those- of the sixth grade and up, a large number 

 of whom enter the school at this grade, are approached through simple 

 nature and science lessons having a bearing on agriculture, with the 

 idea of developing in the student an interest in the subject without 

 increasing the ])rejudice. 



The course in agriculture, tiien, begins in the kindergarten class. 



