AnRICULTCRE IN NEGRO SCHOOLS. 



747 



to cover a laiije amount of groiind. The aim i-. to fix thoroughly in 

 the mind of the pupil a few of the more itnportant and fundamental 

 facts and principles and to start him thinking and investigating for 

 himself. Not as much time, perhaps, is spent in reviews and exami- 

 nations as is customary in some institutions, and yet the pupils are 

 heing reviewed and examined all the time. An effort is made to base 

 each new step or each new subject upon what has gone before, so that 

 previous work is constantly referred to and kept fresh in the mind, 

 and unless each step is well done the advance step is more or less a 

 failure. With the Whittier and academic classes the agriculture is 

 used largely as a basis for work in English and somewhat for arith- 

 metic. So. while teaching the latter two subjects the teacher at the 

 same time gets a gauge of the work in agriculture. 



The force of agriculture teachers the past 3' ear consisted of (1) 6 

 lady teachers, giving part time to the teaching of elementar}" agri- 

 culture; (2) 1 male instructor, devoting his time to chemistry and 

 animal industry; (3) 4 male instructors, giving their full time to gen- 

 eral agriculture and horticulture. 



The nu!n>)er of students that received instruction in agriculture last 

 vear was as follows: 



The agricultural reference libraiy, which is located in the horticul- 

 tural laboratorv, contains about 100 standard works on agriculture, 

 horticulture, and the sciences relating to these subjects, and about a 

 dozen of the leading agricultural periodicals. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



The West Virginia Colored Institute, liiMitiite. 



This institution is located eight miles west of Charleston, on the 

 (treat Kanawha River. It offers a preparatory course of one year, 

 h'ading to a four-vear secondarv noiinal and agricultural course, 

 '{'here are also commercial and industriid courses, covei'ing from one to 

 four years. The re(juirements for admission to the preparatory course 

 are an age limit of 14 years, ability •' to read well in the Fifth Reader," 

 and a '* knowledge of compound numbers and of fractions.'' Gradu- 

 ates of the industrial courses receive certificates and of the normal 

 course diplomas. 



