■378 EEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



that the director and teachers are willing and able both to educate 

 their boys and girls for profitable farm life and to cope with the 

 economic problems troublesome or burdensome to them. By this 

 field work not only will the farmers be helped with their farm prob- 

 lems but the high-school work will be brought in touch with the real 

 agricultural j)roblems of San Joaquin County. 



It is expected that the director will have charge of the work in 

 nature study, elementary agriculture, and school gardening in the 

 elementary schools of Stockton and will probably prepare a course 

 of study in agriculture for the rural schools of the district tributary 

 to Stockton. 



A portion of the 10-acre high-school site will be utilized for experi- 

 mental purposes, and it is expected that these experiments will be sup- 

 plemented by others in various parts of the county to be conducted 

 according to suggestions offered by the State experiment station, the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, and the director of the 

 agricultural work in the school. In this work it is planned to foster 

 the introduction of new crops, to devise methods of increasing yields, 

 eradicate insect pests, encourage better farm practice, study methods 

 of packing and shipping grapes, and engage in other similar lines 

 of agricultural work. 



Arrangements will also be made with farmers in different parts 

 of the county to permit the high-school students to make field studies 

 on different types of soils with various agricultural and horticultural 

 crops. 



If such a plan is carried out a type of school w^ork will be developed 

 which will be of immense value to the agricultural interests of San 

 Joaquin Valley and will be influential in rapidly extending and 

 developing the usefulness of high schools throughout the country to 

 their agricultural constituency. 



AGRICULTURE IN NORMAL SCHOOLS. 



The latest available figures in 1910 indicated that among the 214 

 colleges and schools at that time conducting teacher-training courses 

 in agriculture, there were 156 State and county normal schools and 

 28 negro schools. The latter are usually combined normal and indus- 

 trial schools. The State normal schools are employing competent 

 teachers of agriculture as rapidly as they can be found, and these 

 teachers are doing much to bring about a better understanding of 

 rural life problems by the teachers sent out from the normal schools. 



Short winter courses for farmers were among the features of popu- 

 lar work undertaken by the normal schools. Such courses were given 

 in several of the Illinois schools. At De Kalb a short course was held 

 during the week of December 6. Courses were offered in elementary 

 agriculture, judging corn, horses, and dairy cows, testing milk, rope 



