382 BEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



their causes, and remedies. A close watch is kept for current articles 

 on the subject. A study is made of the report of the Country Life 

 Commission. Means of arousing local interest, the formation of 

 school organizations, and the application of what has been taught to 

 the average one-room country school are given especial consideration. 



The second part of the senior work consists of a detailed study of a 

 few important crops, such as cotton, com (PL XIX, fig. 2), and the 

 other cereals. In the work on corn Farmers' Bulletins are used, par- 

 ticularly Farmers' Bulletin 409, School Lessons on Corn. Instruc- 

 tion is also given regarding live stock and truck farming. All 

 subject matter is taught and all experiments are performed with the 

 idea of adapting the work to rural school conditions where interest 

 is apt to be lagging and apparatus lacking. 



In the practice school the seniors are required to oversee the work 

 of the children and become familiar with the methods of conducting 

 it. The school has, in addition to the land used for instructional 

 purposes, a small dairy and truck farm of about 20 acres. This sup- 

 plies products for the college dining hall and aifords the students 

 opportunities for observation and study. This small farm produced 

 in 1910 more than $4,000 worth of milk, vegetables, and other farm 

 products. 



The idea pervading the whole course is to arouse an interest in 

 agriculture, an appreciation of the needs of the country, a perception 

 of the possibilities in the country, an inclination to be of real service 

 to the country, and a desire to live in the country. 



THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. 



The work of the normal schools in preparing teachers of agricul- 

 ture and the extension of this privilege to some of the agricultural 

 schools are having a good effect upon the movement for the introduc- 

 tion of agriculture into the elementary schools. But as in former 

 years the most effective work in elementary agriculture has been 

 accomplished where the school work in this subject has been combined 

 with some form of competitive endeavor — boys' corn clubs (PI. XX, 

 fig. 1 ) , girls' domestic science clubs, and the like. 



The colleges of agriculture continue to take a helpful part — often a 

 leading, directing part — in promoting rural education, by preparing 

 and giving wide circulation to extension circular and conducting 

 various forms of contests. In the South several of the agricultural 

 colleges have cooperated with this department in employing school- 

 extension agents. The number of boys engaged in corn-growing con- 

 tests under the joint ausi^ices of these colleges and this department 

 was this year (1910) more than 46,000. 



In the college of agriculture of the University of California a sec- 

 tion of elementary agriculture has been organized in connection with 



