JUNIOR NATURALIST WORK, AND UNIVERSITY 



TEACHING. 



The work under my supervision in the College of Agriculture is 

 twofold : Instruction in Nature-Study in the College and Extension 

 Teaching. 



In the Extension Teaching I have carried on the following lines 

 of work during the past year. First, the Junior Naturalist Clubs, 

 which during the year numbered 28,000 children. These clubs are 

 organized as follows : 



Public school teachers in New York State are requested to or- 

 ganize the children into clubs for correspondence work in Nature 

 Study. The members of the clubs are known as Junior Natural- 

 ists. 



Each Junior Naturalist receives an illustrated leaflet, issued 

 monthly during the school year. The purpose of this leaflet is to 

 interest him in his natural environment: the birds, the trees, the 

 wild flowers, the crops, etc. 



To every child who is an active Junior Naturalist for four months, 

 sending to Uncle John one letter each month concerning some sub- 

 ject mentioned in the leaflets, we send a picture. 



To the teacher who co-operates with us in this work, we send a 

 picture suitable for hanging in the schoolroom. 



During the past year the Junior Naturalist work has been more 

 satisfactory than in any previous year. The letters from the children 

 have shown more thought and more actual observation. From the 

 children 20,896 letters were received on the following subjects: 

 Poultry, Teasel, Apple, Potato Bug, Weed Seeds, Termrium, Pnmp- 

 kiii. Soil, Seeds, Berries, Indian Pipes, Stndy of Roots, Jaek 

 O'Lontcrn, Grou'th of Plant, Bird, Schoolhouse, Country Scenes, 

 Nature-Study Library, Traeks, Evergreens, Snow Flakes, Home 

 Making, Pigeons, Cocoons, Mice, Corn, Toads, Blucjays, Cats, A 

 Little Chick's Hammock. That some subjects are more popular 

 with the children than others will be shown by the following report 

 of letters by subjects as received from the children: Poultry. 1043; 

 Teasel, 502; Apple, 1,132; Potato Bug. y^; Puzzle, 850; Vegetable, 

 1.220; Terrarium, 27; Pumpkin, 86; Soil, 939; Seeds, 8; Berries, 52; 

 Indian Pipes, 52; Length of Roots, 50; Jack O'Lantern. 41 ; Growth 

 of Plant, 156; Bird, 1,340; Schoolhouse, 306; View, 199; Library, 



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