No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 235 



began to be waked up, and of their own motion to want the high 

 school. They took up the question with the school commissioners, 

 and the more they talked about it, the more they thought they 

 wanted to have agriculture taught in their schools. So they called 

 upon the Department of Agriculture at Washington, and also upon 

 the Maryland Agricultural College, and we_ found there the first 

 man, a man who had already had experience in teaching agriculture 

 in secondary schools, and so there was established at Calvert, Cecil 

 county, Maryland, a school known as the Calvert Agricultural High 

 School, and Mr. H. O. Sampson was made the teacher. 



Now, this tinally became a town enterprise, and local people 

 put money into it, the county commissioners making an appropria- 

 tion, to get the school established. They were also fortunate in 

 finding a building ready for their enterprise, which had been used 

 as a denominational school, and which they were able to obtain 

 at a nominal rent. The school opened on the first Monday in 

 November, with thirty-two pupils enrolled, in age from twelve to 

 eighteen years. They were arranged in two classes, the one with 

 wliat would be the first year in a literary high school, and the other 

 with what would be the seventh grade as a preparatory class. It 

 was thought that one teacher would be enough, but the attendance 

 increased so fast that they were soon obliged to secure an assistant 

 teacher, the attendance finally reaching fifty-two. 



This is simply an example to show you what can be 

 done where the people are interested in agricultural 

 education. That school has the ordinary high school 

 course — a considerable amount of English and math- 

 ematics, some literature, and science and history. In the last 

 two years they have either a modern language, German perhaps, 

 or Latin of they prefer it, and after the pupils have completed 

 the course thev are entitled to admission to the Marvland Agricul- 

 tural College. Now, the agricultural part of the work includes text- 

 book studies, talks by the teacher supplementing this, and also 

 demonstrations and experiments in practical agriculture, tree-grow- 

 ing and pruning, corn growing, stock judging, and so far as possible, 

 the ordinary studies are so planned as to co-relate with the agri- 

 cultural studies, so that with arithmetic and physical geography, 

 they also have agricultural work. Then, during the first year special 

 prizes were offered to create more interest in agriculture. Then an 

 agricultural program was given, in which outside speakers tried 

 to interest the people in Farmers' Institutes. This was held in 

 a little town about four miles from the school, and the school 

 went out there in big farm wagons, and the boys showed how they 

 could judge corn and stock. Now, one of the most interesting 

 things about this school is the number of pupils who took no in- 

 terest in the ordinary school course, but when they found something 

 doing in regard to agriculture, they came to school, and became 

 greatly interested, and more than this, the establishment of this 

 school has led to the organization of a large number of elementary 

 classes in agriculture in the surrounding schools. I wish I had the 

 opportunity, and could go into this matter further with you, and 

 tell you more about this school, but that will be impossible at this 

 time. We will, of course, be glad to give you any information about 

 this matter if you will write us about it. 



