No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Ml 



Cleft grafting, whip grafting; budding. 



Conditions essential to plant growth, light, heat, moisture, air. 



Classification of soils. 



Air in soils. 



The effect of lime on soils. 



Temperature of soils as affected by color. 



The influence of tillage and mulches on the retention of moisture in soils. 



Influence of drainage upon plant growth. 



Selection of seed corn. 



Field study of loss from poor seed corn. 



The feeding value of corn. 



This report was prepared primarily for distinct schools below the 

 high school grades, but in many parts of the country, especially in 

 the South, this set of exercises might well find a place iu high 

 schools of the more elementary type. 



Your attention is next called to the syllabus on Agronomy for 

 Secondary Schools. If the tentative agricultural course which has 

 been presented be examined it will be noted that this course pro- 

 vides for instruction in botany and phj^sics in the first year; zoology 

 and chemistry in the second year; agronomy in the third year and 

 zootechny and dairying in the fourth year. Since these terms, 

 agronomy and zootechny, are comparatively new, it may be well 

 to pause here long enough to give a few definitions. Agriculture 

 may be defined as the science and art of producing living things. 

 There are two classes of living things, namely, plants and animals. 

 The science and art of producing plants is, therefore, agronomy, 

 while the science and art of producing animals is zootechny or 

 animal husbandry. Botany studies the fundamental laws of plant 

 growth: agronomy studies the economical application of these laws. 

 Zoology in like manner classifies animals: zootechny studies the 

 production of those useful to mankind. It is obvious that 

 much of the usefulness of botany and zoology will depend upon the 

 point of view from which it is taught. 



Referring again to this tentative course in agriculture it will be 

 seen that this syllabus on agronomy is intended to cover the crop 

 producing side of agriculture and may occupy a year of study 

 throughout the year, preferably, perhaps the junior year, in order 

 that the student should have first studied botany, chemistry and 

 physics. Of course I am aware that here is opportunity for endless 

 discussion, but order of subjects is not an essential part of this dis- 

 cussion, and in any case I am convinced that the order of subjects 

 is not a cast iron matter and that much depends upon the point of 

 view with which the subject is presented. 



The syllabus on agronomy is more than a sj'llabus; it is a set of 

 daily instructions to the teacher. It tells the teacher whether on 

 a given day the exercise is to be a recitation, a demonstration lec- 

 ture, a laboratory exercise or a field excursion. It gives a brief 

 outline of the subject matter and refers the teacher to bulletins or 

 books containing the subject matter in question. If a demonstra- 

 tion lecture or a laboratory exercise it states precisely the ma- 

 aterials and apparatus required. 



This syllabus recognizes four kinds of exercises, namely, recita- 

 tions, demonstration lectures, laboratorv exercises and field excur- 

 sions. 



