1883.] THE STORES AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL. 21 



directed to put a bit of zinc in a test tube, pour upon it muriatic acid, 

 and observe what happened, taking notes of it on their pads. After 

 a short interval they were questioned as to what they had seen. 

 They were then directed to apply a lighted match to the mouth of 

 the tube, and they thus discovered that an inflammable gas was 

 being evolved. By the aid of a few suggestions, and directions as 

 to the use of apparatus, they went on in this way to discover for 

 themselves and note down on their .pads the principal properties of 

 the element hydrogen. They were told as little and led to find out 

 for themselves as much as possible. No book whatever was used 

 at first. On the next day they were required to hand in, neatly 

 written out in a note-book, what they had learned about hydrogen, 

 these notes being subsequently corrected and returned to them, and 

 another substance was taken up in a similar way. Further on in 

 the course a good text-book was placed in their hands, but the 

 first study of a new substance is always in the laboratory. It is a 

 study of the thing and not of the text -book. 



Simultaneously with the study of chemistry begins that of 

 Physics or Natural Philosophy, which is pursued after much the 

 same manner, except that a majority of the experiments are most 

 conveniently made by the hands of the instructor. This stiidy is 

 also continued throughout the year. By it the student learns the 

 general laws governing the construction and use of simple ma- 

 chines, the laws of the pressure and flow of water, of atmospheric 

 pressure and its applications, and of light, heat, sound, and elec- 

 tricity. 



"While thus studying the general laws of matter, students also 

 pay attention to the science of living beings, or Biology, including 

 both botany and zoology. The work is usually begun in this de- 

 partment by a dissection by the students of some small vertebrate 

 animal, usually a squirrel or a cat. They note the appearance and 

 location of the internal organs, make drawings of them, and at 

 the same time by the aid of a text-book learn the functions which 

 the several organs perform in the living animal. Subsequent dis- 

 sections serve to bring out points that may have escaped observa- 

 tion in the first exercise, and also introduce new facts to notice, 

 such for instance as the location and arrangement of arteries, 

 veins, and capillaries. In this way the study of anatomy and 

 physiology goes on simultaneously, while general zoology receives 

 attention by means of lectures. Particular attention is of course 



