114 State Horticultural Society. 



instructor. If we go to the iields, to nature herself, we get enthusiastic 

 and interested at once, not cramming from books but developing the 

 brain naturally. It is better to know how, bv experience, to use the 

 brain than to have it jam full of facts. Little leaflets from Prof. L. H. 

 Bailev of Cornell on seed-growing and twigs awaken the curiosity as to 

 a year's growth and the size and shape of leaf buds as distinguished from 

 fruit buds. Experimental lessons are best, books will fail of our pur- 

 pose to interest the young in nature and destroy the refreshing effects. 



"It is not the question to say it should be done, but how shall it lie 

 done. Xo book or series of questions can be laid down as altogether best. 

 Questions come up every way and can not go down in books. My mother 

 took me out and taught me practical work and made me a horticulturist 

 and this is the way we want to teach it. Much depends on the teachers 

 and thev must know how. AVe want to teach the child to know about 

 growing plants. How to think properly. If we can form any directing 

 plan, with the Teachers' Association committee work, it is the way we can 

 best get at it. One time we thought it a good plan to give a list of fruits 

 to plant, but now^ we think best to let each think for himself. Books 

 >von't do. Take children to the fields and teach them there. I deplore 

 cramming a great lot of book knowledge on this subject, when the 

 scholar is interested at once bv actual work. Direct the minds into the, 

 right way. Rather teach them how to use head and brain than simply 

 cram the head wdth book learning. I would not have a book at all, but 

 have some directing line of some kind, so teachers may know how to go 

 ahead. Take a boy to an apple tree and show^ him how much grew last 

 year and he is interested at once. Same Avith seeds, he wants to know 

 how at once. A few years ago I thought we needed a book, but now 

 fear that we can not do the best work that way, and we might thus set 

 the young pupils against these things, instead of interesting them in 

 nature study. 



Dr. Ilensley. — The trouble is teachers have little knowledge to go 



about teaching. It w^oulc^ be good to have a summer school at colleges 



and so give opportunity to teach intelligently without a book, what they 



luT.i learned. Thev can not o-et it from books, thev need in-actical 



methods. 



J. C. Evans. — Will this plan reach the masses of farmers ? 



G. B. Lamm. — It could be taucht in the teachers' institutes. 



