60 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



lliii-ty ill all. The course of study for the high school is a four unit 

 course. i)iirallel to the course in science. It is an elective in the high 

 soliool. and wo find tliat from ten to fifty per cent of the boj's in the 

 higli school elect the agricultural course. The largest number of 

 students in agricnUure we have at Hillsdale. It is not too much to 

 .«jay that the elTect of introducing the agricultural courses is more far- 

 reaching than simply the teaching of agriculture. We find that it has 

 an ins]»ivitig and a steadying effect u])on all of the work in the high 

 school; and on the ])ractical side we find that it is turning hundreds 

 of young men toward agriculture who, when thev entered the hiali 

 school, had no intention of pursuing that vocation. This is one of 

 the most valuable features of the agricultural instruction. 



n. In connection with the high schools, we organized during the 

 year for week short courses for the farmers of the communities. We 

 had eighteen schools of that kind, or eighteen weeks' work. The in- 

 struction was given by INIr. Nye, Mr. Raven. ^Nfr. Tyler, ^Ir. Brody of 

 Tiiree Kivers, and several other members of the local facultv. This form 

 of work has given great satisfaction to the farmers, and is of immense 

 value to the local high school. The number of farmers attending in 

 these schools ranged from the smallest at twenty, to the largest number 

 at one hundred and fifty. The average number attending would be 

 about seventy-five. 



4. During the spring we have begim the organization of boys' and 

 girls' clubs in connection with vurnl schools. This is a new d('])arture 

 and we have tried onlv to begin the organization. We have thirtv 

 such clul)S well organized, with the boys and girls working at projects 

 f»ii which they will make reports next fall. We have published a pam- 

 l»hlet of instructions and projects which has been distributed through 

 tlie several counties of the state. AVe seek in this work to make it a 

 back ground for agricultural instruction in the rural schools. 



5. The College Extension Eeading Course has been reasonably suc- 

 cessful during the year. We have had about one hundred actual read- 

 ers. The press of work in other lines has prevented our giving special 

 and proper attention to this phase of extension work. I consider it 

 important, and hope that in the future we may be able to give it 

 more attention. 



0. My assistant. Mr. Nye, has been em])loyed in visiting and super- 

 vising the work done in the high schools, M'ith the organization of 

 boys' and girls' clubs, and as instructor in the farmers' short courses 

 and institute work. Mr. Nye has shown himself to be a valuable as- 

 sistant. His work has been exceedingly satisfactory to the people 

 with whom he has labored and to myself. I regret very much that 

 Me are unable to retain him for another year. 



7. rublications. During the past year we have published a bulletin 

 report of twenty-four ]»agos, on agriculture in secondary schools. In 

 this we outlined very carefully the work that had been done during the 

 year, and illustrated the same with cuts showing the work of the difl'er- 

 ont classes. This ]>ul)lication was furnished t<i all the high schools of 

 the state, and several hundred copies have been sent outside of the 

 state on request. 



Tlie next publication was Bulletin 44, consisting of an outline for 

 agricultural work in rural schools, followed by a series of simple ex- 



