1917] AGEICULTURAL EDUCATION. 293 



cusses the reasons for adopting insti'uction in school gardening in public ele- 

 mentary and other schools in Ireland, the correlation of school gardening with 

 other subjects, the training of teachers of school gardening, schemes of in- 

 struction, the plan of a typical garden, managing and cropping gardens, site 

 and equipment, operations, etc. The syllabus In rural science, including school 

 gardening, for the training of national school teachers at the Royal College 

 of Science for Ireland, Dublin, and in classes at approved centers in a few 

 selected counties is given. 



The author states that " perhaps the main distinction between the various 

 British and Irish schemes of school gardening lies in the fact that in Great 

 Britain the subject is regarded mainly as a practical or handicraft subject, 

 Avhereas in Ireland the Department [of Agriculture and Technical Instruc- 

 tion], while insisting upon the practical side, has sought to coordinate it with 

 the teaching of elementary practical science with the view to making it truly 

 educational." The general beginning of school garden work in Ireland dates 

 from 1910, when the department's present scheme of rural science and school 

 gardening was introduced. At present there are 150 schools in which the 

 subject is taught by specially trained teachers. The schemes of instiniction 

 for the training of both teachers and pupils in national .schools are very similar, 

 and the subject may be said to center around the life study of a typical garden 

 plant. Teachers of this subject in Ireland may earn small special grants as 

 well as prizes. 



High-school extension in agriculture, C. H. Lane (Addresses and Proc. Nat. 

 Ed. Assoc, 53 {1915), pp. 1132-1136). — The author includes under high school 

 extension work in agriculture " all educational efforts at the homes and on the 

 farms of the people, and also such work at the school itself as is more or less 

 temporary and that centers directly in interests away from the school." He dis- 

 cusses when and how such work should be undertaken by high schools and the 

 training of teachers for extension work. 



Courses for training teachers should contain two essential elements, viz, 

 sound training in the science of agriculture and sound experience in the prac- 

 tice of the art. It is deemed extremely doubtful whether the student training 

 to become a high-school instructor in agricultural extension work " should be 

 permitted to specialize in the latter part of a course as is now common in larger 

 institutions. On the contrary, since he is to be a teacher, it is necessary for 

 him to have training in psychology' and in the principles and methods of educa- 

 tion." He should give careful attention to language work and have much prac- 

 tice in the clear and simple statement of his thoughts and in public speaking, 

 and inasmuch as he is to promote successfully farm practice, stress should be 

 laid on instruction in farm management, rural economies, and rural sociology. 

 Provision should also be made for actual practice in extension work in the 

 junior and senior years. 



The ways suggested for the teacher of agriculture to extend his influence out- 

 side of his regular high-school work include tlie supervision of the home-project 

 work of his pupils, the directing of agricultural instruction in the grades, the 

 organizing and following up of boys' and girls' clubs, the acting as organizer 

 for the one week's short course for farmers, the offering of personal counsel and 

 advice on certain days to farmers of the community, assisting in organizing 

 farmers' reading courses, directing school agricultural exhibits locally and at 

 the county fair, and through Saturday meetings with farmers and by farm 

 visitation. 



Sch.ool credit for boys' and girls' club work and extension activities in 

 agriculture and home economics, O. H. Benson {Addresses and Proc. Nat- Ed. 

 Assoc, 53 {1915), pp. 1144-1153).— The author discusses boys' and girls' club 



