492 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 40 



Agricultural textbooks for our public schools. H. Ness [Science, n. ser., 48 

 (1918). Xo. 1246, pp. 484-486). — In the author's opinion, it is expected in the 

 greater number of the textbooks on agriculture for the public schools that " the 

 pupils . . . cover more agricultural subjects, frequently crowded together In 

 an incoherent way and stripped of all philosophical connective tissue, than any 

 student in the State agricultural colleges, where he has a four years' course with 

 specialists for teachers, supplied with all the equipments for demonstration." 

 He finds many of these books both too bulky and too dry for digestion, and 

 recommends a return to the idea of " a book about agriculture," giving up the 

 idea of productive agriculture for the public schools. Such a book should deal 

 with agricultural botany and zoology, including a history of the practical phases 

 of the evolution of farm animals and plants under domestication. The prac- 

 tical operations and the history of their evolution he would subordinate to 

 what might he called the scientific aspects, yet diligently drawing upon them for 

 the elucidation of the latter. 



A year's work in vocational agriculture. .T. D. BLACKWKX and R. <J. Bress- 

 ler (I)ept. Ed. Tex. Buls. 93 [1918), pp. 4'': '■■', I 1918), pp. 65).— These bulletins 

 are the first two of a series of four to be prepared for teachers of vocational 

 agriculture in Texas. The first, dealing with plant production, contains a sug- 

 gested weekly program ; explanation of home project work; outlines of proposed 

 courses of study for vocational agricultural schools and for departments of 

 vocational agriculture; lists of required referent i hooks and bulletins and labo- 

 ratory equipment; a plan for cataloguing agricultural bulletins; brief outlines 

 of 160 lessons, including laboratory exercise*, in plant production, soils and 

 fertilizers, and field crops; study outlines for plant production projects, in- 

 cluding corn, cotton, peanut, and potato projects; and explanatory report blanks. 



The second bulletin deals with animal production, and contains outlines of a 

 proposed four-year course in vocational agriculture, Including a half year's 

 work in general animal husbandry and a half year's work in poultry and dairy- 

 ing; 96 lessons and 64 laboratory exercises in general animal husbandry, 64 

 lessons and 31 laboratory exercises in dairying, 32 lessons and 16 laboratory 

 exercises in poultry husbandry; study outlines for pig, baby beef, dairy herd, 

 egg production, and poultry raising projects; an explanation of home projects, 

 a list of required reference 1 ks and bulletins, and project report blanks. 



[Suggested outlined courses of study in plant production and southern 

 field crops] (Voeat. Div. Pub. Ed. [Shss.]. 1918, Memo A. pp. 16: Memo li. pp. 

 15; Memo C. pp. 21). — These pamphlets contain suggested outline courses is 

 plant production for consolidated schools and plant production and southern 

 field crops, respectively, for agricultural htgn schools Bach course consists of 

 a year's work on a seasonal sequence basis, that in southern field crops repre- 

 senting the second year's work for the agricultural high schools. With each 

 lesson or topic, assignments or suitable subject matter for students to read 

 have been indicated. Productive Plant Husbandry, by K. 0. Davis, is the basal 

 text for the first year's course, and Southern Field Crops, by .1. 1'. Duggar, for 

 the second year's work. Exercises for laboratory or practical work are in- 

 cluded. 



Household physics: Its nature and presentation. E. V. I-'iovn [Teaching 

 [Kan*. stut( Normal School], 4 [1918), No. fd, ;</<. 1,'-18).— The author defli i< - 

 household physics jis a first-year course in physics adapted to the needs of 

 women, the purpose of which is primarily to teach the student to reason about 

 her physical environment. It is he'd that the entire field of elementary physics, 

 as well as that of college physics, can he outlined and studied in terms of 

 problems, to illustrate which 12 problems in the lie '.d of light are enumerate 1 



