594 EXPEKIMENT STATION RECORD. 



The book contains seven chapters and two appendixes. The first chapter 

 deals with the development and present status of agricultural education in the 

 United States ; the second with agriculture in the public high schools, including 

 statistics of schools teaching agriculture as a separate subject and those teach- 

 ing it incidentally; the third describes the work, equipment, and methods of 

 instruction in typical high schools visited by the author, including some that 

 taught agriculture one year or less, some three or four years, and one that 

 taught it incidentally; the fourth discusses problems of administration, agri- 

 cultural equipment, and methods of teaching, including such matters as the time 

 given to agriculture, the relation of agriculture to other school subjects, field 

 work, and books used; the fifth contains interesting data concerning the prepa- 

 ration and salaries of teachers of agriculture in high schools; the sixth dis- 

 cusses briefly the different types of special secondary schools of agriculture; 

 and the seventh deals with problems of agricultural instruction in the secondary 

 schools, such as the effect of establishing special schools, the attitude of colleges 

 and universities, the difficulties of the curriculum, and the difficulties of instruc- 

 tion. One of the appendixes contains a summary of legislation pertaining to 

 agricultural instruction in public high schools and the other a list of references 

 on agricultural education. 



Scattered throughout the work are 54 tables giving in condensed form the 

 results of the author's investigations, and these with the topical index will 

 render much valuable information available to students of education. 



Course of study in agriculture, D. W. Fbear (Denver: State S'wpt. Pub. 

 Instr., 1910, pp. 21). — This is a brief outline with some suggestions for labora- 

 tory and field exercises in agriculture for the seventh and eighth grades of the 

 public schools of Colorado. 



Soil studies, D. W. Working (TF. Ta. School Agr., 1 (1910), No. 1, pp. 20, 

 figs. 13). — Simple lessons for school teachers and pupils are given concerning 

 the nature and consistency of soils and their relations to soil moisture, air, 

 earth organisms, and other organic matter contained in them, with suggestions 

 concerning tillage and soil management. Numerous suggestions are given for 

 exercises in connection with the lessons and references to text-books and bulle- 

 tins are appended. 



Pen pictures of standard cotton grades, N. J. McAethur (1910, pp. 109, 

 pi. 1). — This v/ork, which is designed for use as a text-book in the common 

 schools of the cotton belt, is written largely in the style of a catechism. It 

 covers the various cotton grades and a description of the diffex'ent impurities, 

 stains, and other so-called demerits which influence the establishment of grades. 

 The pen pictures have been combined with a former text entitled The Cotton 

 Grader by the same author. 



[Meteorology and nature study] (Natttrc-Study Rev., 6 (1910), No. 9, 

 pp. 257-271, charts 2). — This contains the following articles: 



The weather as nature study, J. Dearness (pp. 257-263). — Suggestions are 

 given for observations and school-room instruction concerning the elementary 

 features of weather study. 



The use of weather maps as source materials, C. H. Robison (pp. 263, 264). — 

 Suggestions are made for using the weather maps issued by the Weather Bureau 

 of this Department in nature-study work. 



Weather records in the loiver grades, F. L. Charles (pp. 265-271). — Sug- 

 gestions for work of this kind are accompanied by forms for daily records. 



Potatoes and oats as nature-study topics, Alice J. Patterson (Nature- 

 Study Rev., 6 (1910), No. 8, pp. 226-234, fiO'^. 2).— The experience of the author 

 in using potatoes and oats in nature-study woi"k is narrated in considerable 

 detail. 



