COUNTRY SCHOOI, CLUBS 1 5 



" Leading citizens, who were willing to guarantee the prize money, 

 called a public meeting, at which a board of management and a committee 

 to formulate Rules and Regulations were appointed. 



" Special emphasis was laid upon " Home Gardens " planted and cared 

 for by the pupils. The " Garden Committee " inspected these gardens at 

 least three times during the season, as the prizes in this department were 

 awarded according to the care taken. 



" The exhibits must be the bona fide production of the pupils, including 

 not only his own garden products, of which he must exhibit a sample 

 of everv'thing grown, good or bad; but insects, mounted and named with 

 life history; pressed wild plants; drawings of harmful and useful birds; 

 potted p'ants; any production in wood, clay or metal, useful or orna- 

 mental; collections of native woods; sewing, patching, darning, knitting, 

 painting, writing, essays etc. 



" In the three exhibitions so far held, the prize money has been derived 

 from an entrance fee of ten cents and from the sale of ice-cream and con- 

 fectioner\-, contributed by the citizens and made and sold by the pupils 

 to the visitors at the fair. 



" Greater interest is shown by the trustees and parents. Women 

 leave their home duties to teach the pupils needle work on two afternoons 

 per week, as we have no manual training teacher proper. 



" From my experience, I can safely say that in any section where 

 co-operation exists between the trustees, parents and pupils, it is possible 

 to have a ver\' successful vSchool Fair. " 



Quebec. — In Quebec the initiative in the matter of School Agricultural 

 Associations has been taken by the Poultry Department of ^Macdonald 

 College, Ste Anne de Bellevue, which has promoted Girls' and Boys' Poultry 

 Clubs throughout the Province. 



The meetings of these associations cannot usually be held regularly 

 or with sufficient frequency'; so in order to maintain contact between the 

 members, to keep the object in view and to preserve interest in it, the 

 Poultry- Department of IMacdonald College publishes a pamphlet every 

 month, which will be sent to all members. The contribution is lo cents. 



Three associations ha\'e been founded: the " Girls' and Boys' Poultry 

 Club " at the Lennoxville Academy with 23 members; a second at the 

 Cookshire Academy with 63 members and at the »Shawville Academy a third, 

 also with a membership of 63. A board of officers, consisting of a president, 

 vicepresident, treasurer and secretary, is elected by the pupils from among 

 their number. The initiators of the movement hope that everv* school 

 may have just such a club as here organized, and each school send in a 

 representative to a central club to deal exclusively >Adth the arrangements 

 for exhibiting the products at the fairs. 



In this way the pupils will be habituated to a rather complex organ- 

 ization of labour, not without its responsibilities: and this is an excellent 

 wa}' to develop their character, to bring out their individualities, and prepare 

 them early for co-operative work. 



