ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 699 



connected with her schools. And Japan solves the problem in a very 

 practical manner by maintaining about five hundred supplementary 

 schools, with an enrollment of 23,000 children, most of whom work on the 

 lands of their parents, with these schools in session Sundays, evenings 

 and even holidays to accommodate those who are unable to attend the 

 regular sessions. 



In the United States the agricultural instruction movement is only 

 about twenty years old, although as early as 1824 its value was recog- 

 nized, when it was said that "Agriculture and the gospel are the two 

 great instruments of divine Providence to check the voluptuousness and 

 exercise the virtues of man." 



The first experimental garden in this country was planted in Boston 

 in 1891, and for nine years was maintained as a flower garden, then 

 kitchen vegetables were introduced. Since then the movement has spread 

 with wonderful rapidity all over the United States, until today forty-four 

 states are teaching this branch as part of the regular school work, four- 

 teen states have laws requiring it to be taught in the rural schools, twelve 

 require it in the graded schools, ten in the high schools, and eleven more 

 are planning the passing of various needful laws on this subject. 



Iowa is behind many of her neighbors in her requirements, but is 

 planning to remedy her deficiencies by a bill which is now before the 

 legislature, providing for the introduction of the study of agriculture in 

 all the schools. 



Our government appropriates $19,000,000 for agricultural research and 

 development for the whole United States, while appropriating $350,- 

 000,000 for the support of the army and navy. Seventeen dollars for 

 the support of the science of war for every dollar devoted to the indus- 

 tries of peace does not look like we as a nation are yet fully alive to 

 the importance of agriculture. 



Another bill before the state legislature asks for an appropriation of 

 $100,000 for the use of the extension department at Ames, but will prob- 

 ably be cut down, if passed at all, as it is meeting with strong opposi- 

 tion from many members, many of whom favor the work, but think the 

 appropriation too large — and yet these same members will vote $1,000,000 

 for the three higher educational institutions without a qualm of con- 

 science. 



In Iowa, the college extension department last year, on a state appropri- 

 ation of $32,000, brought the college into touch with about 75,000 men 

 and women, boys and girls on the farms. It conducted 22 short courses, 

 half a dozen or more domestic schools, furnished lecturers for many farm- 

 ers institutes, provided lecturers and material for special seed and dairy 

 trains, conducted a sort of correspondence school of agriculture, organ- 

 ized agriculture study clubs among farmers and assisted them in their 

 work, promoted the study of agriculture in the public schools, conducted 

 experiment farms in a dozen or more different counties, and did various 

 other things. 



There is a general and growing demand for agricultural instruction, 

 but even yet the demand comes more from educators, business men and 



