700 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



others looking to the better development of our country and the proper 

 and practical education of our people than from the farmer himself. But 

 the day is rapidly passing when the farmer asks to 'be let alone, to provide 

 for himself, maintain his home and live his life apart from the related 

 business, educational and social world. The advancement in farm values 

 and farm labor has made it necessary to seek solutions of problems con- 

 cerning the necessity of increased profits, which solution must come by 

 best methods of seed selection, proper cultivation, care of animals, proper 

 and economical feeding and most profitable disposal of farm products. 

 The gaining of agricultural knowledge, either in the home or school, 

 opens to the student a vein of his profession hitherto almost unknown 

 offering him a most fascinating study, an intellectual development, and 

 a moral uplift which places agriculture in the foreground as a real basic 

 science, and in its higher degrees of development, as an art. The ques- 

 tion of how to introduce this subject into the schools in a practical, safe 

 and efficient manner, and at the same time avoid interfering with the 

 regular course of study, is a question that has engaged the most advanced 

 and thoughtful educators of the day, and now seems in a fair way of 

 solution. Prof. Holden says, "This work must be gradually introduced. 

 If undertaken in all schools in an experimental way, regardless of local 

 condition or fitness, there would be failures and these failures held up 

 to ridicule greatly to the injury of the cause." 



In eight different states agriculture is combined with the study of 

 geography, but should go farther than geography and nature study. In 

 the regular work in arithmetic, problems which involve the actual work- 

 ing out of real arithmetical questions connected with the farm and home 

 could be given, and this work should by all means be continued when the 

 pupil takes up the study of bookkeeping. The study of physiology and 

 hygiene of the human body could be enlarged to include the study of 

 the physiological construction and hygenic care of the familiar farm 

 animals, and in the high school the study of zoology could be made 

 just as entertaining and somewhat more practical, if the pupil learns the 

 constructive anatomy of the cow, horse, pig, sheep or hen, as well as the 

 chimpanzee, boa-constrictor or great auk. The analysis of the chicken 

 can be made as instructive as that" of the South American ostrich, and 

 besides, we have the chicken. The action of heat, water and air on 

 soil, drainage of yards, fields and roads, erosion, seepage, road-making, 

 fence-building, irrigation, soil composition, all branches which embrace 

 the chemistry of food. Are not these fitting introductions to the study 

 of physics and chemistry, fascinating when properly presented, opening 

 an inviting way to the formal study of other sciences? 



What do we need to bring our schools up to the highest standard in 

 the teaching of agriculture, in keeping with the constant improvement 

 our educators are making in other branches? Our graded schools are 

 constantly progressing, but what about the condition of our average rural 

 school? Most of them are relics of what was best in the time of their 

 organization, when they produced results to be proud of, but like the 

 tallow dip and the ox team, they have served their purpose and must give 



