10 May. 1918.] American Agriculture. 263 



An attempt is made to nuike them appreciate their surroundings, 

 and to slowly unfold the story of nature. 



In the summer schools (corresponding to the elementary schools in 

 Victoria, with pupils between grades 5 and S), the children in the 

 rural districts are usually given lessons in school gardening, and taught 

 simple soil and plant studies. In the high school, the study of agricul- 

 ture is more thorough and systematic, and no less than 2,200 high 

 schools of the United States have been recorded as giving courses of 

 instruction in agriculture. 



In California, agriculture is a subject of study in 73 out of 280 

 high schools on a commercially productive basis. 



At the Gardena high school, over 30 boys are now engaged _ in 

 vocational agriculture. Each has a project, e.g., keeping two pigs, 

 raising chickens, growing vegetables, raising calves, growing sugar 

 beets or alfalfa. Tliey do all the work themselves, and keep time-sheets 

 and check up the whole cost of work, including labour, feed, interest on 

 capital, &c., and, after deducting the marketing expen.ses, they deter- 

 mine the net profit on the project. Then they write an essay, " How I 

 grew an acre of sugar beets " ; " How I raised my pigs," &c. One lad^ 

 Gail Poulton — whom I visited, 17 years of age, had three projects: 

 vegetable growing, two brood sows, and a pen of fourteen pullets. He 

 purchased the pigs at six and eight weeks, and fed them on alfalfa, 

 barley, corn, and scraps. He had a record of their weight each month, 

 the amount of food consumed by each daily, the time and cost of 

 attendance of each, &c. lie also had a record of the amount of bran, 

 alfalfa, meal, meat, grain, grit, and charcoal consumed by his fourteen 

 pullets each day. He had a record of the daily egg production, and 

 had made detailed notes of the effect of slight alteration of the ration 

 on the production of eggs. He had a detailed analysis of the time and 

 feed costs to date, and the weekly sales of produce. This struck me as. 

 a fine educational work. This same lad had also a one-third acre patch 

 of onions, beets, and cabbage, which he intended to market. He had 

 the same detailed notes on costs and time as before, together with notes 

 on growth, appearance of insects and pests, effect of sprays, &c. I 

 asked this lad what he intended doing later on. He replied that he 

 intended going for three years to the University Farm, and then his 

 father would provide a block of land for him. 



Previous to 1917, vocational training in agriculture; was not given 

 at the high schools of California, though in Indiana and Massachusetts 

 vocational training in agriculture has been in vogue in high schools for 

 some four or five years. 



Previously the courses in agriculture at the State schools were science 

 courses with an agricultural bias. Now it is purposed to establish 

 throughout the State vocatiounl courses in agriculture. 



These courses will be subsidized by the Federal Government. Under 

 a recent Act — the Smith-Hughes Act — the Federal Government pro- 

 poses, according to the terms of the Act passed by Congress in 1917— 

 "To provide for the promotion of vocational education; to 

 provide for co-operation with the States in the promotion of such 

 education in agriculture and the trades and industries; to provide 

 for co-operation with the States in the preparation of teachers of 

 vocational subjects, and to appropriate money and regulate its 

 expenditure." 



