560 Journal of AgricnUure, Victoria. [10 Sept., 1918. 



as to show their relationship to the productive work the boys are 

 carrying on. In addition, the boys receive — 

 (a) English every year. 



(&) A course in history, civics, agricultural economics, hygiene, 

 and physical training. 

 As a matter of fact, the percentage of time given to these various 

 subjects works approximately as follows: — 



50 per cent, is devoted to project studies and project work. 

 30 per cent, is devoted to subjects whose relationships to agri- 

 culture are strongly emphasized. 

 20 per cent, for non-agricultural subjects, e.g., English literature, 

 civics, history, duties of citizenship, and wholesome recrea- 

 tion. 

 Last year, the attendances at the agricultural high schools of 

 Massachusetts were as follow: — 



1, Special Schools of Agriculture. 



Essex County Agricultural School . . . . 171 



Norfolk County Agricultural School . . . . 53 



Bristol County Agricultural School . . . . 50 



Northampton Agricultural School . . . . 43 



2. High Schools with Departments of Agriculture. 



In the high school — numbers of pupils taking the agricultural course. 



Reading . . . . 32 Orange . . . . 15 



Concord . . . . 29 Harwich . . . . 11 



Hadlev . . . . 21 Marlborough . . 10 



Ashfield . . . . 16 Clinton . . . . 10 



Easton . . . . 15 Brimfield . . 10 



Leominister - . . 14 ISTew Salem . . 9 



Newton . . . . 13 Petersham . . 9 



As already stated, the interesting and essential feature of these 



schools is that the boys are taught agriculture by means of the " Home 



Project." That is to say, each boy is given some agricultural project — 



by the sowing of a crop, the caring for animals — and his whole school 



instruction is centred around this project. In 1917, each of the 523 



boys in the agricultural classes of high schools or the county schools 



of agriculture either planted a vegetable garden, raised a few acres of 



staple crops, raised several hatches of chickens, or reared pigs or calves 



to selling age, &c. 



I visited a number of the boys who were engaged in this project 

 work, and was surprised at the fine work they were doing and their 

 general attitude towards the school work and fanning problems. Some 

 were caring for a group of five Holstein cattle, growing feed for them, 

 weighing and testing the milk, and keeping exact records of cost of 

 production. Others were raising three to five pigs, or keeping a flock 

 of pullets, raising chickens, growing potatoes, maize, and vegetables. 

 The Commissioner for Vocational Education informed me that the total 

 earnings of these boys last year was 120,309 dollars (£25,000). One 

 boy — P. O'Connel — a third-year pupil of Bristol County, seventeen 

 years of age, was keeping exact feeding and milking records from five 

 cows, growing 2 acres of com, raising an acre of potatoes, and 

 renovating an old orchard for his " third-year project." 



