PREFACE 



This book has been prepared primarily for use in rural 

 schools and for elementary classes in other schools, wherever 

 it is desirable to study the plain and practical problems 

 of the farm and home in their relation to daily life. 



The book deals largely with common farm practices, 

 rather than with scientific principles. It is intended to 

 throw some hght upon and add interest to the things that 

 are done on the farm from day to day. We feel that, if 

 pupils can be interested and. enabled to use the farms and 

 the farm homes as laboratories in which to observe and 

 apply the things learned at school, a great step will have 

 been made toward bringing the school in close touch with 

 the home life of the pupils. 



A study of agriculture in the rural schools elevates, in 

 the minds of the farm youth, the calling of agriculture. 

 A rather close study of a few farm problems impresses 

 one with the great amount of knowledge and skill required 

 to operate a farm successfully; and must convince one that 

 a farm, rightly managed, affords as much opportunity for 

 development as a professional or business career. 



We do not suggest that the topics shall necessarily be 

 taken up in the order presented, but that each teacher 

 begin with that portion of the book dealing with the parti- 

 cular phase of farm work that is being done on the home 

 farms of the pupils at the time the lesson is given. 



Each section is a complete reading lesson, followed by 

 questions, examples, and exercises, which relate to the les- 

 son. The questions may be answered orally or in the form 

 of a language paper. The examples will enforce some of 

 the main facts taught in the text. The exercises will require 

 study and observation of local activities and will help to 

 connect up the lesson with the practical things in the com- 

 munity. This manner of presenting the various sub- 

 jects was chosen so that the study of agriculture might 

 replace a part of the regular reading, language and arith- 

 metic lessons, and thus allow a study of agriculture 



520-110 



