STATE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION 25 



apparently shown much less interest in agricultural education 

 than have other southern states. This may be readily explained 

 by the fact that until 1908 the public-school system was organized 

 under the old district plan. The schools were practically con- 

 trolled by about 25,000 school trustees, 5,000 of whom could 

 neither read nor write. The action of the legislature of 1908 

 has changed the whole aspect of the Kentucky educational situa- 

 tion, and already remarkable progress has been made toward 

 the improvement of her public schools. 



A glance at the tabulation shows that the southern states have 

 been more active (at least recently) in the promotion of agri- 

 cultural education than the northern states. This activity is a 

 part of the general educational movement extending throughout 

 the South. Educational campaigns have recently been conducted 

 in several of these states and have done much to increase interest 

 in all educational matters. 



The earliest legislation concerning introduction of agriculture 

 into elementary schools was the Nixon law of New York in 1897 

 (24, pp. 161014). It provided for the extension of agriculture 

 into the public schools under the direction of the Agricultural Col- 

 lege of Cornell University. It was carried out by means of visits 

 to schools and lectures before teachers' institutes, and by means 

 of teachers' and pupils' leaflets for use in rural schools. The 

 Cornell leaflets not only stimulated much interest in elementary 

 agriculture and nature-study in the state of New York but in 

 other states as well. Similar publications have since been issued 

 by agricultural colleges of several other states. 



Requiring the teaching of elementary agriculture by law has 

 not met with unqualified success. In some states where it is 

 supposed to be in force little attention is paid to it on account of 

 lack of qualified teachers. The establishment of state secondary 

 schools of agriculture and provision for state aid to high schools 

 teaching agriculture is probably the most important recent legis- 

 lation concerning agricultural education. The latter form of 

 state aid seems to be growing in favor. 



