42 AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS 



College and the State Department of Education work together. 

 The organization consists of a state association, and county and 

 local or district associations. The central or state association 

 meets once a year and is composed of delegates from county 

 associations. 



A special course in agriculture and domestic science for boys and girls 

 will be given at the State University Farm, beginning Monday, January 17, 

 and ending Friday, January 21, 1900. This course is planned for the dele- 

 gates from each county of boys' and girls' agricultural and domestic science 

 associations. Special arrangements have been made with the professors at 

 the University College of Agriculture to give a course of instruction last- 

 ing five days The laboratories at the Agricultural College will be at 



the disposal of the delegates from the different counties during this week 

 and professors from the college will give the instruction. The course is 

 filled with interesting and instructive lectures and demonstrations (60, p. n). 



The agricultural colleges reach the public schools in various 

 other ways. The extension department of Ohio State Agri- 

 cultural College gives much of its attention to rural schools. 

 The superintendent of agricultural extension in this institution 

 believes that the most important work of his department lies in 

 improving the rural schools, not only by helping to introduce 

 agriculture, but by interesting the patrons in consolidating small 

 district schools, in making other improvements, and by encoura- 

 ging the teachers to adjust their school work to fit the needs of 

 the communities in which they live. The Mississippi State Agri- 

 cultural College gives a short course of one week each winter 

 in the county agricultural high school. Many colleges send rep- 

 resentatives to address teachers' institutes and other teachers' 

 meetings. They also furnish judges for boys' corn shows, and 

 corn and stock- judging contests. 



The early extension work of agricultural colleges among the 

 public schools was intended to awaken an interest in agricultural 

 affairs. It was mainly propaganda for arousing a favorable 

 sentiment toward the subject. The more recent work has had for 

 its aim the actual introduction of certain phases of agriculture 

 into the schools, and to render assistance to teachers who wish 



