AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES 101 



between farm practice and school work. The difficulty of apply- 

 ing such a plan is found in the present long high-school year 

 and short vacation period, and in the absence of instruction in 

 agricultural subjects. The author may have had in mind some 

 shop work, as is being introduced in Cincinnati, and in other 

 places. 



The idea is suggestive of possibilities that might be developed 

 in rural schools to advantage, provided the long vacation period 

 were spent in applying the scientific principles of agriculture to 

 farm practice. The boys of the Baltimore County (Md.) Agri- 

 cultural High School carry on extensive experiments on their 

 home farms during vacation periods. Their work is inspected 

 from time to time by the teacher of agriculture in the high 

 school, the teacher being employed to give his time during the 

 entire year to school matters. This plan has been in operation 

 only one year, but the results have been very satisfactory. Such 

 an arrangement would do away with some of the objections to 

 the present system of education raised by the above paper, that 

 the 



high schools are simply feeding the boys and girls to universities and general 



colleges, but unfitting them for the practical duties of life One great 



trouble with farming today is the fact that for half a century or more 

 country teachers have worn the label and wire of an education arranged 

 for a town school. The material benefits of education, such as they are in 

 a public way, and the public spirit of it, have been town bred and built. 

 One great reason why farming of late years has become more hopeful and 

 prosperous is because we are at last developing a definite form and spirit 

 of farm education. 



There are so many societies publishing proceedings that no 

 further reference will be made except to refer to the fact that the 

 discussions appearing in these proceedings on instruction in 

 agriculture in the public schools usually favor such instruction, 

 but not always. Occasionally views are expressed against it. 

 In the Proceedings of the Iowa Horticultural Society for 1909 

 we find an example of the latter (139). The writer reviews 

 the conditions of the Iowa rural schools. His own county has 



