Ii6 AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS 



social needs of its community, the other in giving its graduates 

 who expect to teach in rural elementary schools some prepara- 

 tion for teaching country-life subjects. 



ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 



The introduction of agricultural subjects into elementary 

 schools has proceeded mainly along two lines one as a result 

 of legislation, the other as a natural outgrowth of boys' agri- 

 cultural clubs. 



In many places in states where agriculture is a required 

 subject for instruction in rural schools no such legislation was 

 really needed, for the subject was already being introduced in 

 a sane and effective way, and was being made use of as far as 

 the experience of the teacher and conditions of the school en- 

 vironment would permit. 



The results of compulsory teaching of agriculture in the ele- 

 mentary schools have been twofold: first, in stimulating those 

 in charge of the administration to provide helps to those teach- 

 ers who are expected to carry out the provisions of the law; 

 second, in the production and use of textbooks on elementary 

 agriculture. The first has been done through bulletins, teachers' 

 leaflets, institute instruction, summer normal schools, and in vari- 

 ous other ways. Some agricultural colleges have been called upon 

 to give attention to elementary education sooner than they other- 

 wise would. They have been forced to study the rural-school 

 situation and devise means for improving it. The work of state 

 offices of education and of agricultural colleges in promoting 

 agricultural education in rural communities has already been 

 considered somewhat in detail in previous chapters. But the con- 

 tributions of these two agencies to agricultural education in 

 elementary schools must not be ascribed wholly to legislation, for 

 in several states having no requirements as to teaching of agri- 

 culture both state departments of education and agricultural 

 colleges have done excellent service in providing helps for 

 teachers wishing to introduce the subject in their schools. 



