130 AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS 



schools comparable in extent and thoroughness with the teach- 

 ing of physics, mathematics, history, and literature." Although 

 some of the elementary textbooks already referred to are being 

 used to some extent in high schools there are only five books 

 known to the writer that measure up to the standard just quoted. 

 No two of these follow the same plan of treatment. In one 

 laboratory work largely predominates; in another good labora- 

 tory exercises follow each chapter; in another some experi- 

 ments are suggested in the text and among the questions at the 

 end of the chapters; in two no laboratory exercises are sug- 

 gested except in a general way in the text (176, 190, 195, 197, 

 200). These are all well written, and where one is used as a 

 textbook the others could be used to advantage as reference 

 books. For a detailed comparison of these textbooks the bibli- 

 ography should be consulted. 



There are three other books which properly belong among 

 secondary textbooks of agriculture but which do not cover the 

 entire subject. "There are those who believe that when agri- 

 culture is fully introduced as a secondary subject, it will con- 

 sist, as in college, not of one but of several courses, each with 

 its distinct and separate text." One of these is a laboratory 

 manual dealing with soils and crops (198) ; the other two are 

 textbooks, one dealing with fertility of the soil, the other with 

 plant and animal improvement (184, 196). 



A third type includes books for teachers. These books deal 

 with the subject from the standpoint of teaching. Five are 

 for teachers in elementary schools (185, 187, 189, 194, 199), 

 and one is for teachers in secondary schools (151). Not much 

 attention has yet been given to the teaching problems of the 

 subject of agriculture, but they are quite as important as the 

 subject-matter. 



Referring to elementary agricultural textbooks, L. H. Bailey 

 says: "Efforts enough have been made, but they have fallen 

 short of anticipations. Before textbooks we need teachers; 

 and we must appeal to the child through his interest in nature 



