Some Typical High Schools Teaching Agriculture 49 



botany the plant analysis had been reduced to fifteen plants 

 and emphasis was laid upon the reasons for plant and flower 

 structures and upon their possible origins. The botany class 

 had examined the actual grafting done on the tree by the agricul- 

 tural class, and did " sample " grafting in the class room similar 

 to that done at Grove City, O. The previous year each member 

 of the class made two grafts on an old apple tree in the school 

 yard, bringing their own scions. The reason given for the 

 current class not doing this work was that the members were 

 mostly girls ! The class of the year before had also made an 

 extensive test of corn, each student testing five ears to be used 

 on his own place. Most farmers of this vicinity select their 

 seed from the field; but few take it from the crib. One or 

 two samples of the latter kind showed very poorly in the test, 

 and formed a good check or control on the other lots. The 

 soil experiments were given as a part of the agriculture and 

 not of the physical geography, which came later. The extensive 

 truck gardening for the Detroit market and the varied morainic 

 topography of the region make the study of soils and drainage 

 a very important one. An interview with some ditch diggers 

 near the town suggested some very interesting problems along 

 this line. The superintendent made field trips, and work with 

 the Geological Survey sheets constitutes an important part of 

 this work. 



Twice a week the class in agriculture debated some topic, 

 going to bulletins and to farmers as well for their arguments, 

 and giving the authorities quoted. It is often girls against boys, 

 with more girls than boys in order to overcome any handicap 

 caused by the superior general information the boys might have. 

 These debates were not a feature of the regular work in Eng- 

 lish, which was in charge of another instructor. Many of the 

 farmers quoted by the debaters are of superior intelligence, 

 several being graduates of the Michigan Agricultural College. 

 A number of these have given lectures before the school, and 

 have also taken great pains to indicate the " points " in the live 

 stock inspected and to pass judgment on the scoring done by 

 the pupils. 



