Some Typical High Schools Teaching Agriculture 53 



The school possessed a supply of seeds four years old kept 

 to show the influence of age. Each student was assigned one 

 insect and one bird to investigate thoroughly from the litera- 

 ture and from field observations, and was required to hand in 

 his report at the end of the year. There were no school gardens, 

 or home gardens under school supervision or direction. The 

 children from the hamlets seem to take more interest in the 

 work than those from the farms. 



The principal interest of the community centers around rais- 

 ing cattle, hogs, and sheep. Shorthorns are the favorite cattle. 

 There are no dairy herds in the strict sense, although many 

 farmers have from five to ten milch cows and ship the milk 

 to Dayton by the traction line. Very few of the graduates of 

 the high school teach after leaving, at least not in the town- 

 ship ; for none are employed without a year of normal training. 

 From $45 to $65 a month is paid in the elementary grades, 

 which attracts teachers with the necessary training from the 

 nearby city. 



Riley Township High School, Pandora, Ohio 



The schools of Riley Township and Pandora, in Putnam 

 County, exist by virtue of legal provisions enabling villages and 

 townships to maintain jointly a system of high and elementary 

 schools. In this case neither township nor village could well 

 support a high school alone, as the population of the entire 

 district is only 800. One hundred were enrolled in the high 

 school, two-thirds from farm homes. The agricultural class 

 numbered 35, 20 boys and 15 girls, and was taught by the 

 superintendent. He had a man for principal of the high school 

 department and a lady assistant. Agriculture was followed by 

 physical geography in the first year, each continuing half the 

 year. Botany was placed in the second year. 



The school is in a rich agricultural country. Corn is the 

 principal crop. Most of the field produce is fed to cattle and 

 hogs. There is considerable dairying, the milk being taken by 

 a creamery. This of course has a milk tester, but the school 

 has none. All the corn testing was done at home by the boys 

 of the class. They tested all the seed to be used on their farms 



