66 Agricultural Instruction in the Public High Scltools 



of all the boys, with an option of four semesters of agriculture 

 in place of the Latin. The girls are required to take four 

 semesters of some phase of household economics, and have an 

 option of two more in place of Latin. 



Physiology and physical geography are required in the first 

 year of all students, botany and zoology in the second, chem- 

 istry in the third, and physics in the fourth, making a total of 

 four years of science required besides the agriculture and home 

 economics. The laboratory sciences (all except those of the 

 first year) have three double periods and two recitation periods 

 given them. This is the usual time allotment in most of the 

 better high schools in the Central States. The agricultural work 

 consists of a semester each of agronomy (I), horticulture (I), 

 animal husbandry (II), agronomy (III), animal husbandry 

 (III), and agronomy (IV). The Roman numeral indicates the 

 year in which it occurs. Latin is offered theoretically in the 

 first and third years, allowing the first and second-year pupils 

 to be combined in one class. Of the 25 in these first two grades, 

 7 take Latin and 18 agronomy and horticulture. The following 

 year the then first and second year students were scheduled to 

 take ancient history. The current second and third year classes 

 were scheduled to take English history in place of the botany 

 and zoolog}^ while the elective agronomy and animal husbandry 

 will be offered to them. 



For one study the agronomy class picked weed seeds and 

 labelled the phials in which they were placed. The pupils had 

 practice in sorting out the red clover, alfalfa, and other seeds 

 of the clover group, which were mixed, likewise radish and 

 rape seeds, timothy and grass seeds. The object of the work 

 was to gain an ability to detect adulteration in bought seeds. 

 Corn judging and testing was included as a part of the work. 



The class in horticulture planted some trees, and did some 

 grafting in an orchard nearby. In response to a question about 

 three-fourths of the class stated that they had fruit trees at 

 home, and most of them thought their fruit trees had received 

 different treatment because of the work done in the class. 



Upon request, the principal gave the following (|uestion in 

 a written te.st. " What did you do at home as the result of 



