76 Agricultural Instruction in the Public High Sclwols 



ports prosperous dairying interests, and has the advantage of 

 excellent markets near at hand. The community is an old, 

 established one, and the farming population conservative in its 

 methods. The stone " academy " built in 1822 still forms the 

 principal part of the high-school building. The school board is 

 made up of far-seeing, practical business men, some of whom 

 have had the advantages of foreign travel and extensive busi- 

 ness operations. They have inaugurated a workable course in 

 agriculture running through most of the four years, and hope 

 to introduce home economics as soon as public opinion is edu- 

 cated up to it. That the work is exerting a wholesome influ- 

 ence is shown by the fact that the students had tested milk for 

 40 patrons of the cheese factory up to May 10, 25 of them 

 being farmers with dairy herds ranging from 20 to 40 cows 

 each. In the course of time boys in many of these homes will 

 be able to use Babcock testers owned by their fathers. At 

 present although the farmers have not gained the confidence to 

 test their own seed corn, many have sent in samples to be tested 

 by the class in agronomy. Some sent in shelled corn while 

 others sent lots varying from two ears to three bushels. Four 

 such lots arrived on the day of my visit. May 10. Most of 

 the farmers, however, have not yet been converted into believers 

 in seed testing. 



The district comprises about 25 square miles and has a popula- 

 tion of 1,500 or more, half of this being in the borough. 



An average of 20 students have graduated for several years, 

 75 per cent of whom later teach in the rural schools. As in- 

 struction in agriculture was instituted in the fall of 1904 it will 

 readily be seen that its influence is felt in no small degree in 

 the rural schools of the township. A synopsis of the literary, 

 scientific, and agricultural courses of the high-school curriculum 

 is here given : 



