82 Agricultural Instruction in the Public High Scliools 



thin milk and was compelled also to adopt the Babcock test 

 standard. Perhaps the fact that the proprietor of the cheese 

 factory was a member of the board accounts for the board's 

 appreciation of a tester as a piece of school apparatus. Some 

 of the farmers were having their herds tested through a series 

 of weeks for the purpose of thinning out their poor stock. The 

 pupils made duplicate tests of those made by the instructor, 

 kept the records, and got much practice in that way. The 

 school also had the use of a cream separator valued at $85. 



Corn judging was a regular part of the work of the second 

 year class, although some of the testing was done by the first 

 year students. The ears of a lot brought in were spread out 

 on a cupboard shelf and numbered. Six kernels were taken 

 from each ear, two each from the tip, middle, and butt. The 

 seed tester was made of a soap box with a layer of sawdust 

 covered with muslin ruled off into squares. The box was deep 

 enough to permit of several layers of seeds being placed in 

 it, but since no provision had been made for rigid trays, this 

 method was found to have no advantage if the seeds were to be 

 inspected before sprouting. 



From forty to fifty farm journals are received and filed each 

 week. Alany of the seniors, in connection with their work in 

 English, write to some of these journals and to the daily papers 

 of Erie. 



Much of the equipment has been purchased with funds raised 

 by the students. Six years ago, the school raised by entertain- 

 ments $75, which was duplicated by the board. Eighty-five dol- 

 lars was raised in a similar manner the year of my visit. 



The per capita cost of the school is $27. The tax rate of 

 4 mills for the borough for the common schools, has risen to 8 

 mills since it took over the academy. The total borough rate 

 is 16 mills on an assessed valuation estimated at 66 per cent 

 or over of the actual valuation. 



The school is unfortunate in having different instructors in 

 agriculture every year, as this prevents a plan being carried out 

 consistently from year to year. As it is, the instructors in agri- 

 culture are paid a half more than other assistants, but after 

 gaining a year's experience in teaching they are able to com- 



