S-V95 

 S 5-4- I 



PREFACE. 



Life on the farm now is not what it used to be. 

 The general development of the age accounts for 

 this. Each year adds something new to the agri- 

 cultural field, and not infrequently are these new 

 things so complex in their nature that the broadest 

 scientific knowledge is required for their interpre- 

 tation and use. There is probably no other indus- 

 try in which so many branches of science enter as 

 farming; nearly the whole list can be used in some 

 way or other. 



This volume is designed, primarily, as a reader, 

 or text-book, in rural schools of agricultural re- 

 gions; but we think it could be used with profit in 

 r\both village and city schools. Pupils can learn to 



ad by reading about real things which are in 

 close touch with their daily lives, and which they 

 ^ wish to remember, as well by reading about remote, 

 fictitious things which they can not and do not care 

 to remember. First-hand knowledge should be 

 learned before any other. The things to be studied 

 on a farm are full of interest, beauty, and utility. 

 Where is a field more varied and vital than the one 



