BOOK REVIEWS 



Agriculture Through the Laboratory and School-Garden. By C. 



R. Jackson, Teacher of Agriculture and Botany and Mrs. L. S. Daugherty, 

 Assistant in Physical Geography and Zoology, instructors in the State Nor- 

 mal School at Kirksville, Mo., is published by the Orange Judd Company of 

 New York. Price is ^i . 50. This is a thoroughly valuable book for one 

 engaged in teaching elementary agriculture or in directing the work of the 

 school-garden. It is also an excellent book to put into the hands of any far- 

 mer who wishes to keep in touch with the latest and best in his line of work. 

 It is written in good clear English and the organization of its contents is of 

 such a nature that it will be of most value to the student. It contains a rich 

 fund of materials and suggestions of a very practical character. It is a timely 

 book. The print (407 pages) and the illustrations (150) are both most 

 excellent. 



State Normal School, De Kalb, III. L. A. HaTCH. 



School Gardening for Little Children. By Lucy R. Latter. London: 

 Swan Sonnenschein & Co. 1906. i66pp., illustrated. Introduction by 

 Professor Patrick Geddes. Dedication: **To the little children who show 

 the way." 



Our authoress has taken charge of a primary school in one of the thickly 

 settled districts of London, induced the School Board to tear out a newly laid 

 asphaltum play-ground and cart in loam in its place. (Please read this sen- 

 tence over and realize what it means). We will allow Miss Latter to tell 

 the result of her experiment in the words of her preface. 



«*I have tried, with the aid of a sympathetic staff, to prove that it is 

 possible to make nature-teaching the central point of the life of a school with- 

 out detriment to the children; that such teaching gives a real meaning and 

 incentive to all the handwork, and leads to a richer and truer appreciation of 

 poetry, pictures, and music. The experiment has been going on for nearly 

 six years, during which time it has successfully stood t le test of Government 

 inspection. Each year has shown an increasing gain to the children intellec- 

 ually as well as physically and morally. Instead of the children being less 

 prepared for the work of the senior schools, it is found that they read, write, 

 and do arithmetic as well, if not much better, for having had daily contact 

 with plants and animals, and opportunities for observing the various natural 

 phenomena which affect their lives in one way or another. . It is further found 

 that such children pass on to the senior schools with a quickened power of 



