WHAT THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL AT MACOMB, 

 ILLINOIS, IS DOING IN AGRICULTURE 



By J. T. JOHNSON 

 In charge of Biology and Agriculture 



It is very evident to any one who has ever traversed even a part 

 of the territory known as the Military Tract in Illinois that the 

 leading industry is agriculture. Surrounded as it is by a rich 

 agricultural district, the Military Tract State Normal School ought 

 to be and is interested very much in the general subject of agri- 

 culture. The natural environment suggests it, the young men and 

 women are many of them anxious to study the new subject, and 

 the school desires to encourage such training, and has accom- 

 plished something already in a very substantial way. However, 

 it is thought at present that a beginning only is made, for the 

 possibilities are large. 



In this brief description it seems quite out of place to mention 

 future plans and, therefore, only the work actually in progress will 

 be herein set forth. Briefly the work may be considered in the 

 following, viz., (a) Class, (b) Experiment Field, (c) Agricultural 

 Club, (d) Teachers. 



Class. There are given each year two terms of work, one term 

 in the Spring Quarter and the other in the Summer Quarter. 

 At present the course is offered as an elective to students of nor- 

 mal school grade, and to teachers who enter the Summer Quarter. 



The class-room work provides for a general treatment of the 

 subject. Usually one of the leading texts in elementary agri- 

 culture is used as a basis, and to this are added bulletins, circulars, 

 and similar publications from our State Experiment Station, and 

 also Farmers' Bulletins, and the Yearbooks of the Department 

 of Agriculture. Washington, D. C. Among some of the very 

 best leferences are the Reports of Illinois Farmers' Institute. 

 Laboratory practice supplements the work of the class-room. 

 The exercises employed are those which bear upon the important 

 principles discussed in the various publications. It probably 

 would be much plainer to say that exercises are used which 

 involve the composition of soils, the relation of moisture to soils, 

 the conservation of moisture; which treat of the composition 

 and home mixing of commercial fertilizers, and of the value of 



