babcock] A GKICUL TURK IN SECOND A R Y SCHOOLS 213 



Biology." Along with it I am working in topics of general in- 

 terest such as seed selection and germination, tests of alfalfa that 

 is being actually planted, so that the results of our work can be 

 shown in the crop itself. Also the matter of preparing land for 

 lawns and gardens. This is the season for planting what we (in 

 northern California) plant ordinarily in April. Questions on 

 other topics come up frequently. 



"The soil on the school grounds is very hard, difficult to work, 

 and the alkali bothers considerably. We have a lattice-work 

 house, sixteen by thirty-two feet, for plant-propagation work. 

 The beds were all sunken below the ground surface, and conse- 

 quently full of alkali. I am putting in raised beds, eighteen 

 inches of soil with six inches of drainage, in order to get rid of the 

 alkali. I have been experimenting the oast week on adding lime 

 to the soil as a corrective for the adobe and have carried it suffi- 

 ciently far to see that it is in part what is needed. Xow I must 

 determine the least amount one can use and still get the desired 

 physical condition. The class is very much interested in the 

 Smyrna fig and will propagate it. Cuttings of the hardier grapes 

 can also be planted so as to furnish material next year for work 

 in root grafting. 



"Under the head of livestock I am giving the class lectures; 

 one day a week we devote two periods to actual work with the 

 horses. As a large number of the pupils drive to school, we have 

 plenty of material to illustrate nearly every variety of unsound- 

 also to study anatoihy, and types of horses. ' Cattle, hogs, 

 sheep and goats will follow. The Dairymen's Union has asked if 

 I would be prepared to make tuberculin tests; also if I would 

 address them on the subject at one of their meetings. Needless 

 to say I agreed. The course in dairying is working out well. 

 Leaving out the pasteurizers, churns and refrigeration plant, we 

 have as good an outfit for instructional work as was used last year 

 at the University Farm. The separator companies have agreed 

 to place their latest models at our disposal. 



"For the physical geography work we have a splendid equip- 

 ment of instruments worth five hundred dollars. I have em- 

 phasized the value of maximum and minimum temperatures over 

 the mean and the pupils are now taking daily observations and 

 keeping records. An excellent transit is also part of our equip- 

 ment. Observations on the sun were the order of the day at the 

 time of the equinox. 



"The pupils in the school (over seventy) are a better class 

 taken as a whole than are ordinarily found in high schools. The 

 stringent county examinations which all intrants must pass tend 

 to keep up the standard. The examinations I have given have 

 been passed by two-thirds of the class in a satisfactory manner. 



"In regard to field work the people of Imperial have offered me 

 ten acres of land to do with as seems best. The people of the 



