32 NATURE STUDY REVIEW [10:1— Jan., 1914 



breeding and correspondingly behind in average yields. We need 

 a plant breeder in every district and perhaps one for each farm 

 crop grown. In parts of France, we are told, they have the best 

 garden vegetables in the world. And in these parts where no 

 government money has been given for years except to schools 

 maintaining school gardens, we learn that the girls spend one hour 

 or more each week as a part of their Domestic Science work in the 

 garden or testing the cooking qualities of vegetables from the 

 breeding plots. 



Editorial 



There has just appeared from the press of Warwick & York 

 of Baltimore, Md., a new nvimber (No. 1 1) in their series of Educa- 

 tional Monographs that is deserving of editorial notice. It is of 

 importance to all teachers and gratifying to nature teachers who 

 have been harping on the value of the "nature-study method" 

 these many years. This is on "Inductive Versus Deductive 

 Methods of teaching; An Experimental Research by W. H. 

 Winch ($1.25). 



Five schools in England were selected for the experiments, 

 representing diiferent social classes. In all a hundred and ninety- 

 two children were tested including both boys and girls ranging 

 in age from eight to fifteen years. The tests were based on the 

 facility with which children acquired, retained and used geometri- 

 cal conceptions and definitions. A preliminary test was in each 

 case conducted somewhat as follows: Several squares, triangles, 

 oblongs and diameters of circles were drawn upon the blackboard 

 and labelled as such. These varied in position and dimensions. 

 The children, who had previously had no instruction in geometry, 

 were then asked to write, from their observation of these figures, 

 definitions of a square, a triangle, etc. The papers were scored 

 on the basis of the points correctly noted minus the bad errorfr 

 made. Thus, in the language of replies, a triangle is (i) a shape, 

 figure or drawing (2) with sides or lines. (3) There are three of 

 these (4). It has comer and (5) there are three such. A pupil 

 noting all these points in his definition would make a perfect score 

 unless in addition he made some bad error. If, for instance, he 

 were to add that the three lines are equal that would subtract from 

 his perfect score. On the basis of this preliminary test the pupils,. 



