258 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [10:7— Oct., 1914 



"In 1906 agricultural colleges were in operation in all states and 

 territories except Alaska, Hawaii and Porto Rico." The report 

 also names several agricultural colleges which opened departments 

 of education during that year. These departments were estab- 

 lished for the purpose of promoting agricultural instruction in the 

 elementary grades. Several of these colleges offered two year 

 normal courses for teachers and also maintained summer schools 

 for teachers. 



Relating to the teaching of elementary agriculture the report 

 states "The laws of over thirty states now permit or require the 

 teaching of agriculture in the public schools. These laws were 

 accompanied with provision making agriciilture one of the subjects 

 on which teachers may or must be examined." 



"At a round-table discussion on agricultural education held 

 during an afternoon and evening in Feb., 1906, by the Department 

 of Superintendents of the N. E. A. held at Louisville, Kentucky, it 

 was generally agreed that agricultural study in some form be intro- 

 duced into the public schools and that this might be efficiently 

 done, opportunity should be afforded teachers to receive instruc- 

 tion in agriculture in normal schools." 



Since 1906 agricultural education has been steadily progressing 

 and courses are now offered for teachers in township and rural 

 high schools, for teachers of agricultural courses in high schools, 

 and for rural school teachers. The promoters of agriciiltural 

 education in elementary schools included nature-study in their 

 plans, as a necessary preparation for courses which should have a 

 place in the upper grades. 



The nature-study phase of agriculture, or courses adapted to 

 elementary grades has been neglected altho the promoters did not 

 intend that this condition should prevail. The laws of many 

 states required teaching of agriculture in the elementary schools, 

 and in several Agricultural Colleges courses arranged primarily for 

 nature-study have developed into courses for elementary agricul- 

 ture. When state laws made the teaching of agriculture compul- 

 sory, teachers were required to prepare for an examination in that 

 subject. This condition created a demand for courses in elemen- 

 tary agriculture. Some teachers however, have reviewed a text 

 book, successfully passed an examination and are now teaching 

 elementary agriculture, who have not studied in any school after 

 graduation from high school and who had never taken a biological 

 course in high school. 



