News Notes 



Stephen Rich, a former student in entomology, at Cornell University, writes 

 that on leaving Ithaca in 1915 he accepted a position as introducer of Nature- 

 Study into the native educational system, at Amanzintoti, Natal, in a training 

 school to prepare Zulus to teach primary schools among their own people. 

 He made out a course of study applicable to native plants and animals and 

 taught Nature-Study in every class in school. After the first year Nature- 

 Study was taken up by three other training schools and he prepared a more 

 advanced course of study. 



Later Mr. Rich went to Edendale as headmaster in another school of training 

 for native teachers. All the training schools in Natal have now taken up 

 Nature-Study and as the most experienced in teaching that subject Mr. Rich 

 is consulted by all ; he says that the Zulus are slow but very intelligent. 



CALIFORNIA 



O. J. Kern, Assistant Professor Agricultural Education in University of 

 California, College of Agriculture, has published a course for teachers in 

 Agriculture, Nature- Study and School Garden which is extensive and practical 

 as well as inspiring. 



This outline deals, first with the place of the school garden in a well organized 

 scheme of agricultural education, (a) as a practical project in the art of agricul- 

 ture, (b) as a laboratory or observation plot of elementary facts, (c) as a means 

 of teaching landscape art. Secondly, it deals with the essential of a successful 

 school garden. Thirdly, with tools needed for working the garden, the care of 

 tools and contains lists of reference books on such tools. 



The different chapters cover the following topics : Choosing the garden site ; 

 improving the soil, (a) references on soil improvement, (b) improvement of 

 different kinds of soil, 



Planning the garden, different garden systems, (a) co-operation in the work 

 of teachers and pupils, (b) administrative problems to be decided by the 

 teacher alone, (c) teachers' pedagogic problems (d) references to literature on 

 planning school gardens. 



Preparation of the seed bad, references on tillage of preparation. Planting 

 rules and tables. The garden and vacations. Growing plants indoors, trans- 

 planting, references. Cultivation and irrigation, references. The garden and 

 vacations, co-operation, exhibits. The garden and correlation of school work, 

 references. Studies in vegetable characteristics and cultural requirements, 

 outlines and references, outlines for garden vegetable growing. 



Plant studies in connection with the garden, references. Soil studies in 

 animal life, (a) enemies of the garden, (b) friends of the garden, (c) sprays, 

 reference literature. 



School gardens and landscape art, (a) educational influences of environment 

 (b) good landscape and art, (c) civic art and community ownership and respon- 

 sibility, (d) development of civic sense of need of landscape art, styles of 

 planting, (e) district school in provement society, (f ) observance of Arbor Day. 



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