9? 



when guided by her superintendent, to carry out with success 

 certain undertakings in agriculture. The normal schools and 

 the summer school at the Massachusetts Agricultural College 

 are already rendering service by training their students for the 

 work which falls to a teacher in a rural school, and are in some 

 instances giving direct instruction in the processes of farming. 

 It is important that superintendents who are in charge of 

 schools in the country should inform themselves on elementary 

 agriculture. Guidance and help from the superintendent are 

 important factors in promoting the efficiency of a teacher in 

 this field of instruction. It has been suggested that the Board 

 of Education might well consider the question of securing a 

 grant of money from which payments might be made to the 

 smaller towns in order that the salaries of teachers who are 

 making a success of the work in agriculture and in other prac- 

 tical branches might be increased. Such an incentive would 

 encourage capable young women to enter the service of the 

 rural schools, and to continue in this field of work for a time. 

 It has been shown by experience that such teachers with a ca- 

 pacity for leadership, not only improve the quality of the school 

 work, but also exercise a most helpful influence upon the com- 

 munity life, this influence being shown in the betterment of 

 economic and social conditions. 



PART II. 



Introduction. 



An agent of the Board of Education is preparing a manual 

 for the instruction of teachers in the work of elementary ag- 

 riculture. This bulletin is entitled " Some Agricultural Pro-, 

 jects for Elementary Schools." The nature of the work is best 

 shown by a brief description of each of the four parts, and by 

 an example of one of the projects. 



The Divisions of the Manual. 



Part I. The Projects. This portion of' the bulletin gives 

 full and specific directions, whereby the children in the elemen- 

 tary schools, under the direction of teachers, may successfully 

 raise such vegetables as potatoes, tomatoes, parsnips, lettuce, 



