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PREFACE 



THIS book is intended for the sixth, seventh, or 

 eighth grade ; and the subject matter and language 

 are well within the range of pupils of these grades. 

 The treatment is not technical, and therefore the 

 book can be used in schools whose teachers have 

 had no special training in the subject of school 

 agriculture. 



The aims of the book are to increase the efficiency 

 of farming operations and to improve the general 

 character of farm life by presenting useful informa- 

 tion and by giving directions for practical labora- 

 tory work which may be done at school or at home. 

 These exercises are easy to perform and require 

 no special apparatus. If this experimental work is 

 done with care, the pupil will acquire, in addition 

 to the fundamental facts of agriculture, an excellent 

 training in scientific methods. 



The references at the end of the lessons are 

 mainly the Farmers' Bulletins of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, which can be obtained 

 free or at little cost. These should be supplemented 

 by state bulletins and other available references bear- 

 ing on local conditions. The teacher's attention is 



