64 The Nature-Study Exhibition 



C. Agriculture. — At one or two schools agricultural 

 teaching is carried on, for instance: — 



" The exhibits sent from Rostherne were mainly in connection with the 

 Cheshire County Council's scheme for technical instruction. The boys 

 of ex- and upper standards receive a weekly lesson in agriculture from 

 the Head-master. The syllabus is as follows : — 



Pastures (permanent and otherwise). 



Grasses: their nature and characteristics. 



Sedges, rushes : difference between these and grasses. 



Useful (to farmers) and useless grasses. 



Useful and useless plants found in pastures. 



The specimens sent illustrate this course of lessons, and were found 

 and mounted by the boys. Several of the lessons were given in the pas- 

 tures and meadoius themselves. 



The plants are also studied in detail in school." 



Patcham Board School may be quoted as a second in- 

 stance, the exhibits of which showed : — 



" Some rough specimens of objects used in illustration of a scheme of 

 practical, useful, and inexpensive Nature-study by means of examination 

 and simple classification of — 



*' [a) Common Plants of Farm and Garden: their life-history, 



as shown by specimens collected at different periods of the year from 

 seed-time to harvest, with details of a few chief classes (woods, &c.) 

 conveying as much information as possible on ' How Plants Grow '. 



**(*) Animals of the Farm: their structure (hoofs, teeth, skull, 

 &c.), habits, and adaptability to their work, with proper treatment to 

 secure best results. An acquaintance with insect life sufficient to 

 illustrate the classification of some common * insect pests ' — e.g. the 

 wire-worm, aphides, 'turnip-flea', caterpillar, bean- and pea-l>eetle — and 

 a knowledge of bee-keeping. 



"(<^) Common Rocks: their formation— (a) heat (granites), sedi- 

 ment (sand and slate), {b) by animal decay (limestones); and the forma- 

 tion of soils from the action of natural phenomena (frost and water) on 

 the above rocks. 



**N.B. — I. Various experiments are performed to illustrate the action 

 of frost and water on rocks and soils, and how oxygen and carbonic 

 acid are connected with plant and animal life. 



