836 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. II. No. 51. 



ment work and with the giving of instruc- 

 tion before farmer's meetings. The itinerant 

 teaching has been connected chiefly with 

 the Farmers' Institute movement, which is 

 now firmly established as a governmental 

 enterprise in most of the Northern States. 

 In ISTew York, however, the movement has 

 ripened into a custom of holding itinerant 

 schools which shall be devoted to the par- 

 ticular interests of the localitj^ in which 

 they are held. Itinerant dairy schools have 

 been held in this State, off and on, for a 

 number of years. The first horticultural 

 school of this type ever held was convened 

 in Fredonia, Chautauqua Countj', New 

 York, in the Christmas holidays of last 

 year (1894). It extended over a period of 

 four days. The underlj^ing conception of 

 the school was to give instruction in some 

 of the fundamental principles of soil tillage 

 and to awaken the enthusiasm of the parti- 

 cipants. A sj'stem of observation teaching 

 was introduced. A session was opened, for 

 example, by putting leafless twigs into the 

 hands of the students and requiring them 

 to look at the specimens. It is needless to 

 say that many original and novel observa- 

 tions were made, and that curiosity and 

 enthusiasm reached a high pitch when some 

 one stumbled on to the fact that the buds 

 are arranged in geometrical order! These 

 simple observation lessons have always 

 been a source of delight to the participants 

 in these classes, and thej' have probably 

 resulted in quite as much ultimate good as 

 the more didactic teaching. The students 

 who enroll themselves in these schools are 

 men and "vyomen of various ages, compris- 

 ing persons who love rural life. The en- 

 rollment has run fi'om 30 to 120 persons, 

 but the teaching, having been given to the 

 most intelligent persons in the community, 

 exerts a very wide and abiding influence. 

 As a matter of contemporaiy interest and 

 of history, the program of this first hor- 

 ticulture school is here inserted : 



Wednesday, Dec. 26, 1894. 

 2 P. M. 



1. Announcements. 



2. Observation upon Twigs. 



3. Hou' Plants live and grow; with demonstrations- 

 with the microscope : "W". W. Eowlee, Assistant 

 Professor of Botany in Cornell University. 



7 P. M. 



4. An Analysis of Landscapes; with stereopticon 

 views: L. H. Bailey. 



Thdesday, Dec. 27. 



9:30 A. JI. 



5. Observations upon Fruit Buds. 



6. 77(6 Nursery ; discussion upon the propagation 

 of plants, illustrated with the operations and nursery- 

 grown specimens: Nelsox C. Smith, Geneva. 



2 P. M. 



7. Observations upon Seeds. 



8. A Brief of the Evolution of Plants ; origination of 

 varieties; philosophy of domestication and pruning: 

 L. H. Bailey. 



7 P. SI. 



9. The Geological History of Soils ; with stereopti- 

 con views: E. S. Take, Assistant Professor of Dy- 

 namic Geology and Physical Geography in Cornell 

 University. 



Friday, Dec. 28. 



9.30 A. M. 



10. Observation upon Leaves. 



11. Chemistry of the Grape and' of Soils: G. C. 

 Caldwell, Professor of Chemistry in Cornell Uni- 

 versity. 



2 P. M. 



12. Observation upon Flowers. 



13. Theory of Tillage and Productivity of Land: I. 

 P. Roberts, Director of the College of Agriculture, 

 Cornell University. 



7 P. JI. 



14. What are Fungi ? Considered ^vith special ref- 

 erence to the grape, with stereopticon views: E. G. 

 LODEHIAN, Instructor in Horticulture in Cornell 

 University. 



Saturday, Dec. 29. 

 9.30 a. m. 



15. Observation upon Fruits. 



16. Commercial Grape Culture in Chautauqua County; 

 considered in various aspects: by S. S. Ceissey, 

 Fredonia; G. Schoenfeld, Westfield ; J. A. Ten- 

 NANT, Ripley. 



2 p. M. 



17. Observation upon T/ie Apple. 



18. Continuation of No. 16. 



19. General Question Box. 



20. Final exercises. 



"This is probably the first school of its kind de- 

 voted to horticulture in this country. With no pre- 



