860 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 833 



cultural college, and this is the course in 

 general agriculture, or agronomy. The 

 chemistry which we consider in these is the 

 minimum requirement. In the second part 

 of the paper we shall consider the maxi- 

 mum chemical instruction which it is pos- 

 sible for one to receive in these colleges. 



Another difficulty which confronts us is 

 the great variety in the different institu- 

 tions in the method of expressing require- 

 ments. In some cases there are given sepa- 

 rately the requirements for the class room 

 and for the laboratory in actual hours a 

 week. In some cases the laboratory work 

 is calculated to an equivalent of class-room 

 work and in other eases the class work is 

 calculated to an equivalent of laboratory 

 work, and the two are expressed jointly. 

 Even in this case there is no uniformity, as 

 two hours, two and a half hours and three 

 hours, in different institutions, are taken as 

 the equivalent of one class-room hour. In 

 some cases the actual number of hours is 

 given, not as for the week, but as the total 

 actual hours for the term, the term being 

 the third, or the half year. The unit sys- 

 tem is followed in many institutions, and is 

 not uniform, referring in some cases to the 

 third, the half or the whole year and vary- 

 ing in its representation from one to five 

 hours a week. To make a comparison it is 

 necessary to reduce these requirements to a 

 single standard. The one selected is total 

 class-room hours a week for the year, labo- 

 ratory work being calculated to class-room 

 work, and two hours of laboratory work 

 being taken as the equivalent of one hour 

 of class-room work. 



The requirements for admission vary 

 very much, and thus make great differences 

 in the grade of work. For example, in 

 some cases mathematical study begins in 

 the freshman year with algebra, in others 

 with plane or solid geometry, in others 

 with trigonometry and in others all the 



mathematical study is required for en- 

 trance. Expressed by the Carnegie Foun- 

 dation scale, the variation is from two or 

 three points to about fourteen. The classi- 

 fication of states followed is that used by 

 the Bureau of Education and other govern- 

 mental departments. 



GENERAL CHEMISTRY 



In all the North Atlantic states (nine) 

 general chemistry begins in the freshman 

 year and in one state it continues two 

 years. The number of hours a week given 

 to the subject ranges from 2| to 5|, the 

 average being 4. 



In the South Atlantic states (eight), 

 four begin the subject in the freshman 

 year, four in the sophomore year and in 

 one the subject continues through the sec- 

 ond year. The number of hours a week 

 varies from 3 to 7^, the average being 4.7. 



In the north central states (twelve) all 

 but two begin the subject in the freshman 

 year and in one state it continues through 

 the second year. The number of hours a 

 week varies from 2 to 5|, the average being 

 3.6. 



In the south central • states (eight) all 

 but two begin the work in the sophomore 

 year and in two it continues through the 

 second year. The rnunber of hours a week 

 varies from 1| to 6, the average being 4.6. 



In the far western states (eleven), ex- 

 cepting one, the information in regard to 

 which is not available, one requires chem- 

 istry for admission, in seven the subject is 

 begun in the freshman year, and in two in 

 the sophomore year. In one it is contimied 

 the second year. The number of hours a 

 week varies from 2| to 8, the average being 

 4.2. 



By groups the hours a week vary from 

 3.6 in the north central states to 4.7 in the 

 south Atlantic states, the average for the 

 United States being 4.2. In one state gen- 



