2 BULLETIN 521^ U. S. DEPAETMENT OP AGEICULTURE. 



of another. For example, lessons are outlined covering wheat, rice, 

 and cane. It is not expected that these topics will be of equal im- 

 portance in any one district. Where rice or cane is important it may 

 not be necessary to treat wheat as a lesson, in which case more time 

 may be given the other crops. 



Adaptation to students. — The lessons should be adapted to the needs 

 and capacities of the students. Particular care should be taken with 

 those lessons dealing with the science underlying agricultural prac- 

 tice that the subject be kept within the range of secondary students. 

 For example, students may get a comprehension of how plants grow 

 and the princii)les which underlie plant breeding without going into 

 technical plant physiology and genetics. Likewise, as an aid to a 

 better understanding of the practice of feeding, students should 

 know the simpler aspects of digestion and assimilation and under- 

 stand the basis for scientific feeding, yet preliminary lessons on these 

 subjects need not involve anything beyond very elementary chemistry 

 and physiology. The extent to which these lessons are considered will 

 depend upon the maturity of the students and their training in 

 elementary science. 



USE OF TEXTS AND REFERENCES. 



It is hoped that the outlines with the references given will keep 

 the instructor from following a textbook too closely. A list of books 

 for use as general references is given at the end of each course. While 

 the students may be required to buy one or more books during the 

 course, these texts should in all cases be supplemented and adapted to 

 both the student and the community by making special assignments to 

 other references. Special references to bulletins of this department ^ 

 are given with nearly every lesson. It is expected that publications 

 of the State agricultural college, experiment station, or board of 

 agriculture will be used also, especially the bulletins of the State in 

 Avhich the school is located. It is assumed that the school will main- 

 tain files of such publications of their own State as pertain to agri- 

 culture, the Yearbooks of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, and all Farmers' Bulletins pertaining to the agriculture of 

 the district in which the school is located. Reference material should 

 be secured early so that it will be available as the lessons are taken up. 



1 Farmers' Bulletins and Yearbooks of the United States Department of Agriculture may 

 lie obtained free as long as the supply lasts, on application to tlie Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture, Washington, D. C, or to any Senator or Representative in Congress. Other pub- 

 lications of the Department of Agriculture and those named when no longer available for 

 free distribution may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, Government 

 Printing Office, Washington, D. C, at a nominal price. Price lists covering various Gov- 

 ernment publications may be obtained free from the Superintendent of Documents. Each 

 teacher should secure a copy of Price List No. 16, which includes Farmers' Bulletins, 

 Yoarbooks, and department bulletins of the United States Department of Agriculture. 



Lists of these publications prepared for teachers may be obtained from the agricul- 

 tural instruction division of the States Relations Service. 



