UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



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i BULLETIN No. 392 



Contribution from the States Relations Service 

 A. C. TRUE, Director 



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Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



August 23, 1916 



LESSONS ON TOMATOES FOR RURAL SCHOOLS.^ 



By E. A. Miller, Specialist in Agricultural Education. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 1 



Lesson one 2 



Lesson two 4 



Lesson three 5 



Lesson four 6 



Lesson five 9 



Lesson six 9 



Lesson seven li 



Lesson eight 12 



Lesson nine 13 



Lesson ten 14 



Club organization 16 



Community exhibits 17 



INTRODUCTION. 



Importance. — The tomato has come to be looked upon as one of 

 the most important truck crops. Its value as an article of food and 

 the wide range in which it may be grown have made it both a com- 

 mercial and a home garden crop of high rank. 



Educational value. — The many phases involved in growing, har- 

 vesting, and marketing the crop give it value as an educational sub- 

 ject. This has been demonstrated in recent years by its utilization 

 as a club project activity by young people. It is with a view of 

 introducing into the schools m a definite way the study of this 

 important plant that these lessons are outlined. Each lesson topic 

 affords ample work for one or more recitation periods, and should be 

 taught at the season of year indicated. 



Practical exercises. — The prmciples set forth in each lesson should 

 be emphasized and demonstrated by the pupils in the growing of 

 tomatoes for profit under proper supervision. This is dealt with in 

 more detail elsewhere. 



References. — The publications referred to may be had from the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, so long as avail- 

 able. Teachers and pupils should write to the State college of agri- 

 culture for publications on the subject. Let it be remembered that 

 the classroom work can be made most effective only when a liberal 

 use is made of supplementary literature. At the very begiimmg of 

 the school year the teacher and pupils should secure all the available 

 reference literature on the subject. 



1 Prepared under the direction of C. H. Lane, Chief Specialist in Agricultural Education. 

 Note.— This bulletin is of interest to teachers of southern rural schools. 

 47093°— Bull. 393—16 1 



