2 BULLETIN 784, V. S. DEPAETMEilsrT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



agriculture and farm crops in nearly every school where such subjects 

 are taught. At least one aim. in the teaching of agriculture should be 

 the training of farmers for the future, and as a result of such teach- 

 ing the world should be better fed. The immediate aim in teaching 

 this subject may be to aid in securing a production of better potatoes 

 at a lower cost, but it may also be a medium for developing and apply- 

 ing many of the general principles of plant production. Applying 

 these lessons to a home project will not only have greater agricultural 

 value, but also will do m_uch toward developing the student into a 

 self-reliant husbandman. 



Sources of information. — Nearly all the subject matter for class dis- 

 cussion and instructions for home project work will be found in bulle- 

 tins available either free or at a small cost. Almost every State 

 college of agriculture has published potato bulletins, and in many 

 cases the extension service has issued circulars for school and club 

 use. These may be obtained by addressing the dean of the agricultural 

 college. 



The Farmers' Bulletins of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture cover most of the "topics to be studied, and are suited to the use 

 of the pupils. These bulletins may be obtained free as long as the 

 supply lasts by applying to your Senator, Representative, or Delegate 

 in Congress, or to the Di^dsion of Publications, United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. When this free supply is 

 exhausted, a limited number are for sale by the Superintendent of 

 Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., at 5 

 cents each.^ Seed houses frequently issue pamphlets on potatoes, and 

 these may be obtained free. Farm journals from time to time pub- 

 lish articles on potatoes. These should be clipped and mounted. A 

 good way to keep bulletins and clippings is to file them in pasteboard 

 cases, grouping these references by subjects. Encourage pupils to 

 bring reference material to school.^ 



Illustrative material.^-As potatoes may be secured at any time of 

 the year, there is no excuse for attempting to study the potato with- 

 out having specimens at hand which represent common varieties 

 grown in the district. The potato plant in the field should be studied 

 during the diiferent stages of development. Especially should the 

 relation of the new tubers to the seed tuber and the root system of the 

 plant be noted. If no plants are available, a diagram showing the 

 plant as a whole will be useful. (The figure may be copied on the 



1 Classified lists of department publications on different phases of agriculture for 

 teachers' use, together with other information for teachers of agriculture, may be 

 obtained from the Division of Agricultural Instruction, States Relations Service, United 

 States Departenent of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 



2 Write to the Division of Agricultural Instruction, referred to above, for a circular on 

 the essentials of a school library, describing a simple method of filing reference material. 



