SOME OBSERVATIONS ON HIGH SCHOOL AGRICULTURE 



By LEROY ANDERSON, Professsor of Agricultural Practice and Supt. of Farm Schools 

 College of Agriculture, Berkeley, Calif. 



My trip East last winter was more particularly to visit sec- 

 ondary schools of agriculture established in connection with col- 

 leges or as separate institutions. Where time was available, how- 

 ever, I made it a point to visit high schools which were teaching 

 agriculture and especially to talk with those who are leading in the 

 development of industrial education. The Middle West has 

 especially strong advocates for the two chief methods of teaching 

 agriculture in institutions below the college, one favoring the 

 special agricultural school, the other favoring teaching the sub- 

 ject in the regular high school. The advocates of the special 

 ' school make rather strong objections to its introduction in the 

 ■ regular school system on these grounds, — first, the atmosphere 

 i of the high school is all wrong, it is too academic, since its first 

 use is and has been to fit for university ; — second, the students we 

 want to reach are not in the high school and will not go to the 

 high school; — third, the high school can never hope to have suf- 

 ficient equipment to teach agriculture in such a complete and dig- 

 nified manner as will command the respect of the farming com- 

 munity. 



All of these statements may have been true at some time, all 

 of them may be true in some localities now, some of them are 

 I true in some localities now. The special agricultural schools have 

 had twenty years to prove their worth and their capacity. Agri- 

 culture has not been tried for a- sufficient period in established 

 . high schools to warrant such sweeping charges save as prophecies. 

 That these objections are not serious is evidenced by the unani- 

 mity with which several states are undertaking the introduction 

 of agriculture into their high school system. It is too early, of 

 course, to give examples of success based upon much experience, 

 but thus far there has been no reaction from the enthusiastic be- 

 ginning. A few illustrations will show the trend of the matter. 



In 1908 the New York legislature made provision for the 

 introduction of agriculture, and other industrial subjects, into the 

 schools of the state. The appropriation allowed $500 for one 

 teacher engaged in such subjects, and $200 for each additional 

 teacher. A year later six or eight high schools were teaching ag- 

 riculture and I was informed by those who knew that forty or 

 fifty more would be doing so if men could be found as teachers. 



