78 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [7 13— Mar., 1911 



New York will be remembered as a state which has already estab- 

 lished three special schools of agriculture. The same year the 

 Virginia legislature made an appropriation of $20,000 to be 

 divided equally amongst ten high schools which should be selected 

 in the different congressional districts for the introduction of 

 agriculture and household arts- I had the pleasure of visiting 

 the school at Manassas, Virginia, which was beginning under 

 about as unfavorable and crude conditions as could be looked for. 

 The teacher was a live man and with only a year of work had 

 interested the farming community to the extent of forming a 

 farmers' institute which held monthly meetings and had resulted 

 in rallying the community to the support of the school. 



Minnesota, which would naturally be considered the strong- 

 hold of the special school of agriculture, in 1909 made an appro- 

 priation for teaching industrial subjects including agriculture in 

 the regular high schools. The law provides that not more than 

 ten schools could receive state aid the first year and the appro- 

 priation to each school should not exceed $2500 per year or two- 

 thirds of the total paid for teaching such subjects. The law also 

 provided that not more than ten schools could be added each two 

 years thereafter ; that trained teachers must be employed and that 

 each school must have at least five acres of land for garden and 

 experimental work. 



Michigan began teaching Agriculture in the high schools in 

 a definite way in the fall of 1908. This was done, I believe, with- 

 out a special state appropriation. The North Adams School 

 board in 1908 requested the college of agriculture to outline a 

 course for their school. The request was complied with and the 

 following fall one of the college graduates sent there to teach. 

 Last year six of the high schools were giving agricultural instruc- 

 tion and more were clamoring for teachers. 



California began very much as Michigan. No special ap- 

 propriation has been made for the introduction of agriculture, 

 but during the year of 1909-10 five of our high schools were sup- 

 plied with agricultural graduates. These five were Fresno, Ox- 

 nard, Bakersfield, Imperial and Gardena. The present year, be- 

 ginning September 1910, there are eleven agricultural graduates 

 in high schools who are teaching that subject. The additional 

 towns are Livermore, Salinas, Stockton, Hollywood, Brawley, 

 Azusa and Ferndale. The people of the different localities are 

 grasping the situation with a great deal of enthusiasm and giv- 

 ing their schools splendid support. Gardena, which is part of the 



