242 NATURE STUDY REVIEW [7 :8— Nov., 1911 



A conference on rural education was held at Davis, California, 

 October 14th. A variety of educational interests were repre- 

 sented, including universities, normal schools, public schools, 

 women's clubs, Grange, farmers, school trustees, and business 

 men. A number of recommendations for the betterment of 

 rural education to be presented to the next legislature w T ere 

 adopted. Among them were "immediate recognition of nature- 

 study and agriculture by county boards of education" (1) 

 by adopting for 1912-13 well organized courses in these sub- 

 jects; (2) by providing for a county or district supervisor of 

 nature-study and agriculture; (3) by better use of teachers' 

 institutes with reference to nature-study and agriculture ; (4) 

 by rewarding' successful teaching of vocational agriculture by 

 a bonus to the teacher (the Ontario Canada plan) ; (5) by 

 teachers' examination in nature-study and agriculture; (6) by 

 division of the state into districts for better supervision and 

 administration of instruction in nature-studv and agriculture. 

 — B. M. D. 



Helps for California Teachers. In January, 1911, The 

 Country Journal (San Francisco), a bi-weekly journal devoted 

 to country life, added a department called "Agriculture in the 

 Public Schools." Eac'h number contains one or more lessons 

 in nature-study or elementary agriculture prepared by C. E. 

 Stebbins of the University of California. 



Under direction of Professor Stebbins as department 

 editor, The Junior Call, a portion of the Saturday Edition of 

 the San Francisco Call, beginning October 14, devotes two 

 pages to a Department of Nature-Study, School Gardening, and 

 Elementary Agriculture, known as the "Junior Agriculturist." 



Beginning with October 28th, The American Weekly (San 

 Francisco) will offer a series of articles running through the 

 entire year, on agriculture with special references to the public 

 schools. The series will be prepared by R. O. Johnson of the 

 Chico California State Normal School. — B. M. D. 



In a recent educational publication occurs the announce- 

 ment by Houghton, Miflin Company "of a new nature reader 

 that will solve the nature study problem." Would that the 

 nature-study problem were as easily solved ! This little book 

 upon which such great expectations are built is by Delias Lore 

 Sharp and illustrated by Robert Bruce Horsfall. Needless to 

 say, therefore, it is delightful reading and attractive in its 



