914 
that it ig so important in order to suc- 
ceed in any particular calling or busi- 
ness, it is necessary that the student 
should know many things that years 
ago were not a part of human knowl- 
edge. 
We must educate in chemistry if our 
pupils would fairly understand many of 
the things with which they have to deal, 
practically. There must be some knowl- 
edge of bacteriology if we are to intel- 
ligently control many of the diseases 
that affect our crops. We must have 
some knowledge of plant physiology if 
we are to know the laws of plant life 
and succeed in the highest degree in 
the growing of crops. We must have 
some knowledge of climatic conditions 
and the adaptations of different kinds of 
crops to climates. ‘We have come to 
know that no particular department of 
work and no particular law exists alone 
but all things are inter-related. It would 
seem proper in an agricultural coun- 
try, that the students in the public 
schools should be taught those things 
that pertain to agriculture or if we par- 
ticularize in horticulture, it would seem 
proper that they should be taught those 
subjects which relate to the dominant 
industry in the community in which they 
live. There is greater probability that 
the son of a farmer will be a farmer, 
provided the farm can be made to pay, 
than that he will follow any other voca- 
tion. In like manner, there is greater 
probability that the son of an orchard- 
ist will be an orchardist, provided the 
orchard can be made to pay, than that 
he will leave the orchard and go into 
some occupation with which he is not 
familiar. Considering the importance 
of asricultural subjects, using the word 
agriculture in the broad sense to include 
horticulture, it would seem entirely 
proper to teach in the public schools 
those things that relate to the most im- 
portant industry in the world, and this 
is more especially true when we come 
to consider that in the teaching of those 
subjects, we are giving as good mental 
discipline, as good training, and as 
large an information with reference to 
the things of life as could be given in 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
any possible course of education that 
can be pursued, and that in so far as it 
concerns self-sustenance and the susten- 
ance of those dependent upon us, it is 
much more important than the classical 
courses that have generally been mapped 
out. This might not apply to persons 
who expect to acquire a living by teach- 
ing the classical courses in the schools, 
but these persons are exceptions. 
The masses of men must always do 
the practical work of life, and in order 
to do it well, they should be trained as 
early as possible to know how to do 
those things that they must in future 
years do in order to live. 
Carroll D. Wright, in his outline of 
“Practical Sociology,” says: 
“That part of the public school system 
which interests the greatest number of 
persons is to be found below the grade 
known as the high school, for probably 
90 per cent of the children passing 
through our public schools leave them at 
the grammar grades, or the highest 
grade under the high school. Public in- 
terest is therefore largely centered in 
the perfection of the primary, inter- 
mediate, and grammar grades, in which 
many a child is taught all that he will 
ever receive in the way of education be- 
fore entering upon his life work.” 
GRANVILLE LOWTHER 
Methods in Agricultural Education 
Nearly every one today believes that 
our schools must become more closely al- 
lied to the industries by which our people 
live. But our power and prosperity in the 
future depend upon the skill and the in- 
telligence by which our people are able 
to practice the arts of agriculture and 
horticulture. 
It is easy to agree that the schools 
shall take in agriculture. But it is 
tremendously difficult to find out just 
how this may be done. No one knows 
as yet. There must be myriad experi- 
ments and a thousand grotesque fail- 
ures before we succeed. The casual ob- 
server does not dream of the difficulties 
and stumbling blocks in the way. It is 
the work of years to get a new idea 
really planted and growing in the set 
