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 much 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, Eepresentative, or Delegate 
in Congress, or to the Division 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. 1 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. 2 
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 different 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 Department 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. 
