CREDIT FOR HOME. PRACTICE IN AGRICULTURE. 5 
the figures might need revision. The boy might not be allowed to 
use more than two horses where the father would use four, and some 
of the manual labor would be heavier for him. In any case the 
raising of a single acre on this farm would require more than one-half 
of the 144 hours, assigned to project work. 
Again, if the boy is to raise from one-eighth to one-half acre of 
potatoes only, almost every phase of the work will take more time 
relatively than it takes on larger fields. Planting, spraying, digging, 
and even hoeing may be done by hand and a reasonable time allow- 
ance is to be made. Such a study of the labor involved will assist 
in deciding how large a project the pupil should be encouraged to 
take. Too much project work may detract from the time needed 
for study; too little may not be worth considering for credit. The 
extent to which this work is new, and therefore educational, may be 
a factor in giving different credit for the same number of man-hours 
labor. 
The first thing to be decided is whether the potato project is a 
suitable application of the agriculture taught. Then in view of the 
ratio established between textbooks and practice on the one hand 
and the estimated man-hours of labor in raising an acre of potatoes 
on the other, determine the question as to whether one-half acre or 
one-fourth acre or more is sufficient to satisfy the demands. 
In case the pupil carries both a crop and an animal project, each 
may be determined in the same way for the proportionate time 
allowed. There is a manifest advantage in having both summer and 
winter projects. 
Whenever projects have been carried out and reports rendered by 
pupils, the itemized records of time should be kept on file at the 
school to be used in considering future projects. The age and ma- 
turity of each pupil should be recorded with each report. These 
records may in time be of greater value in crediting projects than are 
the adult labor records which are at present the only available basis. 
CASE Il. HOME PRACTICE OPTIONAL. 
In some cases where the study of agriculture is prescribed for the 
upper grades, it is not feasible to require any home work. It will 
then be best to offer added credit for home project work and average 
the rank on the project with the recitation rank in agriculture as in ~ 
the former case. The ratio between the two should be fixed upon a 
fair basis and the same methods for obtaining the cooperation of the 
parents should be used as in other cases. 
If the recitation course runs for three or four periods a week the 
home work should count for about two-fifths or two-sixths. When 
there are five recitations in agriculture it may be wise to count home 
work as three, unless it seems that the pupils ought not to carry that 
