THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
553 
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THE RELATION OF HORTICULTURE TO THE SCHOOLS 
OF THE STATE 
By L. C. Corbett, United States Dept. Agr. 
I will not take time to dwell on the well known and well 
worn adage that our age is an industrial one. That it is 
such is apparent to any one who looks about him. It fol¬ 
lows of necessity that our educational system should to some 
extent be industrial. Indeed, such is the trend of educa¬ 
tion. Education is becoming more and more a question of 
local expediency. That training is best which teaches the 
child to know and do well those things, which by reason of 
its environment, it were best to know and do. Thus it 
comes that trade schools are established in manufacturing 
districts, mining schools in mining localities and agricultural 
schools in farming sections, all of which has some little to do 
with the “Relation of Horticulture to the Schools of the 
State.” 
It is a source of much encouragement to know that Ala¬ 
bama is falling in line with the most approved methods of 
training her youth. She was rather late in making a start, 
perhaps, in the proper direction. We might pause to ask 
what is the proper direction. Naturally it would be in that 
way which would lead to the development of her own re¬ 
sources, and especially those resources which would add 
most to the welfare of her people. It is easy to figure what 
this it, because more than eighty out of one hundred people 
in this state are dependent upon the soil for their support. 
Thus, the industrial education of Alabama must be con¬ 
cerned for the most part with the soil and the products 
thereof. This means that our children should be taught 
the principles of agriculture and horticulture. A very good 
beginning has been made. This beginning is represented by 
the state college at Auburn, by the nine district agricultural 
schools, and by the introduction of agriculture into the 
Common schools four years ago. You will notice that the 
provisions already made for education in this line have been 
made for agriculture without any special reference to horti¬ 
culture, except at the Auburn school and the nine district 
high schools. What needs to be impressed upon the educa¬ 
tors and the people generally is the fact that horticulture in 
this state is just as important as agriculture, and further¬ 
more, that both of these industries deserve more aid and en¬ 
couragement in the school than they are receiving. Of 
course the two are very closely related so far as the teaching 
of the general principles of plant study is concerned. The 
book used in the public school has just as much horticulture 
as agriculture, so when a dollar is spent for agricultural 
training horticulture profits by it just as much. Let us 
consider briefly a few observations on the present status of 
education as it pertains to agriculture and horticulture. To 
begin with there is a crying need for more funds for purely 
horticultural work at Auburn and for experimental pur¬ 
poses at the nine district schools. This is seen by the 
reports of those in charge of the work at those institutions. 
It is to be hoped that those schools receive sufficient funds 
for I believe that they are doing a most worthy work. 
But I wish to call your attention to what I consider a far 
more important matter just at this time. This is the ques¬ 
tion of agriculture and horticulture in the common schools. 
I learn from your records that this society was organized 
five years ago and that its purpose is “the dissemination of 
horticultural knowledge.” The greatest opportunity for 
disseminating such knowledge is in the public schools of the 
state. And it devolves upon us, gentlemen of this society, 
as a bounden duty to do all in our power for the cause of 
this question. Let us not be inclined to think that all that 
was necessary was done when the law was passed putting 
Agriculture as a study in the public schools. Indeed, this 
was just the first step and the way is long. The law 
lacks much of covering the whole field of education. 
Only one child in five has access to a secondary school. 
Some provision by law should be made to give the other 
four children some of the principles of plant study. In the 
primary grades the bent of the child is moulded. It 
might wisely be argued that the present book in agricul¬ 
ture is too difficult for the work of the primary grades. 
Such is the case, but here is where the work should be 
started. Every primary teacher should be provided with 
a good book in nature study (there are numbers of such 
books). The simple principles of plant life could easily be 
instilled into the minds of the children. Then when the 
higher grades are reached the student can grasp intelligently 
the broader principles of agriculture and horticulture. 
As has been stated one child in five attends a school 
where the book in agriculture and horticulture is taught. 
And I grant readily that if one child in five were really 
taught the principles of this book in an intelligent and effec¬ 
tive way that our educational training in this line of work 
would be entirely adequate. I can assure you with a great 
deal of confidence that this proportion of the school children 
are not getting the principles of horticulture. It is evident 
that this book is not being taught as well as it should by any 
means. I make this statement conservatively, and only 
after sufficient observation and investigation to know that 
it is true. On this point allow me to quote you a sentence 
from a letter received from the state superintendent of 
education last week, who says, “My information and observa¬ 
tion lead me to believe that the work being done along agri¬ 
cultural lines in the rural schools of Alabama amounts to 
almost nothing.” So far as I can find out this seems to be 
the opinion of educators generally. I beg of you, gentlemen 
of this society, hear me when I say, it is time somebody were 
waking up about this question. Here are over four hundred 
schools in the state where the principles of plant study are 
supposed to be taught, and yet at the end of four years that 
amounts to very little. There is no reason for such to be 
the case. Something should be done for improvement. 
