cation should not of right be separated from all other educational effort. Education by means of agriculture is but a phase of education in general. The great effect of these special schools will be their influence in breaking down old prejudices, in setting new and independent standards of education, in arousing enthusiasm, in developing ways and methods of teaching the common affairs of life. They will react powerfully on the general public school system if their work is not too much insulated by mere technical teaching, perhaps contributing the most productive single influence in the much needed reform and reorganization of all the schools that represent rural communities. There is danger that in the isolation of these institutions we may also isolate the educational programme, and it is the duty of the teacher to see that this does not occur. The final solution is not the organization of special detached schools, but the redirecting of the existing public schools in such a way that they shall teach the members of their communities how to live.

PART II.-THE MEANS OF TRAINING THE TEACHERS.

Having now examined the nature of the demand for teachers of agriculture and the grades of teaching that are required, we may attack the question of determining where these teachers shall be trained. Where and how a teacher shall be prepared will depend, of course, on the phase or range of agriculture teaching in which he is to

engage.

The degree of a teacher's preparation will be conditioned by the pay he is to receive. The general elementary schools, and most of the high schools, do not pay sufficient salaries to warrant a teacher in spending much time and money in perfecting his equipment in both agriculture and education. Good agricultural college training is practically out of the question for these fields at present, because graduates from such colleges of good abilities command better salaries elsewhere.

The schools will not command good teachers in these new subjects until they are able to supply fairly good equipment in the way of land, material, and apparatus. Very few schools are yet ready for good teachers of agriculture, wholly aside from the question of salary. No really good agricultural work can be accomplished by the customary schoolroom method.

The demand for teachers will arise here and there in the public. school system largely in the desire to combine the teaching of agriculture and science. There is every indication that this demand will spread with considerable rapidity. The elementary grades will not yet demand special teachers for these subjects. The special or separate agricultural schools will demand special teachers, with thorough preparation. The demand for nature-study teachers is increasing. These teachers should be able to handle the agricultural work in the grades.

As to the kind of preparation that the teacher should have for good work in agriculture, the first requisite is a new point of view in education. The person need not be afraid to set sail on the ship of current educational theory, but he should be ready, on occasion, to throw overboard all his luggage. He is to land on the home patch, where he will meet new problems that he may want to attack naturally in his own way, and his progress should not be impeded. He

will not need all the things that he has picked up on his travels. He is to study the objects and materials just about him and as they actually exist, and he is to study them himself, and then impart his interest and his enthusiasm to his pupils. He will need tools of various kinds, as implements, books, notebooks, and apparatus, but they are only tools.

Again, he must teach first-hand fact, not mere theory or mere textbook. The recitation is only incidental; perhaps he will not utilize it in a good part of the work. All agricultural subjects must be taught by the nature-study mode, which is accurately to see the real object or the real phenomenon; to reason correctly from what is seen; to establish a bond of sympathy with the object or phenomenon that is studied. One can not see accurately unless one has the object itself. If the pupil studies corn, he should have corn in his hands, and he should make his own observations and draw his own conclusions; if he studies cows, he should make his own observations on cows and not merely repeat what some one has said about them. So far as possible, all nature-study work should be conducted in the open, where the objects are. If specimens are needed, let the pupils collect them. See that observations are made on the crops in the field as well as on the specimens. Nature study is primarily an outdoor process; the schoolroom should be merely an adjunct to the out of doors, rather than the out of doors an adjunct to the schoolroom, as it is at present. It can not be too often repeated that the teacher and the pupil must get out of doors.

Again, the mere details of "method" are of very secondary importance. When the teacher knows a thing of his own experience and is consumed with enthusiasm for it, he will teach in spite of himself. The teacher must be taught to teach the significant things. Many a pupil is wearied of a subject by the endless attention to mere details, and to exceptions, and to overcareful explanations of this and that. Teach the detail only when the detail is relevant. Do not teach mere processes so far in advance of the need of them. It is the finest thing in teaching to have a nice sense of proportion.

Still again, the intending teacher of agriculture should not neglect the home side of farm life. What we call "home economics" is not necessarily a woman's subject alone. It is central to all effective agriculture. The country girl has just as much need of being put into touch with realities as the country boy has, and no teacher of agriculture, whether man or woman, should neglect or overlook the home any more than he should neglect or overlook the barns.

We may now consider the institutions that may train teachers. In the effort to elucidate this perplexing subject, correspondence has been asked of all State superintendents of public instruction in the United States and of all agricultural colleges, and appeal has been made to

many persons who have given this matter much thought. The correspondence culminating in this publication has covered several years, although not all undertaken for the particular purpose of this report. The kindest and freest responses have been given, for which the author now makes due acknowledgment. This correspondence discloses the most diverse opinions in respect to the means to be evolved for the training of persons to teach agriculture. All the respondents indicate a desire to see some means developed whereby teachers can be fitted for this work, evidencing their feeling that a question of great public moment is before us.

The subject may be clarified at once by dividing the efforts to train teachers for agriculture into two groups: (1) Those agencies that aim to aid teachers already in the schools to "get up " agricultural work; (2) those agencies that aim consciously to prepare new teachers for this field.

(1), AIDS TO TEACHERS.

With the exception of the newly organized special agricultural schools, the present work in the teaching of agriculture will fall mostly to teachers who are now engaged in the schools. They have had no regular school training in the subject, as a rule, and they must now prepare themselves as best they can. They are often forced to pass an examination in what is called agriculture, even though there may be no means whereby they can compass the subject. For the present teachers various aids and short cuts are provided, and some of these agencies are also invoked to spread the propaganda of the new education among the people.

These agencies may be ranged under seven heads: (a) Summer schools and institutes; (b) introduction of agricultural work into brief teachers' institutes and convocations; (c) lectures before teachers, farmers, and various organizations, emanating from an educational center; (d) correspondence, reading club, and leaflet work; (e) short courses in agricultural colleges and other institutions; (f) supervising or advisory teachers who inspect the nature study or agriculture in a group of schools; (g) work of the United States Department of Agriculture.

These diverse agencies have exerted a powerful influence on public. sentiment touching education that shall prepare men and women to live. In fact, the present momentum of the movement is very largely due to the extensional and propagandic work that these agencies represent. These enterprises can not be expected, however, to give persons the real initial foundation and point of view that will be needed in the coming teaching of agriculture; this real preparation in any teacher must come gradually as the result of work extending over a sufficient period to develop the time element in education. One or

more of these various enterprises is often sufficient, however, to put a good and experienced teacher into real touch with the problem and to enable him greatly to extend his usefulness. For many years to come they will be an important means of providing the agriculture teachers in elementary grades. Even if they should eventually cease to be important means of preparing teachers, such temporary agencies—much improved and intensified-will always be needed to reestablish teachers in the faith and to aid them in keeping alive to the progress of their time.

(A). SUMMER SCHOOLS.

The vacation school probably affords the best means of aiding the teacher who can not take a year or more for preparation. These schools are of two orders: (1) those connected with an institution; (2) those held by State departments of education, being in the nature of prolonged and specialized institutes. If a person devotes himself to mathematics, language, literature, or science in a good summer school of six weeks' duration connected with an institution, he is able to receive a year's college credit for it; there is no reason why he should not cover similar ground in agriculture, if the subject is well taught. The summer schools are becoming more and more explicit and concrete. When they are held at an established institution, they have the advantage of the facilities that have been collected through years of effort. They are also dominated by the teaching spirit, as most of the students are themselves teachers. For agriculture teaching these schools may be very effective, because they come at a season when crops are growing. Many institutions now provide summer schools or sessions in which agricultural and kindred subjects are offered. It will not be long before all agricultural colleges will offer such work. This summer-school work in agriculture is coming to be very direct and practical. The University of Maine, for example, offers a five weeks' course in which one week is given to soils, one to plants, one to animals, one to birds and insects, and one to agricultural economics.

In many of the States the departments of public instruction hold one or more summer schools or institutes of one to four weeks, called also "summer normals" and "junior normals," for the benefit of teachers, at which definite agricultural subjects are taught. The college of agriculture often cooperates. In Minnesota, for example, about thirty-five summer training schools are held, that are in session from four to six weeks. These schools are supported by legislative appropriations. One or more lecturers are employed at these schools" to arouse the interest of teachers in the subject of agriculture and to outline simple courses of work that can be carried out by rural