5S3^ 
 
 U 
 
HOW TO 
 
 VITALIZE 
 
 THE TEACHING OF 
 
 AGRICULTURE 
 
 IN THE 
 
 RURAL SCHOOLS 
 
 ROTATE THE SUBJECTS 
 
 rrni.isiiEO and copykioiii ed I'.MT by 
 
 INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY 
 
 Of New Jeksett (Incorporated) 
 AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION DEPARTMENT 
 
 P. G. HoLDEN, Director 
 HARVESTER BUILDING, CHICAGO 
 
 AK384. 5-18-17 
 
■••Hwiwwacnwi^tMiiwItwiwiwiwwttwBiwtwMdwiwiwiwiwiwB 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^EMEMBER, that in 
 the rural schools, 
 the younger chil- 
 dren know what is taught 
 to the 7th and 8th graders 
 — in fact they actually help 
 their older brothers and 
 sisters do the agricultural 
 work at home and in the 
 school. Then why not give 
 them something new each 
 year? 
 
 0. o* '^• 
 

 HOW TO VITALIZE THE TEACHING OF 
 AGRICULTURE IN THE RURAL SCHOOLS 
 
 Rotate the Subjects 
 
 THE teaching of agriculture will not be a real success so long 
 as we teach exactly the same things over and over and over 
 again year after year. Neither will it be a success, if in 
 our attempt to popularize the subject, we skim all the interesting 
 things the first year or two, leaving nothing crisp, and fresh, 
 and new for the teachers who follow. 
 
 Let us Rotate the subjects, thus having something new and 
 live each year. The following indicates how it can be done — in 
 fact, how it is actually being done in some of the states: 
 
 1st Year. 
 
 TEACH 
 
 GROWING 
 
 THINGS 
 
 Farm Crops; How Seeds Grow; Depth To 
 Plant; Corn; Oats; Alfalfa; Weeds; Gar- 
 dens; also Removing Stains; Sewing. 
 
 2nd Year. Rope Knots; Splicing Rope; Fly Traps and 
 Screens; Cement Tanks, Steps, and Posts; 
 Farm Tools and Machines; Canning; Home 
 Conveniences. 
 
 MAKING 
 THINGS 
 
 3rd Year. Animals; Poultry; Birds; Insects; Cooking. 
 
 LIVE 
 THINGS. 
 
 4th Year 
 
 SOIL AND 
 HOME 
 
 Soil Fertility; Cultivation; Moisture; Sanita- 
 tion; Beautifying the Home; Social and Com- 
 munity Work. 
 
 When the four years* work is finished, start in again with the 
 first year's work. By this time the older pupils have graduated 
 and the work will be new again to both teacher and pupils. 
 
 Rotation of subjects gives the pupils more agriculture, keeps 
 the work live and real and vital, and makes it easier for the county 
 superintendent, who usually has little or no help in rural super- 
 vision. He can train his teachers for one line of work, while it is 
 very difficult to train them for all lines of work. 
 
JUST HOW SHALL WE PUT AGRICULT- 
 URE INTO OUR RURAL SCHOOLS IN 
 A SIMPLE, PRACTICAL WAY? 
 
 HOW is the State Superintendent going about it to 
 put Agriculture into the rural schools? Shall he 
 attempt to put it into all the schools of the 
 State at once? No; it can not be done this way. 
 
 Let him select ten or fifteen of his livest county 
 superintendents, bring them together for three or four 
 days, and train them how to teach a few definite 
 things. Then he should actually help these county 
 superintendents start the work, stay with them, 
 and see them through with it. 
 
 How is the County Superintendent going about it? 
 Shall he try to put Agriculture into all of his schools, a 
 hundred or a hundred and fifty of them at once? No; 
 it can not be done this way; it never has been, and it 
 never will be done this way. 
 
 Let him follow the same plan as the State Super- 
 intendent. Let him select ten or fifteen of his livest, 
 best teachers, bring them together for a week at the 
 County Institute, and train them in teaching the few 
 definite things which they are to take up next year. 
 Then help these teachers start the work in their 
 schools, stay with them throughout the year, and see 
 them through with it. 
 
 Next year the State Superintendent can add a few 
 more counties, and the County Superintendent can 
 add a few more schools. By starting this way, it will 
 not be many years until Agriculture will be taught in 
 every rural school and taught in the right way. 
 
 Oklahoma is now following this plan, and Mis- 
 souri will start next year. 
 
I HC 
 
 MOTTOES 
 
 FOR 
 
 SCHOOL ROOM, HOME 
 
 OR 
 
 BUSINESS OFFICE 
 
 
 
 
 
 This Day 
 
 1 Will Beat 
 
 My Owi\i Record 
 
 
 
 
 
 PUBLISHED 191T BY 
 
 INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY 
 
 or Nkw .IKR8EY (Incohpokateu) 
 
 AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION DEPARTMENT 
 
 P. G. HoLDEN, Director 
 HARVESTER BUILDING, CHICAGO 
 
 A E 389. 50M— 5-20-17 
 
Q 
 
 WORTH-WHILE MOTTOES 
 
 NY of these mottoes printed on good quality of 
 enamel paper, color, green, buff, or white; size, 
 38x50 inches, 10 cents each; printed on a good 
 grade of white muslin, same size, 75 cents each — 
 Prices of quantity lots on both paper and cloth fur- 
 nished on application. 
 
 This Day 
 
 I Will Beat 
 
 My Own Record 
 
 EVERY SCHOOL ROOM SHOULD HAVE A MOTTO 
 
 DO A LITTLE GOOD 
 
 EACH DAY 
 AT SOME COST 
 TO YOURSELF 
 
I Will Love 
 
 To Do 
 My Work 
 
 THE MOTIVE 
 
 iQrglHE sole object of the Agricultural Extension 
 IP m \ Department of the International Harvester 
 Company is to help YOU make YOUR work 
 more effective. It is not a matter of making money 
 out of mottoes, booklets, charts, slides, or any other 
 material prepared and published by the department. 
 The Extension Department was not organized to make 
 sales. But we are glad to work with people who are in 
 earnest; who really want to do something worth while. 
 
 Send for free catalogue of 100 interesting educa- 
 tional booklets — also folder "The Visual Method of 
 Instruction", giving full particulars on the use of I H C 
 Lecture Charts — Fourteen different sets of charts on 
 Agriculture and related subjects. 
 
 INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY 
 
 tiF New Jersey (Incorpokatbd) 
 AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION DEPARTMENT 
 
 1*. G. IIoLDEN, Director 
 HARVESTER BUILDING. CHICAGO 
 
THIS CHART SHOULD BE PLACED IN 
 EVERY SCHOOL IN UNITED STATES 
 
 HIS chart printed on good quality of enamel 
 
 paper, size 38x50, same as mottoes, 10 cents 
 
 each. Printed on white muslin same size, 75 cents 
 each. Prices of quantity lots on paper or cloth fur- 
 nished on application. 
 
 HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION PAYS 
 YEARLY INCOME 
 
 HIGH SCHOOL 
 TRAINING 
 
 AGE 
 
 IN HIGH SCHOOL 
 IN HIGH SCHOOL 
 S500 
 
 750 ^H 20 
 
 1.000 
 1.150 
 1.550 
 
 NO H. S. 
 TRAINING 
 
 $7,337 
 
 TOTAL S5.II2 
 
 H. SCHOOL TRAINED BOYS-WAGES S3.50 PER DAY 
 
 NO H. SCHOOL TRAINING-WAGES SI.50 PER DAY ~- 
 
 U t lUllAU Of ID 
 
 
HOW TO TEACH AGRICULTURE IN THE 
 RURAL SCHOOLS 
 
 THERE is no longer any question as to whether or not agri- 
 culture shall be taught in the rural schools. Sentiment 
 demands it; in many states the law requires it. 
 The word "agriculture" as used in tliis article refers not only 
 to the subjects directly pertaining to fainiing, but also to any- 
 thing pertaining to the life and welfare of the children and the 
 people of the comnnmity — health, sanitation, home conveniences^ 
 social conditions, and conununity interests. In fact it includes 
 
 Developing an Interest in Grammar 
 
 anything which enables us to teach in terms of the lives of the 
 people and the needs of the community. 
 
 School work along these lines is new. We are just now estab- 
 lishing methods and precedents. What we do within the next 
 ten years will largely determine the future of the work. Let us 
 start right, for methods are hard to change after they are once 
 established. 
 
 In a few years some of the things we are now doing in school 
 will seem strange to us. 
 
 Why should children at their period of greatest activity be 
 
nvcii iu>vs \M) cims not si iui cts 
 
 WILLlEi-YOURL NOT FIT ^ 
 TO SIT e.ESin£ DECENT 
 PtOPLl - COr-lE RIGHT Ui^... 
 HERE, AMD SIT BISIDE M E ^^^ 
 
 You Think Ihis Is a Jc>k«? No! This Is No Joke— Thi 
 
 i^ n Trugfdy 
 
AIM FOR DEFINITE, MEASURABLE RESULTS 7 
 
 compelled to sit quietly in their seats six hours a day? 
 
 At this age they are veritable dynamos of nerves, muscles, and 
 energy. Can they whisper? No! Look out of the window? 
 No! Use their hands and feet? No! They must sit still and 
 keep "mum" except when called upon to recite. 
 
 How unnatural! Older people can't and won't stand it. 
 A lecture an hour long taxes the endurance of most of us. If we, 
 who are older, and have reached a period in our lives when we 
 are naturally quiet, find it difficult to sit still one hour, how can 
 we expect children to sit still for six long hours each day. 
 
 No wonder we get in school incidents such as cartooned on 
 these pages. Are these jokes? No! They are tragedies. And 
 tragedies for which the teacher is not to blame. She simply fell 
 heir to a system. She is living up to her ideal of "keeping order." 
 She is doing what is expected of her. In fact she would lose her 
 job if she didn't do it. 
 
 The system nmst be changed. In fact, we are now rapidly 
 changing it. Already, especially in our manual training and 
 domestic science classes, considerable advancement has been 
 made. Agricultm-al work, if properly taught, will help greatly 
 to bring about better methods. 
 
 BOOKISH WORK AND SKIMMING ARE 
 
 FUNDAMENTAL ERRORS IN OUR 
 
 AGRICULTURAL WORK 
 
 TWO common errors in our agricultural work so far as now 
 given in our rural schools are: 
 
 First — Bookish Work — We assign pages in a book — 
 teach words, words, words, not things. 
 
 An eighth grade girl in a school where agriculture had been 
 taught from a book for two years said, "We had examination in 
 agriculture yesterday, and I'm afraid I won't pass. I hate 
 agriculture." 
 
 This girl was assisting one of our extension workers in corn 
 testing — the first real agriculture (f. e., study of things) ever put 
 into her school. Remembering that corn testing was agriculture, 
 she quickly added, "Oh, I don't mean this. I like this kind of 
 agriculture." 
 
 Here is the contrast. One sort of agriculture is bookisii, 
 dead, has no appeal to the children, and no effect on the com- 
 munity ; the other is full of life, of interest, of influence. 
 
 We mean to cast no reflection on books. They are helpful; 
 they are necessary; but they are not the end in themselves. 
 
SI I \)\ I IIINCS— NOT ItOOKS 
 
 Thoy must bo usod as tools, jiisl as an axr is used as a tool — a 
 moans to an end. 
 
 Tlien, too, we must romcnil»< r lliat, in rural schools, the 
 younpT cliildnMi learn niuch l>y listcnin^i: to the recitations of the 
 older ones. If the same text is used year after year, the 
 cliildren hear recitations on the same lessons, the same chapters, 
 again and again. 
 
 /. ^; ^ I LIKE THIS KIND 
 
 f v^ OF agriculture: 
 
 NATUREii BOOKS 
 
 1,4 H"^ 11 — o 
 
 Therc'b a Viroug and a Kighl W av to Teach Agriculture 
 
USE BOOKS AS TOOLS 
 
 9 
 
 The work, even thou^'h tauf:;ht in an intereslinji; way, soon 
 gets stale. It's the same thing over and over again, year after 
 year — a one-crop system that is fatal to interest and enthusiasm. 
 
 Second — Skimming — On the other hand, if no book is used 
 and the teacher is left free to select whatever phases of the sub- 
 ject she wishes to teach, what are the results? 
 
 The first year all goes well. The teacher selects the inter- 
 esting things, the important things, the things attractive to the 
 children. The cream is taken from every subject. 
 
 Another Tragedy — His Face Buried in a Book When There 
 Is a World of Material All Around Hiin 
 
10 
 
 WOII) SklMMINC; 
 
 Till- sfcoiid ;m(l third \(";ir> oIIht tr;i( li('r> \\\ to liiul thing's 
 t() sliidy. lull tlicy can not iiiid as ■mtcn-sliii^^ lliiii^^s as tlw cliildrcn 
 have ulrrady had. If some of tin* tliin^rs already partially studied 
 are taken up, the pupils say "(iee, ue liad that last jrar." 
 
 Such an arranjjeinent affords a chance for freedom and orif^in- 
 ality and is better than doin^^ hookish work, but it lacks plan and 
 system. There is ni» conse(uti\e Nvork. \\ e ^'et no\\ here. ICach 
 year the picking' p'ts poorer and poorer. In a short time all 
 enthusiasm and inten'st is j:one and a^'riculture becomes a dead 
 subject . 
 
 FOUR-YEAR ROTATION PLAN 
 
 The Four-year lioUdiou Plan corrects these errors. Have one 
 year devoted to Crops, the second to Makinq Thinqs, the third 
 to Animals, and the fourth Xi^ Soils. 
 
 Do the same tiling' with the {.'iris' work. 13on*t try to teach 
 Sewing', (lanninj: and ( -ookin'; all the same year. Have Sewinp 
 and Heiuoviiif,' Stains (me year, C-anniii'; and Home (conveniences 
 the second year. Preparation and (^ookin^' of Foods the third 
 year, and Sanitation, Social and Comnnmity \\Ork the fourth 
 year. 
 
 The outline on liie rollowin^' paj,M> will show clrnrlN wliat we 
 mean by a hour-year liotation. 
 
 The first and second year subjects are indicated a little more 
 fulK than the third and fourth year subjects. 
 
 A Modern <)ne-|{<Mtni Sriiool Note tlie Kilrb<>n on the 
 L«'fl and lli<> l*lay (rroun*! Vpparatns in the Hack- 
 ground Trct's and Shrubs Should be IManletl 
 to .Make It Attractive 
 
SUBJECTS FOR A FOUR-YEAR ROTATION 
 
 The subjects are merely listed under the different heads. Remem- 
 ber that they should be modified to fit the various regions 
 
 1 St Year 
 CROPS 
 
 Corn. — Harvesting Seed 
 Corn — Storing — Testing — 
 Cultivation — Corn Root Worm 
 — Corn Root Louse. 
 
 Alfalfa. — Importance of Al- 
 falfa — How to Get a Stand — 
 When to Cut. 
 
 Oats.^ — Treatment for Smut 
 — How to Build a Shock. 
 
 Seeds. — ^How Seeds Grow 
 — Depth to Plant — Knowing 
 Seeds. 
 
 Weeds. — Worst Weeds - — 
 How to Kill Weeds. 
 
 Garden. — How to Make a 
 Garden — ^What to Plant — How 
 to Cultivate. 
 
 *Sewing. — Making a Sewing 
 Box — Threading a Needle — 
 Making a Knot — Hemming a 
 Towel — Making an Apron, etc. 
 
 Removing Stains. — How 
 to Remove Ink, Iodine, Grease, 
 Tar, etc. 
 
 2nd Year 
 
 MAKING THINGS 
 
 Rope. — Tying Knots — 
 Splicing Rope — Making a 
 Halter. 
 
 Cement. — How to Mix Ce- 
 ment — Making a Cement Step, 
 Tank, Post. 
 
 Farm Tools and Ma- 
 chines. — Importance of Good 
 Tools and Machines — Setting 
 Up a Corn Planter — How to 
 Use Tools — ^Care of Tools and 
 Machines. 
 
 Fly Traps and Screens. — 
 
 How to Make, Use, etc. 
 
 Putting Out a Fire. — Use 
 
 of Fire Extinguisher. 
 
 Home Conveniences. — 
 
 Casters under Wood Box — Ar- 
 rangement of Kitchen. 
 
 Cold Pack Canning. — 
 
 Making a Homemade Outfit — 
 Making Jar Holders — Canning 
 Tomatoes. 
 
 3rd Year 
 
 ANIMALS 
 
 Why Keep Live Stock 
 
 How to Feed 
 
 Testing Milk 
 
 Killing Pests 
 
 Diseases and Remedies 
 
 Protecting Birds 
 
 Preparing and Cooking 
 
 Food 
 Setting Table 
 
 4th Year 
 SOIL AND HOME 
 How to Save Moisture 
 Why Rotate Crops 
 Making Soil Fertile 
 Drainage and Irrigation 
 Testing Soil 
 How to Keep Well 
 Getting Trees, Shrubs, and 
 
 Pictures for School and 
 
 Home 
 Getting Folks Together 
 
 *Note — The boys' and girls' work should not be sharply di- 
 vided. Remember that boys and girls up to twelve or thirteen 
 years of age are interested in the same things. 
 
 11 
 
12 
 
 FIT I III: WOKk TO Tin: < OMMl MTV 
 
 \N Ihmi this four-year rotation is liiiislu'd, wo can start in a(;ain 
 with tho lirst year's work, liy this time the older jjiipjls have 
 t;ra(liiate(l, aiuj it has been so lonj; sincc^ the first-year subjects 
 were studied, thai thi-y will he new and IVesh to both teachers and 
 pupils. 
 
 SilccI Subjects Thai Hrbm^ to ihc ]<e<;ion — In selecting 
 the subjects, use material that belon^^s to the region. During the 
 C:rop year, the teachers in the Corn Belt should study Com, 
 Alfalfa, Oat,s, Clover, Timothy, etc. 
 
 In tlu^ South th.e teachers should study 'Cotton, Bermuda 
 Grass, Lespedeza, AN inter Oats, Sugar Cane, Peanuts, etc. 
 
 In a fruit and truck gardening section, small fruits, straw- 
 berries, and vegetables should be studied. In selecting the sub- 
 jects, remember that the important principle is to t<'ach in the 
 terms of the li\es of the children. 
 
 Fit the Vtork to the Needs of the Coniiniinil v. If Alfalfa 
 
 Studying C:orii in a Com Bell Rural School— Cook Co., 111. 
 
 is selected as a subject for the Crop year, we should not try to 
 teach everything there is to km)W about Alfalfa. Let us ask our- 
 selves this (piestion, "What one, two, or three things can 1 do to 
 encourage the growing of alfalfa, and to increase the ])r(»lits from 
 it in this community?" 
 
 Answering this question will help us to distinguish between 
 things which are merely interesting and things which are vital. 
 To know that alfalfa was grown in Home is interesting; to know 
 how to get a stand of alfalfa is vital. Jt does no harm for teacher 
 and pujiils to know things which are merely interesting, l)ut in 
 our teaching we nuist ptit the emphasis on the vital things. 
 
 In .studying each subject take up a few concrete points, and 
 aim to get definite measurable results. 
 
TAKING A LITTLE FROM EACH LINE 
 
 OF WORK EACH YEAR IS A FATAL 
 
 MISTAKE 
 
 SOME one asks, ' Why not rotate by picking a little from each 
 line of work each year? And again, why not make the 
 work seasonal? We have a little of each of these activities 
 at home every year, why not teach a little of each at school?" 
 
 That is, take each year a little from Farm Crops, a little from 
 Making Things, a little from Animal Life, and a little from Soils. 
 In the home work take a little Sewing, a little Canning, a little 
 Cooking, and a little Sanitation each year. 
 
 At the first glance, to one who has not actually tried it in the 
 district schools, this looks attractive. 
 
 But it is a fatal mistake. It results in skimming — in taking 
 the most interesting and striking things from the work for all 
 four years. It does more than anything else to make the teaching 
 of agriculture a dead letter in our schools. 
 
 Observe that the Making Things year has been put after the 
 Crop year. This blocks the tendency to skim because it intro- 
 duces such a different line of work. 
 
 Knowing what is to be taught each year is a decided advan- 
 tage. A good teacher can direct the attention of her pupils to 
 the work which is to come, prime them for it, give them hints of 
 the interesting things, and thus develop so great an anticipation 
 that it will be next to impossible to keep the children out of 
 school. This is the difference between real teaching and skim- 
 ming. 
 
 Within each year's work we can and must as far as possible 
 make the work seasonal. We must study harvesting seed corn 
 in September and October; we must test it in the Spring; we 
 must can fruit and vegetables when they are ready ; we must make 
 our fly-traps in time to send them home when fly season starts, 
 and so on. 
 
 Don't think that the children will lose interest in a subject 
 just because they don't study it every year. Once really inter- 
 ested, always interested. The things which interest us are the 
 things we are taught to see. If we once really study birds, we 
 see birds ever after; if we study weeds, we see weeds everywhere 
 we go. 
 
 By studying one line of work an entire year, we can concen- 
 trate and arouse a keener interest than we could if we tried to 
 teach things along a great many different lines. 
 
 Then, too, teaching a little of everything each year means 
 poor work. The county superintendent can not prepare his 
 teachers to do the work thoroughly. 
 
 Another reason for having all the crop subjects one year is 
 
 13 
 
14 Ti:\( inN<; Aiw'^ 'miN(;s ahws vnmi vtOHK 
 
 llial then' iirr jxiiiils wliicli ;irc comimm lo all crops, i. c, testing 
 seed, depth to plant, crop iinproveinent, etc. 
 
 For example. y.]\vn >ve are studying the best depth to plant 
 potiitocs and corn, it is just as easy to add other s«'eds, and much 
 more interest int: because of the comparisons it enables lis to make. 
 
 The fact is that it is so natural to jilant the other seeds at this 
 time that the teacher >vill plant them almost in spite of lier ellorts 
 not ttMlo so. The soil, pots, and everytliing are ready. \\ hy not 
 finish up this work, while we are at it? 
 
 \l''(mr-) c<ir n<>l(ili<m of subjects gives us a good working ])lan, 
 but, as with any other ])lan, wc nmst exercise judgment in follow- 
 ing it. When an emergency comes up in the conununity, we 
 should not be afraid to change the plan to lit the conditions. If 
 we are working in the Aninud year, and the seed corn situation 
 is critical, let the school take time enough to help all it can in 
 testing seed corn. 
 
 ROTATION OF SUBJFXTS MAKES CLUB 
 WORK EASIER 
 
 Often n)any lines of club work are started in a county at 
 one lime. As all the work is new, it is inijtossible to give each 
 
 line of club work the attention 
 j ^ that it needs. 
 
 If tiie rotation plan is fol- 
 lowed, the corn and alfalfa 
 chd)s can ho started the Crop 
 year; the caiming clubs dur- 
 ing the MdkiiHf TliiiHfs year, 
 the ])oultry, pig, and calf clubs 
 during the Animal year, and 
 so on. 
 
 This gives a chance to get 
 each club more Jiiiiily estab- 
 lished. The work grows nat- 
 urally instead of being intro- 
 duced with a rush. 
 
 The corn club should not 
 be drop]ied at the end of the 
 Crof) year or the poultry club 
 dropped at the end of the Animal yvur. After such clubs are 
 once established, the teacher can set aside one day a w«'(>k or 
 one day a month to discuss club work and give club UKinhers 
 u chance to report. 
 
 . \\ . I'olHr. Slate ( lull l,« iiil«r of 
 Itlaliu, Inst riK-tiii^ Two of liis 
 I'utalo < lull ilovs 
 
ORGANIZE BOYS' AND GIRLS' CLUBS 
 
 15 
 
 ROTATION PLAN GIVES PUPILS MORE 
 AGRICULTURE 
 
 The Rotation Plan enables us to jjive the pupils more afjri- 
 culture. This is true even thouji;h they are actually members of 
 the agricultural class only one year. We must remember that 
 in the district schools, the pupils in the lower grades know what 
 is taught in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, and take part 
 at school, and especially at home, in helping their older brothers 
 and sisters with the work. 
 
 SUMMARY OF ADVANTAGES 
 OF THE ROTATION PLAN 
 
 Rotation of Subjects: 
 Eliminates Repetition. 
 Prevents Skimming. 
 Keeps Interest Alive and Keen. 
 Makes It Easier to Prepare to Teach the Work. 
 Makes Club Work Easier. 
 Gives the Pupils More Agriculture. 
 
 Morton Grove, 111. Pupils, Taking Thoir Fly Traps Home 
 the First of March. Note the Snow on the Ground 
 
JUST HOW CAN WE GO ABOUT IT TO PUT 
 
 THE RIGHT SORT OF AGRICULTURE 
 
 INTO THE RURAL SCHOOLS? 
 
 TITE first (jiicslion of (lir state suporintdulcnt and of tliocounty 
 siipcriiiltMidciit is, '"I low can ^v<» Avork this l»olalion IMan? 
 How can >\(', •who usually lia%o little liclp i'or rural super- 
 vision, j:o about it to put a{,'riculture — the right sort oi" agriculture 
 — into our rural schools?" 
 
 Agriculture can not be successfully introduced into all the 
 schools of any state or any county at the same time. // must 
 grow inio (lie schools. 
 
 I^x'gin \\ith a few counties and a few schools in each of these 
 
 Cook Couiily, III. Teachers Training to Teach Agriculture 
 
 counties. This is what Oklahoma and Missouri are doing. 
 
 TIh- Oklahoma Plan. In Oklahoma agriculture is required 
 by the Stale ( ".tinslil mIIom. Il has been taught for years in a 
 desultory, hit-or-miss fashion. They have skitiMn(>d through 
 books; taught words, not things; repeated the same subjects 
 year after year; killed interest; made agricullure almost a dead 
 letter. 
 
 Last fall they wanted to know how they could make the teach- 
 ing of agriculture a reality, make it vital, mak<« it worth while. 
 Twelve county superintendent's, who are live wires, were 
 
 16 
 
BEGIN WITH A FEW SCHOOLS 
 
 17 
 
 selected. These superintendents held a three-day meeting, 
 studied how to teach a few definite things, and collected the 
 necessary demonstration material for their work. 
 
 Men from the state college of agriculture assisted. The state 
 college experts can not assist all the counties at once. It is more 
 than they can handle ; but they can find time to give quite careful 
 supervision to twelve counties. 
 
 Each county superintendent selected from four to a dozen of 
 his best teachers in whose schools agriculture is being taught 
 this year. These teachers were given special instruction at the 
 Teachers' Institute. 
 
 J 
 
 -. 1 
 
 Q 
 
 JaMHi^HlK mKjV i ^''^Erm 
 
 \ 
 
 
 jT^r^JBE*!?!!^^ 
 
 •' 1 
 
 i» ■ ^:^ *^M 
 
 
 t 
 
 
 ^^1 
 
 A Cook County Teacher, Trained in Group Shown on Oppo- 
 site Page, Presenting a Lesson in Agriculture to Her Pupils 
 
 When the agricultural work was begun in these schools, the 
 county superintendent and an expert from the state college visited 
 each of the schools in turn and helped the teacher start the work 
 right. 
 
 The county superintendent can help six or eight of his teachers, 
 while he couldn't help a hundred or a hundred and fifty of them. 
 His work is simplified, concentrated, made more effective. 
 
 The teachers are more likely to succeed because they have 
 supervision, help, guidance, and material. 
 
 These six or eight schools in each county are becoming centers 
 from which the right kind of agriculture is radiating to the other 
 schools in the county. 
 
 Next year a few more counties and a few more schools can be 
 added. In four or five years agriculture will be taught in every 
 rural school and taught in the right way. 
 
IS HAVE .M:i(;iIlt(>Kll()()l) IVIKKTINGS 
 
 Missouri Adopts Hoiaiion Plan. Ill Missouri tho plan is 
 to train tlurc couiily siipi rintctKlciils IVoin cacli of the liv<' divi- 
 sions, lift('<'n in all. I!;i( li ol" these ioiinly siiporintetident^s ^^ill 
 iz'iw special training: to lour or six te;t(jiers. I lliiiiately the work 
 will reach all the rural schools of the state. 
 
 C.<M>k Couiily I sr<l tlu" IMan. This ])]an of introducing 
 agriculture ^^as used in Cook (bounty, Illinois, by County Super- 
 intendent Jul ward J. Tobin. 
 
 Six schools were first chosen as centers. Now the work is in 
 even.' school in the county. This last year there ^vere 2,387 
 children in the ( larden ( '.luh work alone and their |)rofits from the 
 garden jiroducts were nearly S-J'2. ()()(). In IIH.") there were 1,778 
 club members and they made a profit of S32,0U0. 
 
 KEEP NOTES AND TELL THE STORY 
 
 In starting agricultural work in a county, the teachers should 
 keep complete notes on their work, preserve samples, take pic- 
 tures, and tell others of their work. 
 
 Have the pupils jjresent the work at neighborhood meetings. 
 
 One or more of the teacliers sliould ha\e the school pres(>nt 
 the work at the County Teachers" Institute and at Farmers' 
 Institutes. 
 
 I^'lM)rt interesting features of the work to the local papers. 
 The j)ajM»rs are glad to liave news items and it helps to popularize 
 the movement and 1o make it contagious. 
 
 SOME DON'TS 
 
 Don't Think Yon IVfnst Know Everything. Dont think 
 you must know all about agriculture in order to begin teaching it. 
 liegin; you'll learn a lot about things as you go along. 
 
 It doesn't hurt, either, to say, "I don't know ."' Agriculture is 
 such a big subject that none of us can know all about it. Saying 
 'I don't know , but let us all try to find out," avoids prejudice and 
 fosters the spirit of investigation. 
 
 Tell the boys to consult their fathers. Father appreciates the 
 compliment, and it is well for us to remember that the man w ho has 
 iM'en farming for twcntN-fixe >ears knows something about agri- 
 culture, especially about agrii ultm-e (m his own farm. 
 
 Don't I se T<M> Much Tiiiio. Don't use t<K> much tinie, 
 especially when first starting agriculture. It may cause dis- 
 satisfaction. 
 
 Take your people along with you — work with them until they 
 want it, until they are a ])art of it. ^ Oii can't go very far w ithout 
 having the sentiment of the district back of you. 
 
 Unless your i)eople do understand what you are doing, some 
 
GROW THE SENTIMENT FOR AGRICULTURE 19 
 
 one is sure to make a fuss about the work. You can't teach 
 agriculture and have the children sit still like mummies — in- 
 active — a penalty placed on action. The patrons must appreciate 
 this fact. 
 
 A teacher must grow her community just as a county super- 
 intendent must grow his teachers. 
 
 Don't Begin With the School Garden. In rural districts, 
 don't begin with the school garden. It looks simple, but it is 
 one of the most difficult things to handle. Unless some one looks 
 after it> during the summer, it grows up into a fine bed of weeds, 
 which brings discredit on the work and discourages further agri- 
 cultural study. 
 
 Home gardens with a definite purpose in mind, and super- 
 vision, if possible, will prove a better proposition. 
 
 Remember That These People Know Something About 
 
 Agriculture, Especially About Agriculture 
 
 on Their Own Farms 
 
 Don't Begin With the Curious and Fanciful. Study the 
 things that are of vital concern in agricultural work. 
 
 That clover closes its leaves, or "goes to sleep at night" is 
 interesting, but knowing tliis fact will not help to increase the 
 yield of clover. 
 
 It is well enough to bring in these curious bits of information, 
 but don't let them take the interest away from the vital point. 
 Recognize them as side issues. 
 
 Don't Begin With Incompetent Teachers. Don't start 
 agricultural work with incompetent teachers. They make a 
 failure of the subject and thus bring discredit on the movement. 
 
20 
 
 IM T 11 M: IMIMIASIS ON DOINC; 
 
 Tlicy iiuikc Jiisl ;is (inn li d' a I'ailiirc :n teaching other subjects, 
 l)iil the i)alri»iis (Ictii'l rrali/i' il. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BOOKLETS 
 
 It is a good plan to make illus- 
 trated booklets telling the story of the 
 aL^riciiitiiral work done in the schools. 
 
 This giv(>s the pupil a chance to 
 l)ut what he has learned into per- 
 riianriil. attractive^ form, and affords 
 an opportunity for working out orig- 
 inal ideas. 
 
 f 
 
 a 
 
 micoRN, 
 
 USE BOOKS AS TOOLS 
 
 We should use books as we use 
 
 loojs. l)()(iks are tools — a means to 
 
 an end. Study tilings. 1 f a book hclpa 
 
 us to interpret things, use it freely. 
 
 Uflen it is necessary to buy tlie agricultural text adopted by 
 
 the county or state, but don't assign pages in it. Use it as a 
 
 reference book. 
 
 Start an agricultural library. Secure all the available state 
 and government bulletins, and arrange for a good way to keep 
 
 them. 
 
 USE THE COMMUNITY 
 
 Every coinrnunity has people who excel in certain lines of 
 work. If there is a good corn man in th(^ neighborluttKl, let us 
 ^ isit him, study his methods, invite him to come to the sch<K>l 
 and talk to the j)upils, and better still, get an invitation from him 
 to have the pupils visit his farm. 
 
 Let us make the most of the good agricultural methods we find 
 in the connnunity. If the very best farming practices found in 
 every community were followed by all the ])eople of that com- 
 uiunity, the agriculture! of this country would be revolutionized. 
 
 GET RESULTS 
 
 After deciding upon a certain line of work, for any given year, 
 let us not be satislied with half-way results. If we are studying 
 the harvesting jind testing of seed corn, our aim should be to have 
 every family in th(! community harvest and test their seed corn. 
 
 Let us ineasur«> our success in agricultural work not by what 
 l)upils kiioir but by what we are abh^ to get the pupils and the 
 community to do. Most of us knoiv more than we do. Most 
 of our Kch«H)l work emphasizes knowing rather than doing. In 
 fact, often we do not expect children to do what we hav«* them, 
 learn. 
 
TRANSLATE BELIEFS INTO REALITIES 21 
 
 We are like the missionary who gave his class the text: "What- 
 soever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." 
 He dismissed his class, telling them that, when they had learned 
 this text, they should come back, and he would give them another. 
 
 One pupil did not return. When the missionary met him 
 again he said, "Why didn't you come back.^ Haven't you learned 
 the text I gave you.i^" 
 
 The pupil said "No." 
 
 The missionary started to repeat the words, but the pupil 
 interrupted, "Oh, me can say it, but me can't do it yet." 
 
 Agriculture offers us a splendid opportunity to put the em- 
 phasis on the "doing" side. 
 
 Translating our beliefs into realities is the height of efficiency. 
 "He who reads and reads and does not, 
 Is like him who plows and plows and sows not." 
 
 Our schools will be successful just to the extent to which they 
 do translate our teaching into actual life, into right living. When 
 they do this, then and then only, have our schools performed 
 their real missions. 
 
 DO YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING? 
 
 We shall be glad to help any state, any county, or any teacher 
 who wants to vitalize the teaching of agriculture. 
 
 Teachers' Guides for each of the four year's work are being 
 prepared. The Crops and Making Things years will be ready 
 first ; the other two will follow later. 
 
 Some of the lessons are planned in detail so that any teacher can 
 carry them out; others are merely outlined and a list of avail- 
 able helps given. Charts and slides on some of the subjects can 
 be procured. 
 
 If you are really in earnest and aim to put the Rotation 
 Plan into the schools of your state or county, we will help you 
 in every way possible. 
 
 Training to Teach in Terms of the Child's Life 
 
Educational Publications 
 
 PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY 
 
 The I H C Agricultural Extension Department 
 Harvester Building, Chicago 
 
 Furnithed Upon Receipt of Amounts Quoted Below. 
 Transportation Charges Collect 
 
 Quantity Lots Sent 
 
 NAME Pages Sinele Copie* 
 
 Kacb 
 
 Getting a Start with Alfalfa in the Corn Belt -- 12 $0.02 
 
 Getting a Start with Alfalfa in the Northwest -- 32 02 
 
 Sweet Clover in the Northwest 38 02 
 
 Seed Corn, Do You Know It Will Grow - - 28 02 
 
 I H C Demonstration Farms in the North -- -- 32 Free 
 
 I H C Demonstration Farms in the South -- -- 32 Free 
 
 Hog Cholera 12 02 
 
 Humus— The Life of the Soil 12 02 
 
 Storing Sweet Potatoes 8 02 
 
 Dip the Cattle Tick 18 02 
 
 Home Bulletin 24 02 
 
 Helps for Wash Day -- -- 20 02 
 
 Cold Pack Canning 20 02 
 
 The Pit Silo 28 02 
 
 Sweet Clover 64 05 
 
 Diversified Farming is Safe Farming -- -- 32 05 
 
 Diversified Farming in the Cotton Belt -- -- 52 05 
 
 Boll Weevil 32 05 
 
 For Better Crops in the South 100 05 
 
 For Better Crops 160 05 
 
 The Disk Harrow 64 05 
 
 We Must Feed Ourselves 52 05 
 
 A Silo on Every Farm 52 10 
 
 Literature Especially Suited to Schools 
 
 $0.01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 01 
 04 
 04 
 04 
 04 
 04 
 04 
 04 
 04 
 06 
 
 Grow a Garden 8 
 
 Poultry is Profitable 12 
 
 Making Money from Pigs 8 
 
 A Pig for Every Boy 4 
 
 Free$0. 10 doz. 
 
 Harvesting Seed Corn 
 Testing Seed Corn 
 Fly Catechism 
 
 Studies in Alfalfa 32 
 
 Story of Bread 
 
 Creeds of Great Business Men 
 
 Binder Twine Industry 
 
 Harvest Scenes of the World 
 
 Stencils — Paper patterns 3-ft. square for repro- 
 ducing large charts. Subjects: Corn, Poultry, 
 Weeds, Flies, Alfalfa, Dairying, Canning. 
 Per Set of 10 to 15 sheets 
 
 Fly Trap Pattern 
 
 The "Rag Doll" for Testing Seed Corn — 
 
 Cloth 
 
 Paper 
 
 Germination Cloth for Saw Dust Box — 
 
 Cloth 
 
 Paper 
 
 32 
 
 46 
 
 48 
 
 150 
 
 Siaglr Copiea 
 Kach 
 
 $0.05 
 
 05 
 
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 20 
 50 
 
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 Sample I 
 
 '$.30 per 100 
 
 Qunntitie* 
 Kach 
 
 $0.04 
 
 04 
 04 
 15 
 35 
 
 Per tloi. 
 
 $0.75 
 
 20 
 Sample Free 
 
 05 
 
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 Send for our new catalog containing descriptions, illustrations and a com- 
 plete list of all literature published by the Agricultural Extension Department 
 
The Visual Method o£ Instruction 
 
 The Big Idea in Education Characterized in 
 I H C Lecture Charts and Lantern Slides 
 SIMPLE— LOGICAL— IMPRESSIVE-PRACTICAL 
 
 USED EVERYWHERE ^In Community and Home — 
 Rural School and College — On the Farm and In the Factory 
 — By Teacher, Pupil, Farmer, Banker and Merchant 
 
 I H C CHARTS OR SLIDES LOANED FREE 
 
 On these conditions — that you have a plan for using them, pay express charges 
 from Chicago and return, and report all meetings at the end of each week 
 
 CHARTS OR SUDES FURNISHED ON THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS: 
 
 1. Com is King 
 
 2. Alfalfa on Every Farm. 
 
 3. A Fertile Soil Means a Prosperous People. 
 
 4. Live Stock on Every Fcirm. 
 
 5. Dairying. 
 
 6. Greater Profit from the Oat Crop. 
 
 7. MaJce More from Your Farm Poultry. 
 
 CHARTS 
 
 I H C lecture charts are 70 inches 
 long by 63 inches wide, made of a 
 good grade of sheeting, printed in 
 clear black letters, w^hich can easily 
 be read at a distance of 100 feet or 
 more. They are arranged for setting 
 up and taking down quickly and 
 conveniently. 
 
 Sets contain from ten to fifteen 
 charts. Each set with iron stand, 
 pointer, and lecture book, is packed 
 in a canvas case. Weight, 35 lbs. 
 
 LANTERN SLIDES 
 
 Lantern slide sets, 50 to 60 slides, 
 plain and in colors. Weight, 15 lbs. 
 
 Lecture Books Furnished 
 
 For the information and direction 
 of lecturers, each set contains an 
 illustrated lecture book outlining in 
 brief form the story of each chart 
 or slide. 
 
 8. Weeds Mean Waste. 
 
 9. Home Economics and Sanitation. 
 
 10. Fight the Fly. 
 
 1 1 . Great Forv*rard Movement in Education. 
 
 12. Diversified Farming for the South. 
 
 13. Home Canning. 
 
 14. Development of Agriculture — 
 
 (No. 14 in Lantern Slides only.) 
 
 THE sole object of the Agricultural Extension Department of the Inter- 
 national Harvester Company is to help YOU make YOUR work more 
 effective. It is not a matter of making money out of charts, slides, 
 booklets, or any other material prepared and published by the Department. 
 The Extension Department was not organized to make sales. But we do 
 want to work with people who are in earnest; who really want to do some- 
 thing worth while. 
 
 Circuits formed to reduce express charges. Write for plan. 
 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ADDRESS 
 
 International Harvester Company of New Jersey, Inc. 
 
 Agricultural Extension Department 
 CHICAGO 
 
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