I hereby certify that I have analyzed and obtained these results from the milk marked as follows: A recent bulletin of the Massachusetts Board of Education is entitled, "The County Agricultural School and the High School Agricultural Department in Massachusetts." Their requirements and advantages are stated and compared. NEW HAMPSHIRE.1 LEGISLATION. There is no direct State aid for vocational agricultural instruction in New Hampshire. The department of public instruction, however, does have the power of approval or disapproval of high schools, and disapproval of any given school operates to prevent that school from receiving tuition from pupils coming from towns having no high schools. In other words, indirectly a high school needs the approval of the department of public instruction in order to receive tuition pupils from towns authorized under the laws of the State to pay high-school tuition. Such authority given to the State department of public instruction secures identically the same results, so far as vocational agricultural instruction in the high schools is concerned, as in States having legislation providing for vocational agricultural instruction. QUALIFICATIONS OF TEACHERS OF AGRICULTURE. The department of public instruction acts in nothing but an advisory capacity so far as the appointments of vocational teachers of agriculture are concerned. The State department of public instruction requires as a condition of approval that teachers of agriculture shall be agricultural college graduates. All but 2 of the 30 teachers of agriculture in high schools are agricultural college graduates, and those 2 have done special work fitting themselves for teaching this work. The author is under obligation to Mr. W. H. Whitcher, of the State department of education, for valuable assistance. COURSE OF STUDY AND EQUIPMENT TO BE APPROVED. There is no hard and fast rule in regard to equipment. Schools in different sections of the State stress different lines of work; therefore the equipment has to be adapted to the particular course of study adopted by a given school and approved by the State department of public instruction. The course of study in agriculture, as indicated below, is a fair example of courses offered in the various high schools of the State: The State department of public instruction, in addition to the requirement that teachers shall be qualified, advises but has no power to demand that agricultural teachers shall be in charge of the work during the summer. As a matter of fact, however, 50 per cent of these teachers do inspect and supervise summer project work. RELATION OF AGRICULTURAL TEACHERS TO BOYS IN THE GRADES AND THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY NOT IN SCHOOL. Under a working agreement with the State College of Agriculture the teachers of agriculture and domestic arts supervise all of the educational activities relating to boys and girls in the community. This means that the teacher of agriculture must supervise the work in nature study and elementary agriculture in the seventh and eighth grades. PROFESSIONAL IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHERS OF AGRICULTURE. The State department of public instruction holds two conferences at which superintendents and headmasters and teachers of agriculture meet and discuss details of programs, methods of teaching, etc. One of these conferences is in August, the other in December. No financial assistance is given to teachers along this line. In addition to the above, the department holds eight or ten institutes in different sections of the State where groups of teachers of agriculture, domestic arts or mechanic arts, or commerce, meet in round table conferences and where for a day specific problems in administration or the pedagogy of these subjects are taken up. These constitute, according to the deputy State superintendent of public instruction in charge of agriculture, one of the most valuable agencies in shaping the work. METHODS OF SUPERVISION. The work of inspecting agricultural departments in high schools is provided for by one department official whose title is "Deputy State Superintendent in Charge of Practical Arts Division." Schools are visited from two to six times a year. The method of inspection consists of hearing classroom work, inspecting laboratory and greenhouse work, and visiting a few of the home projects. This latter, however, is practically impossible, owing to the fact that the deputy in charge has over 70 schools of all kinds to inspect. The records kept at the office of the department of public instruction are practically only the general correspondence and occasional reports along specific lines of project work and the work reports mentioned. So far as the records kept in school are concerned each school keeps such records as will enable it to fill out the work report, this work report being a very important document which teachers and superintendents understand must be made out in full at the close of the school year. (Sample attached.) Name of school Agronomy. Number pupils passed?.......... Failed?... Texts used and amount covered Dropped course?......... In about what proportion has time been divided between recitation or lecture ...........and laboratory... Number of class.. ....and field?.... Approximate number of mathematical problems worked out. ..........and individual......... Home projects: How many and what crops have been raised? School projects: What, if any, have been carried out? (Make report on extra sheets.) experiments Name of school Animal Husbandry. Number pupils passed?..... Texts used and amount covered .Failed?.... .Dropped course?.. In about what proportion has time been divided between recitation or lecture ....and laboratory...... and herd study?...... Approximate number of mathematical problems worked out.. Number of class..... ...and individual........ Home projects: Detailed statement of.. School projects in detail.. .experiments In about what proportion has time been divided between recitation or lecture ...and laboratory................................. and garden or hothouse?. Approximate number of mathematical problems worked out... Number of class.... How many ....................and individual.. and what crops have been raised? Home projects: Give full statement on additional sheets? School projects: What, if any? Briefly describe other agricultural courses, if any. Teachers are experiments supplied with available material and aided in the matter of method by the deputy in charge at the conferences above indicated and at the time of inspection so far as there is opportunity. It is found possible to discuss such problems as arise at least twice deal of assistance is given by correspondence, but in addition to all a year and frequently as many as five or six times a year. A great this the most important source of all help to the department is through the series of institute circulars which are prepared and sent out by the department. HOME PROJECTS. One of the absolute requirements of the department for continued approval of a school is that every pupil taking the course in agriculture shall carry on home projects in the line of horticulture, field crops, and animal husbandry, these projects to be of such a nature as to justify including them under the head of high-school work. With reference to general requirements relating to projects, Mr. G. H. Whitcher, of the State department of public instruction, says: All projects must be under the direction and supervision of the teacher. This work can not be confused with the numerous plans designed to meet the needs of adult farmers, because purely vocational aims have no place in the public school, owing to the age of pupils. Nor can it be organized along lines that are perhaps well suited to club activities, because these too often fail to meet educational needs by striving to combine vocational and social motives at an age that lacks experience to utilize the former and feels no need of the latter. Every high-school project must be the direct outgrowth of classroom preparation and presentation, because as pointed out in Circular No. 12, 1914-15, pupils are prepared for field work by the teacher, who must "give a connected statement of the important things to be seen (or done) and the reasons why they are important. This is the blazed trail through the wilderness that the pupil is to follow as he opens up a highway of knowledge.” A project is one step in an educative process, and the high school is by statute responsible to the State department of public instruction for the whole process in agriculture, as well as in Latin, English, geometry, etc. Agricultural subjects can no more be delegated to outside administration than can translation in Latin, themes in English, mechanical drawing, or any other element of required school work. The high-school teacher of agriculture working with and through his class must plan and execute all required projects and must personally know that a faithful attempt is made to secure worth-while results. Pupils who fail to undertake projects must be reported deficient and can not graduate until the deficiency is made up. Hopkinton High School.-In accordance with the New Hampshire State program of study, agricultural projects have been carried on successfully by R. W. Peaslee at the Hopkinton High School. This school is located in a section of the State where general farming is practiced. In addition, the attitude of the community toward the school is one of interest and cooperation, which fact adds in no small way to the efficiency of this system of teaching secondary agriculture. The plan of work falls under several heads: 1. A complete understanding is had by the instructor with the boy and his parents as to just what conditions and requirements are necessary for the boy to enter the agriculture course. Such points as use of land, team, etc., come up here for discussion. 2. The land for the project is selected in the fall by the boy and the instructor, and whenever possible, preparation of the land is started in order to facilitate the work in the spring. 3. All plans for the project are made in the winter as part of the school work, actual preparation of the land beginning in the spring as soon as weather conditions permit. Students are allowed time from school to do this work, provided it does not in any way interfere with other regular studies. 4. All work on the project is done by the student himself, or under his direction, with the direct supervision of the instructor. Such |