(b) Frequently the town hall or some other public building may be rented, or a part of it rented, and fitted up for temporary school use. (c) The course of study given herewith has been approved by the President of the Agricultural College. The industrial side of education is emphasized in this course together with such academic high school training as will give a liberal English education to our young people. In case students below the ninth grade are admitted they will pursue the usual subjects for seventh and eighth, grades. (d) It is not necessary that the course of study for a township high school shall conform to the usual course of study in city high schools, but it will train our young people for admission to the Agricultural College and normal schools if they desire to attend such institutions. (e) The building constructed for the use of a rural high school should be large enough for two assembly rooms with superintendent's office and two or three recitation rooms on the first floor, and basement under the entire building. The basement should be constructed mostly above ground, extending not over two or three feet below the surface. It should be divided into three rooms, one for a furnace and fuel room, another for the girls for domestic science, and the third for the boys for manual training work. (f) There should be at least three recitation rooms which may be used as class rooms. One of these should be fitted up as a physical laboratory for simple experiments in botany, physics and agriculture. The others should be fitted up as chemical laboratories for experimental work in agriculture and chemistry. (g) The lot selected for the school should contain not less than two acres and it would be better if it contain five acres. This would give ample room for a play ground and a good sized plot for experimental purposes in agriculture. (h) The pupils themselves, having been supplied with proper material by the board of education, should, under the direction of their instructors, do the work of decorating the school grounds, that is, planting trees, shrubbery, flower gardens, etc. (i) The rural high school should be closely affiliated with the Agricultural College, and arrangements can be made with several professors of said College to appear before the rural high school and give lectures on various subjects. EQUIPMENT. The equipment necessary for teaching the different subjects will depend entirely upon the location of the school, the number of students and the character of instructors. The following is only suggestive and in all cases the material should be purchased as the need arises. doz. hoes. doz. garden rakes. doz. spades. doz. earth forks. I doz. garden trowels. 1 doz. pruning knives. I hand cultivator. 1 hand weeder. AGRICULTURE. A supply of whatever seeds, grains, plants or bulbs that are to be planted. MANUAL TRAINING. The equipment for this work may be made as extensive as required and much instruction can be given with a small amount of material. The following is given as a suggestive list which may be purchased entire or in part. Usually these can be purchased from local dealers but the regular school supply houses also handle the articles. Six single benches with rapid acting vise, costing $8 to $15 each. TOOLS. Set for each individual. 1 No. 5 iron plane. 1 10 in. Atkins back saw. 1 13 oz. adz eye hammer. 16 in. Stanley graduated all iron try square. 1 Stanley patent boxwood brass faced marking gauge. 1 each in, and 1 in. firmer tang chisels, handled and sharpened (Buck Bros.) 1 Swedish sloyd knife. 1 hickory maÏlet. 19 oz. all bristle bench brush. 1 4 in. Champion screw driver. 16 in. winged divider. Approximate cost, $5.00. Set of general tools sufficient for six pupils, which should be duplicated for each six additional pupils in the class, except in bit sets which should be added to in assorted sizes as required. In addition to the foregoing it would probably be well to have one large work bench equipped with a vise. A supply of lumber including 2 inch, inch and one-half inch stuff, can be provided at small expense. Whenever desired or convenient a small gas engine may be installed to furnish power for turning lathe and small circular saw. If any blacksmithing is to be done, one or two blacksmith's forges with proper supply of tools, hammer, chisel, etc., can be installed. DOMESTIC SCIENCE. The domestic science tables are usually in two forms, one with a case or cupboard attached, another a plain table with drawers underneath. These tables can be purchased at from $3.50 to $6 each and will accommodate from two to four pupils. There should be a half dozen of these tables with the necessary dishes for the use of students, one range with usual cooking utensils and one scale or balance. DOMESTIC ART. doz. sewing tables. 2 doz. small scissors. doz. large shears. 1 sewing machine. 1 large flat topped table. Suitable- supply of cloth, thread, needles, etc. SCIENCE. The usual laboratory material and apparatus for experiments in physics, chemistry, and botany. SUGGESTIONS FOR WORK IN AGRICULTURE. The following is an outline covering in a general way things that may be done and subjects that may be studied under the head of agriculture. This will include the subjects of farm economy and the application of physics and chemistry. a. Sandy-locality in which it is found. 4. Modification of forms— a. Clayey loam. b. Sandy loam. c. How modifications are produced. (Experiments). 5. Foods furnished to plants by soil. a. Lime. b. Soda. c. Iron rust. d. Nitrogen. e. Sand. f. Magnesia. g. Potash. h. Phosphoric acid. (Effect of absence of any of these elements and how detected). 6. How soil is exhausted— a. Planting same crop year after year without fertilizing. b. Planting crops that root at same depth. c. Planting crops that require similar foods. 7. How soil is improved a. Rotation of crops b. Tillage (1). Shallow versus deep plowing. (2). Harrowing. c. Effects of tillage (1). Coarse soil broken up. (2). Fine and coarse soil mixed. (3). Air gets into soil. (4). Insects and their eggs destroyed. d. Drainage. (1). Open ditches versus tile drainage. (2). Importance of following natural waterways. |