VII.3. Bailey (1) concludes:

"The above examples constitute the only instances known to
the writer of agricultural colleges, or agricultural depart-
ments of colleges, in the United States that have actually
put pedagogical courses or departments into operation, although
other colleges or departments are each cooperating more or
less with the education department of the university or college
of which it is a part.

Crosby's annual review on "Progress in agricultural education" furnishes a convenient source of information for the development of courses for the training of teachers of agriculture. The first mention of such work is made in the report for 1906. (2) The following work was mentioned:

Louisiana State University and the University of Maine had established departments of education. Massachussetts Agricultural College had received an appropriation for normal work and was planning to promote the teaching of agriculture in the elementary schools. The departments of education at the University of Illinois, of Missouri, and the State College of Washington were giving some attention to the training of teachers of agriculture. The University of Arkansas, Iowa State College, and Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College had annouced normal departments. Numerous colleges were giving summer courses for teachers.

In the report for 1907, Crosby reports: (3)

Only six states failed to give evidence of some work in promoting agriculture in the public schools. In 26 states some kind of training was offered. The following states had provided four-year courses for teachers: Arkansas, Illinois, Maine, Mississipi, Missouri and Rhode Island. Short courses ranging from one to two years in lenght were provided by: North Dakota, Missouri, New York, and North Carolina. The work at Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Washington, and New York (primarily for nature-study) received special mention. It appears as if the work reported was large that of teaching the subject matter of agriculture to students of education.

1,

Op. cit.

p.48

2, Abstracted form Office of Experiment Stations, Report 1906.

+

3,

Report for 1908, p. 275.

p.254.

VII,6.

In the 1908 report (1) Crosby shows that there was a tendency to develop a definite organization for training teachers of agriculture.

The following progress is reported:

Nebraska offered training courses in its newly established
teachers college. Michigan had organized a department of
agricultural education. Indiana had done likewise. Oklahoma
had appointed the "professor of agriculture in schools", as
provided for by the constitution, who was to establish and
aid the work in agriculture in the public schools of the
state. Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa, Massachusetts, Wisconsin,
Vermont, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina
were actively engaged,, by various methods, in making teachers
in servicè acquainted with the subject matter of agriculture

In 1909 (3) it is reported that

Maine and Minnesota had established short training courses. North Dakota had established a department of education in accordance with the provisions of the Nelson amendment, and was offering a four-year course. A number of colleges were conducting summer courses, preparing courses of study, and giving other help to teachers in service.

It appear from the 1910 report (3) that

some work was done in 46 colleges. Four-year courses had been established in 22 school (including schools for negroes). Alabama and California had appointed professors of agricultural education. The legislature of Michigan had granted the right to issue teachers' certificate to graduates of the agricultural college who had completed the work in pedagogics. Missouri, Oregon, and Pennsylvania had departments chiefly engaged in helping the schools to get the work in agriculture started.

The 1911 report (4) mentions that Iowa and Ohio had organized definite courses for the training of teachers. The last report was issued in 1912.

Pennsylvania had announced

a four year course in agricultural education. Crosby also commends upon the scarcity of trained teachers, and desribes the various means adopted by the several colleges to supply this need. (5)

1, Office of Experiment Stations. Annual Report 1908. p.262-5.
2, do. Report 1909. p.300-2.
3, do. Report 1910. p.355-8.
4, do. Report 1911. p 323-4.
do. Report 1912. p.319-22.

III,7

These reports might create the impression that practically all colleges were actively engaged in training

teachers of agriculture;

as they are convenient.

in reality they are as misleading

As a matter of fact, the amount
It is almost impossible

of actual work is often very slight.

to obtain reliable information on the situation, for all
the available information is contained either in reports
or in college catalogs. Both are highly unreliable; the

former

including replies to questionaires, usually

confuses the actual with the projected, the latter makes
statements that cannot have a purpose other than to create
a favorable impression. To illustrate, practice teaching
is given by a large number of colleges as an essential feature
in their training course, when in reality no such course has
ever been given by some schools making that statement.

The discussions at the annual conventions of the
Association of American Agricultural Colleges are a good
index of the problems uppermost in the minds of the executives
Every possible problem has been discussed

of the colleges.

again and again.

There is hardly a meeting when the entrance

question or the miltary problem does not come up for discussion.

The problem of training teachers of agriculture has received

but little discussion.

remarked:

In the meeting of 1912, Dean Skinner

"This year for the first time in these meetings, so far as I recall, there has been much talk of courses for training secondary teachers. ***

(1)

A perusal of the proceedings for the last ten years will show

that the Dean's statement was correct.

1, Proc. A. A. A. C. 1912, p.121.