Agriculture for Beginners

The authors of this little book believe that there is no line of separation between the science of agriculture and the practical art of agriculture. They are assured by experience that agriculture is eminently a teachable subject. They are convinced that the theory and practice of agriculture can be taught at one and the same time. They see no difference between teaching the child the fundamental principles of farming and teaching the same child the fundamental truths of arithmetic, geography, or grammar. They hold that a youth should be trained for the farm just as he is trained for any other occupation. If they are right in these views, the training must begin in the public schools. This is true for two reasons :I. It is universally admitted that aptitudes are developed, tastes acquired, life habits formed during the years that a child is in the public school. Hence, during these important years, every child intended for the farm should be taught to know and love nature, should be led to form habits of observation, and should be required to begin a study of those great laws upon which agriculture is based. A training like this would go far towards making his lifework profitable and delightful.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)