Coming now more directly to the sequence of horticultural studies, since the agricultural courses do not differentiate until at least the beginning of the sophomore year in the majority of our institutions, the selection of the beginning course in horticulture must be made from two points of view. The one is that of the agricultural student who is primarily interested along some other line and for whom a limited amount of horticulture is included in the general rounding-out of his agricultural education. The other consideration is that of an introductory course for the student who expects to specialize in horticulture. Since the general agricultural students rather than those specializing in horticulture constitute by far the larger majority of the freshman class in agriculture, I believe this beginning course in horticulture should be shapedout primarily from his point of view. Assuming that he will have but a limited amount of work in Horticulture, what course will be most useful to him on the farm? Many of our colleges have answered: "plant propagation" and for many years this was our beginning course in horticulture here. I believe this is a mistake for two or three important reasons First, it is not the one course the most useful to the majority of agricultural students; second, it means the giving of the propagation work to the student before he has studied plant physiology, which should be a prerequisite, and third, the course in propagation should be strong on the laboratory side. The rapid increase in attendance tends to make this feature increasingly difficult. In our own institution, the Iowa State College, for example, the freshman class in 1900 numbered 27 and the present semester it is over 250. With the increasing demands along the line it is scarcely probable that most of our institutions can, or at least will, provide additional laboratory facilities fast enough to take care of this increase. The result is that the laboratory work becomes more and more of a demonstration proposition in which the student pushes the button and the instructor does the rest.

In place of the propagation work as an introductory course we now give pomology, dealing particularly with the factors relating to the establishing of the orchard. The laboratory work accompanying this course is largely along the line of systematic pomology, taking up each period a detailed study and the making of a description of a limited number of the important varieties grown in this territory. It is a simple matter to provide additional material for the increasing numbers in this work. This also affords an opportunity of awakening the student's power of observation in the identification of varieties, gives him some conception of plant vari ation and the cultural methods practiced where each plant is dealt with as an individual rather than en masse, to which

the farm student is accustomed. This discipline in close observation and the new point of view in cultural methods, outweight the practical information obtained in learning the names of a few varieties of apples.

This work is followed by a special course for the students specializing in horticulture along the line of field practice and for the limited number taking it we are able to provide ample laboratory facilities for practical work in pruning, spraying, and transplanting.

In this connection with the increasing enrollment of horticultural students, I believe our institutions will be compelled to outline more fully the students' vacation periods and, with the plant of the successful orchardist as a laboratory, place the students there for summer work. Our colleges are all more or less hampered in providing adequate laboratory facilities in commercial orcharding. In addition to this summer work we are now planning a course in handling the apple crop in which the student under the direction of the instructor will be required to spend a good portion of a week in camp in a commercial orchard where he will have work in harvesting, grading, and packing fruit. In this way he will get the commercial grower's point of view as he can hardly expect to on the campus.

The term horticulture is more or less of an omnibus affair and there will be an increasing demand for a differentiation of the work and a call for advanced courses as electives for those who desire to specialize in some particular phase of the subject. In fact, the term horticulture today, stands on a par with the old professorship in agriculture of some ten years back when a single instructor handled the subjects of soils, farm crops, and a multiple of other things. At an early date the courses and teaching staff will be differentiated into division sof pomology, landscape gardening, floriculture, and truck farming.

As an out-door vocation the sequence of horticultural courses will be affected somewhat by climatic conditions. In the course in landscape gardening, for example, it is feasible to give the work in the spring semester in some sections, whereas for lowa the trees and shrubs are hardly in full leaf by commencement time, so the fall semester is the only satisfactory time to study landscape materials. Furthermore in the course in landscape gardening the aesthetic side should be emphasized and this phase of the work will be more fully appreciated by upper classmen. There is a rather general tendency I think to make this course wholly one of the study of garden materials and the principles of landscape design deserve wider emphasis. The books on landscape gardening published in this country are devoted almost wholly to the

study of materials used in landscape work, and clearly indi cate the fact that the subject has been developed in a onesided way. There is a sad lack of rural art standards in America and I believe that the subject of landscape gardening might well be required in the senior year in all of the agricultural courses.

In co-ordinating lecture work and laboratory schedule we have found it advantageous to carry certain courses throughout the year rather than to bunch the work into a single semester. In the orchard, nursery, and greenhouse there are certain operations which come only at a given season of the year and in order to acquaint the student with this feature of the work he needs to be classified in the subject at that time.

The course in the development of American horticulture giving a retrospective view of the field, its workers, and the literature, comes logically in the senior year.

The work in plant breeding naturally calls for a prerequisite course in morphology and embryology and to apply his work in breeding intelligently the student needs the course in plant propagation preferably as a prerequisite.

The thesis work if offered at all comes of course in the closing semester of the senior year, though personally I am inclined to think that this subject should be held for graduate work.

Last but not least, I believe that the horticultural course should make liberal provision for the cultural studies as these tend to inspire scholarly ideals in the student and also broaden his outlook. An educational institution, particularly one supported by the public, that fails to educate the student in his responsibilities as a member of society and to emphasize the obligation of social service, is falling short in its duty. The successful college graduate of the future must be a social leader as well as a bread-winner. In no field is there a more serious need for his service than that of agriculture and the Agricultural College needs to be awakened to its duty in this regard.

In brief, the four-year course in horticulture should have three dominant features: 1-a foundation training in the general sciences pertaining to its line of work; 2-courses in horticulture which should be taught in sufficient quantity and sufficiently well that the student can fix upon it as an ideal and will be able to make the application of the general sciences to his work; 3-provision for a reasonable amount of the cultural studies which will train him for his place as a member of society.

THE PRESIDENT: Professor Paddock's paper on "Teach ing Pomological Laboratory Work" will be read by Professor H. J. Eustace.

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TEACHING POMOLOGICAL LABORATORY WORK BY W. PADDOCK, Ohio State University, Columbus, O.

The literature of horticulture abounds with experiments and experimental methods, but the information that may be gleaned on teaching and teaching methods is extremely meagre. We must not overlook the papers that appear now and again, which discuss the theory of teaching in a general way. but the man who is really up against the hard proposition of wondering what to do next, finds but little solace in such reading matter. I imagine that most of us have more difficulty in handling the laboratory work to our satisfaction than we do the teaching end. No one who is full of his subject need have much difficulty in holding his students, at the same time giving them good instruction. But with laboratory work, conditions may arise which make the problem more difficult. Here again our theorist friends will say that the man who has not sufficient inventive genius to meet any and all situations as they arise, has no business in the work. Well, most of us do manage to get along, but I for one think that great good might come from a systematic swapping, not only of methods, but of the actual details of such work.

The teacher of the sciences can choose his laboratory guides and helps from among a number of excellent books, and the very number of such books is mute testimony as to their worth and popularity. But few teachers can or ought to follow these guide books in all details, but that he does find in them much help and many suggestions, can not be doubted. So in our line of teaching we know that here a man has developed a certain line, and there another, and if such experiences could be gotten together where they would be available, a notable beginning in the development of laboratory work in horticulture instruction would be made.

This line of thought suggests that the entire subject of horticultural instruction in the agricultural colleges is much in need of standardization the country over. And where are we to turn for assistance in this work if not to the Society for Horticultural Science?

Personally, I have been trying to give serious attention to the teaching of horticulture, only for the past two years. During this time I have learned many things, and I feel that there is still much to learn. And since we have at present but meagre equipment, scant and unsuitable quarters, and with no greenhouses, our problems have been intense, but not without interest.

All realize that, in any event, teaching methods must be varied to fit the conditions which surround the department. I do not know that what I have to say may be of much benefit

to others, but we do hope that others may be induced to give us the benefits of their experience, and if this can be done I am sure that much good will result. It is for this reason alone that I have consented to prepare this paper, which will be confined to the year's work in pomology.

Instruction in pomology begins in the first semester of the junior year and continues throughout the year. This arrangement necessitates that we place the cart before the horse as the systematic work must be given first. This is largely a laboratory course, three days per week with a two-hour period one afternoon each week.

The first two-hour period is given to a visit to the commission houses of the city where the students have unusual facilities for studying fruit and produce as it is grown and prepared for market, not only in Ohio, but in many other states. Each student is provided with a syllabus in which is given the special points he should notice, and a well-prepared written report is required. This trip is usually an eye-opener to the student as he inspects fruit of all sorts and conditions, sees all manner of packages and styles of packing. He invariably finds that while some of the fruit is good, much is poor and a still greater quantity is very poor. He is also certain to note that quality and style pay, and as a consequence but comparatively few men are actually making big money as growers.

This trip of inspection made at the beginning of the semester's work serves to emphasize in the best possible way the importance of the work the student has undertaken. Other trips to the market districts are taken from time to time throughout the year when the time seems most propitious.

There are a number of interesting orchards within reach by trolley from Columbus, and a number of these are inspected. In this work as with all laboratory periods each student is provided with a syllabus, and well-written papers describing the work of the afternoon are required.

One of the orchards visited is noted the country over as being one of the first where the sod mulch system was tried out. This is a very successful orchard and a source of inspiration. Another orchard was planted by a company as a money-making scheme in the sale of company stock. The orchard was poorly handled in the beginning, and consequently, many good lessons can be drawn from its appearance at the present time.

Still another orchard is visited where the owner is very successful in working up a personal market for his fruit. He grows a large list of varieties so as to extend his sales over a long season.

The hill country is also within reach. A location where a