Boys from the outlying districts assembled at the central school for their Friday afternoon manual training lesson.

The one stipulation for State aid is that the associated schools must raise one dollar for each two dollars of State aid. In this case, the sum of $2,300 would have to be levied on the entire associated district. Two mills on the dollar would be more than enough for this purpose. On this basis what would the average outlying district pay for its share? The assessed valuation of the 14 districts. varies from $32,000 to $100,000, with an average of $50,000. This amount at two mills would make $100-the average cost to each district. Of this amount $50 is refunded by the State, which, it will be recalled, pays annually $50 to each rural school associated. Indeed, at Spring Valley several schools paid only about $10 each, while one or two paid $100 each. From this one can readily see

FIG. 2.-Map showing Chatfield, Minn., Associated Schools.

that the system offers many advantages at a surprisingly small final cost.

Chatfield Associated Schools.-Chatfield is another village in southeastern Minnesota, not far from Spring Valley. This school is organized in practically the same way as the Spring Valley school, and makes a strong appeal to country-life activities. The association. is organized around a village of 1,300 people, 8 of the rural districts lie in Olmstead County and the remaining 3, together with the central district, are in Fillmore County.

(a) School attendance.-Supt. E. B. Forney gives his high-school enrollment for the past year as 114, with a daily attendance of 110. Five years ago the enrollment was only 55 and the average attendance 52. The town of Chatfield has made no growth in this period 91134°-15

4

of time, so that the increase is almost wholly from the associated districts. The 1914 freshman class had 41 members, 21 of whom live in the country. The children who attend the small schools early become accustomed to consider themselves as members of the central school. This provides enough vital interest materials to encourage them to remain in the small school through the eight years, after which many of them continue the work at the central school as regular students, or, at least, enroll for the annual three months' short course.

(b) School supervision.-The Chatfield associated board has the following rules for supervision of outlying schools:

The superintendent shall make as many tours of inspection as his work will warrant, in no case less than two visits to each school annually. The agricultural instructor must visit each school three times, the normal training instructor two times, and the domestic science instructor as often as convenient. This means that each school will receive at least eight visits during the year, and generally many more.

The supervising teacher must file a written report of each such visit with the superintendent, as in the affixed illustration:

Conveyance, horse and buggy. Cost, one-half of $1.25.

Nature of instruction, if any is given: Demonstration-Capil-
larity as applied to soils.

Criticism of school or teacher, if any: Discipline excellent.
Word drill in reading and recitation in history were good.
Pupils read by pronouncing words, and do not perceive the
sentence as a whole. Phrase drill and drill in expression
are sadly needed. The only preparation for the new lessons
was "Take to-."

These reports are made the basis of consultation with the rural teachers, who, in turn, must be present at three teachers' meetings a year, at the central school. These meetings include the consideration of all phases of the school work-among other things, the presentation of models in busy work by the normal training instructor. The rural teachers are paid $1 for attendance upon each of these meetings.

(c) Course of study. The school follows almost in detail the course of study outlined in Bulletin No. 47 of the State Department-Suggestive Outlines for Study Courses in Minnesota High Schools.

The attached report gives an idea of one class in animal husbandry:

Number failed, lab. double. State certificates issued,

Outline the work of the year as follows: Amount of text cov-
ered, with omitted parts mentioned, special methods, field
trips, laboratory work, classics read, etc.

Stock judging: Placed a great deal of emphasis on this phase
of the work.

Used text and charts in preparing the class for practice work
in judging of all but cattle. Here I used fantern slides
very freely. The stockyards provided more or less mate-
rial.

Dairying: Talks and bulletins formed the basis of the recita-
tion work. The laboratory work consisted of work with
the separator and a thorough course in milk and cream
testing.

Creamery problems were also taken up.

Breeds of live stock: Plumb and Craig were used as texts.
Only the essentials were studied.

Poultry: Bulletins used as texts.

Feeding: Bulletins used as texts.

Practice in calculating rations.

Insects: A brief study of the most important facts about in-
sects. Made special study of bees. Took class out to an
apiary for demonstration.

Ventilation of farm buildings.

Agricultural bacteriology.

(d) Three months' short course.-A large number of young men and women above school age took advantage of the course during the past year. Farm machinery (with special attention to the gas engine), animal husbandry, farm crops, and soils were some of the agricultural topics considered. Among other subjects receiving considerable attention were farm accounting, letter writing, business forms, and composition work.