REGULATIONS OF COUNCIL OF PUBLIC 91. Rural Science Schools. (1) The Regulations of the Council of Public Instruction referring to Rural Science education under the authority of Sections 5 (16, 17, & 18) and 72 of the Education Act, shall henceforward be construed to govern the appropriation of money granted by the Department of Agriculture of the Dominion of Canada in aid of elementary agricultural education in the province of Nova Scotia. (2) A Director of Rural Science schools shall be appointed to develop, direct, inspect, and report upon the schools qualifying for such aid to the Superintendent of Education. (3) The Director shall also be one of the Instructors in the Normal Rural Science Training School for teachers, which shall be conducted in affiliation with the Provincial Normal and Agricultural Colleges, and shall mutually co-operate with the Inspectors of Schools in every effective manner convenient, or as directed by the Council of Public Instruction. (4) The funds received from the Dominion Department of Agriculture shall be applied to the training of qualified teachers for rural science schools, to the development and subsidizing of these schools with gardens and libraries for effective instruction, to the payment of the salaries of the Director and of the Dean of the Rural Science Teachers' Training School and to the minimum expenses of teachers in special training for these schools. (5) The Rural Science Training School, Truro, has been organized for the purpose of improving the qualifications of teachers of elementary science in its application to the common school and especially to the rural school as a diffuser of agricultural knowledge and efficiency among the young people of rural districts. The curriculum of studies is pursued at the Provincial Normal and Agricultural Colleges thru one, two, or three terms of about four weeks each; and, at successive stages in the completion of the same, the student may be granted a certificat qualifying him for a special grant. On the completion of the course, the candidate is granted a Rural Science diploma qualifying for the highest special grants to Rural Science teachers. The following arrangements however, are made for a continuous course of training for Normal students leading to a Rural Science diploma. Graduate and undergraduate students of the "B" and "A" classes of the Normal College, possessed of exceptional general ability, of previous knowledge of the natural sciences, and of aptitude for science teaching, may at the beginning of April enrol as candidates for the Rural Science diploma as well as for the diploma of the Normal College. Such undergraduate candidates are released from their regular studies in the Normal College and are permitted to devote themselves to the work of the Rural Science School, remaining in attendance until the closing of its classes in August, at which time they may hope to be awarded the full diploma in Rural Science. The teaching staff comprises the several science-teachers of the Provincial Normal and Agricultural Colleges; and the laboratories and other equipments of the two provincial institutions at Truro are placed at the disposal of the faculty and students. Tuition is free. Railways grant single-fare tickets on the "Standard Certificate" plan, and students who have done satisfactory work in at least two scientific subjects are recouped the amount of their actual travelling expenses. (6) Application for admission to the courses leading to a Rural Science diploma will be received from Superior First, First, and Second rank graduates of the Provincial Normal College, and from First and Second class teachers specially recommended to the Faculty of the Normal College by the Inspector on the ground of effective work done in Nature teaching. Application must be received not later than June 30th; and all applications will be submitted to the Faculty for approval. Applicants not recommended by the Faculty will be notified not later than July 4th. (7) Teachers who have been regularly admitted to the Rural Science Training School and have satisfactorily completed during any session any one-third of the whole course, may be awarded aid, not to exceed fifteen dollars per annum, at the close of the school year following, provided the teacher's work, the character of the pupils' work on the school grounds or home garden, the school library and the general improvement of school conditions will enable the Director to recommend the extra grant as clearly merited by the teacher's success in advancing rural science education in a rural or specially determined school section. (8) Teachers who hold a Rural Science diploma regularly awarded by the Rural Science Training School may be awarded aid, of respectively, $25, $50 or $75 per annum; payable annually thru the Superintendent of Education, according as the Director reports the rural science work as "fair" "good" or "superior," the conditions of which are as follows: (a) For the rank "fair" qualifying for a $25 grant per annum, the school house, grounds, apparatus and library must indicate creditable effort on the part of all concerned to do well the general and special work of the school. There should be proper facilities for the growth and germination of seeds, and for the study of plant life history. The school must have a garden or window boxes, or the pupils must cultivate plots in their gardens at home, of which plans on a uniform scale shall be kept in the school room to enable them to show from week to week the progress of the home work. Nature lessons must be of special excellence and the library must have good nature-study books and interesting books on any possible local industries, such as the farm, the garden, the forest, etc. Where the Director deems it advisable he may recommend a small grant to teacher or trustees to help pay expenses of establishing or maintaining gardens. (b) For the rank "good" qualifying for a $50 grant per annum, the school and grounds must be well equipped and kept in good form. The school garden should be at least about one eighth of an acre with 4x10 feet plots for each pupil, in addition to a large general experimental plot, flowers and shrubbery; the rural school library at least of the five dollar grant standard, adapted generously to nature study and rural industry. (c) For the rank "superior" qualifying for a $75 grant there must be at least two teachers in the school, the equipment and up-keep of which must be superior in all respects. The school garden should be about a quarter of an acre with 4 x 10 feet plots for each pupil, with a large general experimental plot, flowers, shrubbery and trees; the rural school library at least of the ten dollar grant standard, generously adapted to rural science and industry. If the two teachers have the rural science diploma the grant may be divided according to the work of each teacher, to be decided in case of doubt by the Director. Where the school ranks lower than "fair" the Director may recommend a lower grant an appropriate fraction of the regular grant. (9) The Director shall not recommend a school garden grant without clear evidence that the necessary outlay of heavy labor and fertilizers supplied outside of teachers and pupils is at least as great as the grant. The grounds must be entirely at the cost of the section. The labor of teachers and pupils are school duties. The grant for the school garden shall be paid after it is recommended by the Director, to the order of the "teacher and school secretary," thru the Superintendent of Education. The Director shall send a duplicate of recommendations and classifications made to the Superintendent to the Inspector of each school. Notice of competition for school garden and Rural Science grants must be given to the Director and Inspector at the opening of the school each year, and should be signed by the Secretary as well as the Teacher. (10) Where a school club, or similar organization, approved by the Superintendent of Education and involving the performance of agricultural or horticultural operations by the pupils under the supervision of the teacher, is established and conducted in accordance with the instructions of the Director, the teacher shall be entitled to a grant equal to that payable for the conducting of a school garden appropriate to such school. In lieu of a school garden grant to the section a grant may be made to any such organization on the recommendation of the Director, for the purchase of seeds, fertilizers, etc., and for promoting its efficiency; such a grant not to exceed the amount of the school garden grant payable to the section on account of a school garden appropriate to such school. (11) A small shed for the garden tools, with a projection, glass-roofed, facing the sun to serve as a miniature hot-house for forcing plants in Spring, is an important equipment of a standard garden-a very cheap structure sufficing, especially for the small" garden. The size, number and management of plots specified above are merely given as general directions when teachers and school boards have no other scheme which they deem superior. Any other arrangements approximating these conditions but demonstrating novel or special advantages or improvements, are not only allowable but will be specially commended after a successful test. (12) If the teacher, an assistant or the secretary of the school board, record under oath the attendance of pupils during the holidays in weeding and observing the school garden, such time may be substituted equitably according to agreement with the inspector for an equivalent number of holidays during the winter or stormy weather of the school year following, or the "days attendance" may be added to that of the following half yearly "return." (13) The course of study for the Rural Science diploma shall be as defined from year to year in the Rural Science Training School course of study, provided that on the recommendation of the Director and the Dean of the Rural Science faculty, supported by the Principals of the Agricultural and Normal Colleges, the Council of Public Instruction may authorize promptly thru the Superintendent any change likely to be of advantage to the general object in view. PROVINCIAL EXAMINATION OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. 92. "High School Students" shall be held to mean all who have passed the County Academy Entrance Examination and are studying the subjects of any high school grade, or who are |