AGRICULTURE AND EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1456, 3 June 1912, Page 8

AGRICULTURE AND EDUCATION

TO POPULARISE EXPERIMENT STATIONS. Some suggestions in 1 lie direction of popularising the Government experiment stations ivcro made by Air. .1. (J. WiUnn, ■president of llio \\ cilingtim Provincial Executive of llic Now Zealand Farmers' Union, during hi» presidential address al flie opening of flip annual conference. -Mr. Wilson congratulated Iho .Minister for Agriculture in at hist accomplishing what had been so long aimed at. viz.. the provision for cndels at Runkurii. This, slid .Mr. Wilson, was a step in advance, and farmers must he thankful lor (he promise thai a similar provision is to ho made at Aloumnhaki and Wcreron. They could only express the hope, that it would be speedily provided. It would require considerable expenditure and much thought, but if it would add to llic desire for further agricultural education, and be an incentive for town lads to take to country life, it would bo wellcentral board to assist the Minister in his work and make for a continuous policy, Air. Wilson added, he could not help thinking he might well call to his assistance in the neighbourhood of these farms, men)of practical experience, and if so, it ought eventually to lead lo a central board to assist the Minister in carrying out this desirable work nil over the Dominion. He was sure that it would popularise the experiment stations and lead to much more attention by the general body of farmers, whom if is designed to help. One thing Now Zealand had not succeeded in yet Vas to get excursion trains at stated intervals, si) that farmers from a distance could come and go in the same day.. He felt sure they would be well patronised, widen the influence Of good farming shown on the. experiment farms, and make the benefit of the farms better known.