HORTICULTURE INSTRUCTION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 107, 30 January 1919, Page 8

HORTICULTURE INSTRUCTION

NEUD OF AN INSTITUTE. need pf the establishment of somoDie niitiire of u Dominion horticultural tullege wns , uicnlioned at thu conference of Ihu New /icalaud Association of Nurseryman jesli'rtlny, wlien Iho following remit was moved i-'i behalf of the Canterbury Council of the association:—"That as the Government, in- re-, spouse In resolutions pnssod by the Nurserymen's Conference of IOKi and HH7, has expressed itself favourable to tin) (lovclopmenl of technical education in horticulture after the war, the Govern-, ment be now asked to proceed with llie establishment of n J)aminion institute of horticulture,'with training facilities, both practical and scientific, in suitable centres." Mr. T. W. Kirt, Director of the Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture, said lie w<ts r.s keenly anxious as tho members of (ho as.sociotioa to nee such an institution established. The Minister of Agriculture wns highly sympathetic with tho idea, nnd would do all he possibly- could to assist tho project. Mr.' Kirk stated tlmt ho had pre. pared a special roport o;i the mutter, settling,out the various.-courses of inetructiofi thnt would be: necessiiry, and giving estimates of tho; cost. Unfortunately, want of money had been responsible for delay' in giving effect to the scheme. "It is a matter that should not be loet sight of," remarked Mr. lurk, "and I shall do everything I possibly can to help, but, of'course, I cannot find' the money. That remains for the Government to do. As soon as tho Government is able to find, the )noney we have all the plans re;;dy to start the scheme. If the money is .found, 1 have, got everything ready to go on." (Applnuse.) Mr. Kirk enid the students must be trained on thoroughly up-to-doto lines if the country was to get the test results from their services thefuture. Once the scientific principles had been inculcated, and tho students had gone into the employ of ihe nurserymen, it would bo for the litter to train them in their own particular lusthods of cultivation. ■ Mr. E. Nairn (Christchurch) said it was important that the scheme should bo put into execution as soon as possible, ns the Government ; itself . would require many men in the future for its own work. ' Replying to a question, Mr. Kirk said the schools would have to be established outside the. cities, in order that sufficient and suitable grounds should be available for instructional purposes. The remit was cartied.