Untitled

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2219, 17 June 1908, Page 2

THE FARMED OF THE FUTURE. The discussion which, took place at the local Board of Governors yesterday afternoon provides gratifying evidence that the members of that body are fully alive to the needs of tho community in regard to technical education. Tlio term “technical education” lias, like “socialism,” eomo to mean almost anything according fo Hie special ideas of the persons using it, but speaking generally it may bo defined as the adaptation of instruction to the future industrial needs of the echol irs. In this district the avocations chiefly followed aro pastoral, dairying, and -fruitgrowing, and it is towards these lines that our educationalists should direct their chief attention. The technical classes at present being he-ld are admirable in their way, but they deal purely with town occupations, and in no "way bring pupils into touch with tho chief producing interest of -the district. The proposal, therefore, that preparatory classes should be arranged whereby lads upon concluding their primary course can take up studies dealing with what may conveniently ike termed agricultural pursuits is one that is worthy of the utmost commendation. At the present time the business of “the man on the land” 16 frequently conducted upon lines that would be fatal to success in town industries, where 'competition is more direct and keener. Often the farmer’s methods are antiquated and slipshod, and if -remonstrated with he simply replies that what was good’enough for his father an the Old Country is quite good enough for him here. This attitude can only spell 'disaster in the long run. So long as prices are high, seasons favorable, and land fairly cheap, any sort of farming may be made tv -pay, but these conditions cannot bo expected to exist for ever. The time is rapidly coming when, owing -to the steady increase of land values-, a good deal more revenue must be obtained from an acre than was formerly necessary in order to make both ends meet, and it is hero that the art of scientific farming conies in. All over the world the scientist is being 'utilised in bringing greater profit from the soil, and if our -people hope to hold their own in competition for the -world’s trade in foodstuffs they cannot afford to forego any advantage obtainable by a thorough utilisation of the discoveries of the laboratory. Alorcover, it is scarcely too much to say that a large proportion of our pres-ent-day farmers take no special interest in their -work beyond tA-e means it affords them -for earning'a livelihood. Any notion of living in the country because of the beauty of rural life never occurs to them; they simply plod through their daily round oblivious of the charms -associated with their occupation. Such ail attitude will never make a really successful agriculturalist, To achieve what is possible on the land it is necessary, firstly, that tho -farmer should be in love with his work, and -an enthusiast fo-r the delights of country -lifo. it is in this respect that we have as a 1 community entirely failed in the past, for practically no effort has been made to mako country life popular with any section of the community ; in fact, our legislation has been -in an entirely opposite /direction. The result is that the population, young and old, persistently flocks to the towns, where in many cases they are compelled to eke out a miserable existence. One of the best methods of coping with this serious drawback is the encouragement of nature study, both Within the school buildings and also in school gardens, amongst pupils in the primary schools. If this work is carried out intelligently and sympathetically by the teachers tho result will be to stimulate in the minds of the youngsters a. keen interest in all forms of animal and plant life. They become -accustomed to observe closely' wliat otherwise they would never notice, and in this -way develop an interest in r-ural life. This is about as -far as it is possible for a lad to be taken in the -primary 7 schools under our present- system, and it is when he leaves the elementary teachers thit some -provision should be made for him to -follow up this line of teaching. It is suggested, therefore, that a two years’ course should next be spent in general agricultural teaching dealing with -plant life, elementary animal physiology, botany, and chemistry. At the-end of that periodthe lad should be allowed to choose the particular branch of agriculture upon which another two years’ course should follow. If pastoral, his studies would deal more chiefly with sheepbreeding, preparation of wool, etc.; if dairying, the chemistry of milk, butter and cheese, diseases of dairy cattle, and so forth would -be specialised; if fruit-growing, the scientific study of -pomology would he the priu-