The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1911. FARM SCHOOLS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 28 December 1911, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1911. FARM SCHOOLS.

The growing opinion in favour of scientific farming is on© of the best signs for the future 'benefit* of this profession. Farm schools, it seems to us, are likely in the future to be as much a part of New Zealand's curriculum as primary schools are fit present. In Great Britain to-day there is a strongly marked tendency towards making farm schools more comprehensive in their plane, and more numerous. There, according to an authority whose ability to speak with good judgment is unquestioned, it has been felt for many years that the agricultural

[colleges in England were n<xt reaching a very large proportion of the agricultural community. Uhey appealed chiefly to the wealthier farmer, who could afford to board his •boys for a period' so that they could take a full agricultural curriculum. But the smaller men had to be content with the lectures of travelling lecturers, and such brief courses of instruction as the County 'Councils jointly with the colleges organised. A correspondent of the

Scotsman says there is now an im

mediate prospect of this being changed. There are several farm

schools already established dicing

excellent work. They are not so pretentious in their aims as the colleges, but their work is 0011© the

less admirable. One point that strikes the observer in at the present time, and the remark is also applicable here, is that formers have in the main thrown overboard their ancient prejudice® with regard to education of a scientific 1 and technical kind, and have worked in sympathy with the aims of educationists. This is said tolje probably due to the happier methods of imparting instruction, and. not least of all, to the intimate contact between the colleges and tho County Counids. The functions of the farm schools are to, first of *11, act as centres round which the agricultural teaching of & oounty oould be organised. Necessarily they wiould be provided with farms, the extent of which would vary with the kind of farming in the district, ibut about 150 acres-would in most caeee "be ample. On these holdings the

farming would require to Be good, 'but any attempt at model agriculture would) defeat the object far which they were established. Here the students would get a grounding in the practical every daf work, audi although farmere' Sins aWout sixteen or seventeen yearns old usually have a fairly good 1 idea of the ordinary duties, of the day on the. land, still they ihave imbibed their kniowledige and not considered it a matter of serious study. If the farm school fails in its practical tuiton' in caamot exercise much influence. Proof of tihe popularity of this line of study is seen in . the fact of one of the beßt of . the JJoglish schools having more .applications for admission :iSvaii there were vacancies available.