AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 154, 10 May 1909, Page 2

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

The new director of the Canterbury Agricultural College at Lincoln, Mr E. E. Alexander, who has been appointed to succeed Mr W. Lowrie, arrived in New Zealand last week. In the course of an interview with a reporter at Wellington, Mr Alexander gave some interesting information respecting what had been done in the matter of agricultural education in Ireland since the establishment there of the Department of Agriculture some nine years ago. Prior to that time practically nothing had been done, but since then big steps forward had been taken. "Of course/ 5 said Mr Alex? ander, "lik-? everywhere else,it is difficult to get the farmers in Ireland to acknowledge that they have received much profit from or benefitted much by the instruction that has been given; but my own opinion is that the operations of the Agricultural Department have already had good results. Undoubtedly it will be a long time before any marked effects are noticed, but it seems certain to me that the knowledge which has been spread by the classes held has enabled farmers to work land more economically and generally." Speaking on more businesslike lines, explaining the system upon which the Irish Agricultural Department had set out to educate the farming community; Mr Alexander said that the real pjq : neering work was done by means of lectures. Thirty-four men were engaged in thi3 work, one having charge in each of the Irish Counties,while the two remaining: Counties were allotted two instructors each. Uuring the winter lectures were given in suitable centres, an actual experimental work was done during the summer months. The next step was to establish regular ""** winter classes of as many as could be gathered in the different county centres. The general course in these classes consisted of 40 lessons, and, after taking them, most of the students went on the three primary schools which were established at Cork, Galway, and Cavanagh. There the students spent most of their time in practical work, their studies at this stage extending over a year. Large farms were attached to each school, so that the instruction previously given in the classes was put to practical use under the eyes of experts. Mr Alexander was asked if he had arrived at any conclusion as to the direction in which agricultural education should be developed in ijew Zealand; . but said that he preferred not to say anything upon that point at present, though the opinions he had expressed were in reference to the work he had left, not to which he had come.