AN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION SCHEME.

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 6

AN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION SCHEME.

As an outcome of commences bjtwecn the secretary of the Scottish Education Department " and the governors of the three Agricultural Colleges in Scotland (Edmbmgh, Glasgow, ;ind Abeideenl, \ cry inrpoitant proposals have been iormulated and agreed to by both parties for a scheme of agricultuial education for Scotland. The Education Department recognises the good work which has been done by the colleges, and. according to a memorandum submitted to the Aberdeen College, desires that the govcrnois should cirehilly consider the whole question of agricultural education -within their area, and submit definite proposals for its fiuther extension and de\elopment ior the consideration of the department. Although the work of the central classes is regarded as important, the department considers it of even gicater importance to bring home to the farmer the res-ults of such practical research as c t m be made practically useful. It is therefore suggested that the s> stem of extensior lectures should be extended by the appointment ot a qualified person to act as "oiganiser"' m e.ich county, to act undei the jurisdiction of the college, his duties to include lecturing throughout the county, conducung classes at different centres during the winter months, supervising experiments, advising with fanners on points on which his advice and assistance might be useful, and confeiring with School .Boards and teachers and encouraging the establishment of school gardens to lllustiate the processes of plant growth and the efiects of the application of manures, etc. Again, the college must undertake tlie duty of giving instruction in agri(ulture to school teachers, in order to enable them m turn to instruct the pupils, further, that the college at once is jto provide a two-years' couise of agricultural instruction, available to any students in tiaining who. in addition to their ordinary pioiessional tiaining, wish to take the benefit oi an agricultuial course. It is nUo si;ggosted that the three colleges should co-operite in the arrangement ot experimental research work, the granting of degrees, and so on. The necessity for an experimental farm as part of the scheme was admitted, and the prospect ottered that the cost to a reasonable amount would be^ defrayed from the education fund ; and it was also stated that the cost of training teachers for certain special vi ork would be favourably considered by the department. The scheme is welcomed in Scotland as bold and piogressive: indeed, it is thought in some quarters to be too thorough, as- it would m operation overlap the work of some ot the present agencies and supersede otheis. In most parts of New Zealand ue dheady have agricultural education to tlie extent of a part of the Scottish scheme, though it is still in the very early stage, and iurther parts of the scheme are piomised. We have instruction of teachers and the conduct of school gardens, and even an agucultural degree, and we are promised an organiser of experiments and lecturer (though not one for each county, or even each province) ; but we have no experimental faims in the educational sense, or provision for research work in connection with agriculture geneially, or even any system of advising farmers in points of practice, though in certain special matters, such as dairying, diseases of stock and crops, fruit-growing, beekeeping, and henip-milling< they are ghen the best of advice. Our greatest shortcoming is in facilities for experiments and it-search. The North Island experimental Uims are, no doubt, doing some good work, but they cannot compare with the valuable information which is distributed liom the Scottish Agricultural Colleges, «nd from which many New Zealand farmers have greatly benefited. It would l)f> oi very great advantage to New Zealand education in agriculture if our sjMem — University. Education Boards, and Government — were demolished, and Horn the _ fragments, with the additions of the parts in which it is deficient, a complete system built up. It is a weak point in New Zealand that the local authorities will do little oi nothing to assist the development of the resources oi the areas under their control, but this doubtless will be remedied before veiy long, so that the agucultural counties will support agricultural colleges, ni.ning districts cihools of mines, and so on. The Scottish schem* is certainly the completed which has yet been propounded in thf Biitish Empire.