GARDENING AT SCHOOLS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8143, 28 June 1906, Page 3

GARDENING AT SCHOOLS.

.V MOKE AMBITIOUS SCHEME. Agricultural education in Taranaki seems likely to assume more extensive dimensions iu the near future. Mr W. E. Spencer, director of raanna! md technical education in this dis.rict, visited the Palmerston Show ,rish a view of meeting the d.airy factory managers, and conferring with ihem upon this matter, and as a result the managers are row actually engaged in ascertaining what support will be ;iven to classes for instruction agri•ulture and dairying. The matter was mentioned on Tueslay nigkt in . Mr Spencer's report to the Taranaki Education Board, An interesting discussien ar.ose. Mr G. Adlam considered every ,chool should'have its experimental ;ardening plots for the instruction of he children in agriculture, and that a •how ot the produce of the gardens night be held annually. Mr Spencer said he had a scheme of that nature in the course of preparation, and would circularise the teachers, [lie scheme embodied individual plots for the children—two children to each plot—besides an experinental or demonstration plot where the teacher could practically illustrate good and bad planting, and its results ; the use of different nanures ; the reasons for placing different seeds in rows at varying dis-

ances apart; and so ou. He considered the Taranaki Agricultural Society would probably assist in carrying out Ir Adlam's suggestion. Assistance ras already forthcoming from the Government, the Department allowing cacli school a grant of 10s per pupil, up to £7 10s per school for the purcliaso of tools, and so on. If the teachers took up the idea with enthusiasm and enlisted the sympathies of their committees and the parents of the children, there was no doubt the latter would recognise the educational as well as the practical value of this instruction, and help it along, Ngaire hatl taken up the idea properly, and the committee wanted an additional five acres of land for the purpose. Stratford was taking the matter up on an extensive scale, too.

Mr Maunder, whilst in sympathy with the scheme outlined, considered iliat school should be pitted against school, not scholar against scholar. He would personally coulribnte a pound or two towards prizes for the the best-kept school garden. Mr Trimble thoroughly believed in the scheme for instruction in horticulture—he objected to the term "agriculture." It would teach the children observation, and instruction .in the theory of growing plants would do more good than thb practice. If such an idea were to be followed out, however, the School Commissioners must not adhero to their present system of allotting an acre or two for a school site. Five acres, even, was insufficient for playground, agricultural plots, ana borse.piddock. Sty Adlums Oakura has only two acreij

Mr Faull: Tikoraugi lias oaly one. He considered the Commissioners were acting aright, in granting five acres for a school site Surely Mr Trimble didn't want 100 acres granted. There was uo chance of lire]re acres being gifon, as asked in Kltluun. He would like to sec prizes offered for gardening, but how were they to do it P Mr Monkhouso impressed on the Board the necessity of engaging a fully qualified horticulturist and agricultural chemist if the instruction was to be of any real value. The instructor must be able to teach and explain the whole science of horticulture.

The Chairman said they had been aiming at that, in endeavouring to amalgamate with the Wanganui Board in the appn'ntment of an instructor in agriculture, but that had fallen through. Mr Monkhouse questioned the advisability of launching out in a large way without first securing a properly-quali-fied instructor.

| Mr Maunder referred to the system in vogue in Auckland, where the sokools wete closed on two days a week to allow of teaohers taking instruction from an imported expert in agricultural education.

Mr Spcnoer said that tho big Boards had their experts, but here the district and tlie general revenue were not large enough to engage men at salaries of £360 a year, He believed that if a winter school were opened here, one of tho Agricultural Department's staff might attend to give instruction to i teachers.

The Director's report was adopted, and further information will be forth, coming at next meeting of the Board.