PRACTICAL TEACHING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 94, 11 October 1911, Page 5

PRACTICAL TEACHING.

SHEEP-SHEARING CLASSES AT WORK.

By Telegraph-Press Association _ Palmerston N., Last Night. An interesting development of rural education by the Palmerston Technical Schoo wa ß inaugurated to-day, *ffE first sheep-shearing classes in the North Mand were opened, and will continue for six days, and a further course jf necessary. They began with thirteen students yesterday, but on the farmers •eeißg their practical character the-num-ber was more than twenty to-day fhere is a machinery expert, an expert 1 ' l" d an ex P ert WOOI dwwr i» charge. Sheep are sent in from a neighboring station, and after its manaSer saw the quality of the work to-day The said they could have one thousand if they wanted them, and the same next y Z &T : T ™ dasses are in the show ground sheds. The students are .first taught the use of the oil engine, which drives the plant; then the crutching blade and machine shearing skirting, classing, .baling and pressing. ° To-day the A. and P. committee and many farmers visited the sheds and were greatly surprised at the thoroughness "of the teaching, the singular aptitude of the boys, and the excellent condition of the shorn sheep. The boys propose to go shearing this year. The wool classer in charge of' the tables, who now has a good position, waa himself a graduate of the Palmerston Technical School wool classing classes, which have been successfully carried on for the past three years.