AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2394, 12 November 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

(Finin the F’Md.) In the course i,f an able review on fin* Dairy Institute and Education, Merlin, a writer in the Field, says ; With regard to dairy edm at-on in particular, it is scarcely necessary to point to the fact that onr unfortunate position is brought about by the education which lias been bestowed by Government aid in those countries which ’nave beaten ns out of our own markets. It has been stated that we are not a dairying country. Thi* statement might infer that our soil or our cattle are not suitable : but this i* not the ease. They .are probably more suitable than those of any other country in the world. It might be stated with truth that onr people have not ’oven suitable, because, with the exception of a few districts, they have never received proper practical instruction. The soil is constantly stated to hav- a most potent influence; but I can only aliinn from practical experience that, in the several dairyiiur countries which I have visited, I have found success conducted upon almost every variety of soil.

Let me refer briefly to tlie cflucationa! system which is conducted in France and one or two other countries. In France there are four principal national institutions or colleges, the chief of which is in Paris; nine higher schools; and twenty-three lower farm Schools, and in additional twenty - three .agricultural stations and fifty-five departmental professors of agriculture—men who compete for their positions, and are among the cleverest of scientific and practical agriculturists who can be found for the salaries offered by the Covcnm.eut. Here, then, is a staff which, to commence with, must have .an important influence upon the successful career of the majority of farmers. The professor of agriculture attached to cm hj comity lamt have considerable demands made upon bis time by those who have a rurht to hook to him for aid and instruction. The principal institute costs the (tovcrucieu* fIO.UUUa year, and it ocucrally has lift cfi !-:.ts. The chief of the tinee remaining national colleges has generally Iftft sludent- 3 , win -b cost the fJovcniment tT'ftft a year. This is Orignou—a fine <«11 in-litntion which I have had the advantage of inspecting by the kindm-ss of ihe authorities. It is not unlike Cirencester in its position, influence and scope; but it is neither so large nor so important. The education which is conveyed—and this is both practical and scientific—e..sts the students some £lB a year; Imt as each student costs about £llO, the difference is paid by the Government, excepting so far as the balance is concerned after ih- receipts from the farm have been d- du-t-d. The colleges at Montpelier and Grand Joann are similar. The students from the lower schools can take scholarships in these colleges; and here again they can take scholarships and proceed abroad. 1 know some young farmers, one of whom was sene to me to study, who have taken scholarships at these colleges and been allowed some £2OO for studying agriculture in foreign countries. It can scarcely be denied that men must receive benefit from education of this kind.

Why, upon the sim? lin---. such a national establishment as the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester shutiM not be similarly .-uiMdi'ed by theG ovrumont, is dillieult to understand. Whatever we learn with regard to foreign agriculture we must do at our own expense, and the farming public as a body have at this moment, no single opportunity of educating their sons in practical scientific farming, such as is the case at t he French stations no igioned, at a cost which at nil approaches their means of payment ; and the same thing still inure clearly applies to the lower class of farmers, peasant proprietors. allotm-nt holders, and so on : and yet. in France the whole of these peoj 1-are provided with means of education if they choose to embrace them. The f wenty-thra-'-fann schools are. I am able to say from knowledge derived from one of them—that of La I’dtien*, where, by the invitation of the director, I had the pleasure of staying—the best possible place for learning real farming. Tier students do the entire work of the farm under the direction of competent teachers. Th-y commence at an early hour and work until midday, whereas their studies are practically conducted in the afternoon. They have to compete fur vacancies, hut in merely elementary •subjects, and if I rcmeml.-r rightly, the entire cose of their education is £•) a year, the remainder being paid by their labour, by the Government, and by the department. The best men can taka scholarships and go to oae of the colleges, as already mentioned. Th-re are also six intermediate schools in France, which cost fid ODD a yoar: also three veterinary schools, which cost the State £IB,OOO, In addition to this, grants are similarly made to schools of horticulture, drainage, shepherding, and dairying. The agricultural stations receive 1‘ lO lJ a year from the Government, and the professors of the departments €7OOO a year. In addition to all these sums, the Government subsidises agricultural societies. They award handsome prizes of honour to a large number of fanners for the eoadi• tiou of tii—ir farms, and to exhibitors for the excellence of their stock. .Medals of gold, siiv, r. and bronze .are provided in large numbers; and last, but not bast in its import nice to breach agriculture, is the order of Miri'-' wiiL-ii is bestowed upon those who have iu tome way contributed to the success of agriculture; and I am proud toleeognise a number of valued friends in the ranks of lids legion. . ....

The German people are especially favoured by their Government in a number of agricultural institutions of high class. The principal ones given by the late Mr H. M Jenkins are as follows; 1. Royal Agricultural High School at Merlin ; 'J Royal Agricultural Academy at I’npplesdurf, near 1> mu : 3. Agricultural Institute of the Royal University at Halle; i. Agricultural Institute of the Roval University at Gottingen: ■>. Agricultural Institute of the Royal Univerity of Kiinlgsberg : (J Agricultural Institute of the University of Kiel; I. Agricultural Institute of the Royal University at Breslau ; S. Agricultural Department of the Royal Technical High School in Munich ; 0. Royal Central Agricultural School at Weihenstenhau ; in Agricultural Institute of the University of Leipzig; 11. Royal Agricultural Academy at ilohenheim; 1-. Agricultural Institute of the Grand Ducal University of Giessen ; 13. Agricultural Institute of the University of Jena.

It may he asked, as regards dairy education, what ought to be brought to the trout—What we really want. In the first pi.-cc. we Win-; help a . -giii;iou ; : and to ootam that neip a ,u itcogmtion the Government ought to be shown moat

clcirh*, l»y the :n:‘.v j* th*■ ih'rv-farm *vrs :i i: is re* n-v.'l ?or it. it11«t:• i;i :jhV n -t }"• ncc**«- > iry. hot, lit ;i!i c. *-11' th* ;%■ snoiil'i j;*. a * tt rul*- 3 s»v jjujii i#*-i s • I jwn-iMe : «*;j-3 t.* y if j.«•! 3 not only in liairy farniinii tiiif.iiiu-.tit ih- c mn'.ry. Wii.it are toe nOpet- ni a .tairv iiistitut*, lor nm’.-ii -.v.- want t ; n- ii—iji aiei till* re-<“i!;i-.iiin' I'n.:- it is fijuirei ! <r ill- i!, t:;i ii m ..j t i »•!:•» arc call ur :ir.; to i»- . ng.ne !, m <iairy fanning ~i,e . in iniii-r m i-. inj or chc*'***iniaine, in tn.r in in ij.-nn nt o; milk, ia Inc 'll tl_t M -I’t -n I,r mik, an i-n '.I). Till* ”, ; , 1i,,. c , /f p,. ia . ti'.n alii li,”, ;y V...,k. Hs.il ulil a’s'i i: ive tn ho v\t. i-a, iV.r. 1n:,.. In tunc fann-is an i 1 an.i-.K n-i s in-,.- to-Uctli-r to <Ji-eu.— tie: 1* ..'’iniilv of estahll'lili: ” a crtim-iy i.r i.•■•',. v. Tie. jr kii'*i\'! is iinntni. aiei the.* "li.cass preh.ihle result- tip>:i nn- , in i pivini-e-; !mt «itii III” ai iof a i.ilimil m-tUiil--, v.’m-ro a'ivie*. or a-si.-ta'i-■’ -0'... i ]»t* peiie! from cnnp ti-nt ni-ii tii n.-lns, the 'iiiii ::iily H niil-l van:-!), an i h-lp iron!.! ho nivtn in any < i tie: >■ nintry In enah!” !:itm r< cilinr t» pi ao- their imli- > i<iiia! <i,lines or prospective faeton. * iip"H 1 s raiei In -linj. \\*ilii reemi In ti;-- t. i■:;ainie- .■<.:i■].j it H.nilii le alike tli-m-eticil aiel prvtieil. lit i.-iriy m::l iliilv the v.nrk, the wouhi . li-iwu :;ot only ho-v t ) ilo it, i*:t Ilf why :i:.\ t!j<- wherefore —ti.-,* j)r3!:c::>!o'i I'illv e\i»l iinpil to then. So I.ir -ot- arc c^iri-C'-nx-i. i r'l'niMy in rc>uhs of stili nationni impoitnii-.-.* l'n;m il v.-.*n3 i I, ■ at hut >o.:ou lary, tia* whole o! the pr.i jrtnrtl work wouM :iti jr>l l»asis for c.xpcrimcjt.