E.—ll.

Governors has adopted to the effect that students who, from want of diligence and application, do not make satisfactory progress cannot be allowed to remain in residence, has had the effect of reducing the number of students temporarily, but it will, I would respectfully urge, without question bring about a full College with the more desirable type of student in increased proportion. It is unfortunate that the impression is abroad that young men of idle habits, who have proved failures, more or less hopeless, at the secondary schools might with impunity enter residence and continue as students here; but I trust the position the Board of Governors take in relation to such will in due time be well known, and that we shall be saved the trouble of having applications from youths of that character. An educational institution is not the place for them ; they interfere with the good work of bond fide students, and discredit their alma mater. Better is it to have the College partly full than to have the balance made up of such youths. I can in full assurance say that the action that has been taken during the year at different times in asking students who were not spending their time profitably to cease residence has been beneficial to the College. We have been careful, however, at all times to distinguish between ineptitude and idleness, as a youth who is slow or dull at book or laboratory work may nevertheless benefit by the all-round instruction and experience which residence here offers. At the end of the year ten students, who had completed their course, came up for the diploma examination, and five of these satisfied the examiners, and were awarded the College diploma. The examiners in practical agriculture and dairying reported respectively as follows :— " Practical Agriculture.—l have the honour to report on the examination I have held in practical agriculture during the year. I have examined the students in reaping, threshing, and shearing, and the work throughout was very well and carefully done. The ploughing results were not so good. The ground was hard and variable, and some did very poor work. In the Practical Agriculture Examination held on the 18th December, 1902, covering all the working of mixed farming, most of the students did very well indeed, and showed that they had followed intelligently the instruction and practice of the farm and stock operations and experiments carried on during the year.—Geoege Eennie." "Milking and Dairying .—I have the honour to report on the examination in milking and dairying conducted by me to-day. The cows are in splendid health and condition, evidently well treated, and I found the dairy and all utensils scrupulously clean. It also gives me pleasure to note a great improvement in the style of milking since my last visit. The students show a good general knowledge of all dairy-work, and, on the whole, milk well, but in a few cases ought to milk cleaner.—John Babnett." The following is a statement of the work done in the Chemical Laboratory during the year by Mr. Gray:—

Analyses.

During the year lectures were delivered at various centres in Canterbury to agricultural and pastoral societies and to farmers' unions by the Director, the Chemist, and the Lecturer on National Science on the College staff, on subjects of direct agricultural interest. The College Faem. On the farm the year 1902, taken as a whole, was successful. The harvest at the beginning of the year was less fruitful than the average, as a smaller area had been sown in 1901 owing to changes in the staff, and the dry spring of that year had affected rather severely the yields; but the high prices of produce and stock ruling later, and the very favourable winter and spring improved the position. The farming is conducted throughout on commercial lines, in .the belief that the financial aspect of the operations is most important for students in training. Extensive experimental work is not undertaken, as much of the manual work of the farm is done by students, and student labour can never be sufficiently reliable and exact to meet the requirements of experimental work, properly so called. The farm is worked for teaching purposes, and educational demonstrations specially ; and experimental work is, I believe, best undertaken at special establishments, such as the experimental farms of the Department of Agriculture now established. The problems,' however, which perplex the practical farmer affect equally the College farm in many cases, and investigations intended to throw light on operations and improve methods are conducted from year to year. Questions which we have now in hand are such as these, which are instanced merely as

2

Eeceived from Sample. Investigated. A. and N.Z. Land Company, Timaru House on Leeston Tothill and Watson, Dunedin .. Andrews and Bevan, Christohurch College Farm Cuff, Auckland College Farm Jones, Nelson Southland Meat Company Stead, Christohurch Laery and Co., Christohurch .. Studholme, Hinds College Farm College Farm.. Jackson, Tuparoa Twenty man, Anama Barker, Geraldine North, Geraldine Superphosphate Soil Five samples of limestone Straw knots Sulphate of ammonia Two soils Five South Australian wheats Soil Ocean Island guano Superphosphate Surprise Island guano Soil Mangold manure Milks Siliceous deposits Soil Mineral phosphate Mixture of superphospate and bone Manurial value Estimation of salt. Composition. Seeding value. Manurial value. Composition. Composition, &c. Composition. Manurial value. Composition. Manurial value. Estimation of fat, &c. Composition. Manurial value. Retrogression of phosphates.