I. —14b.

7

J; G. "WILSON.

not need to go outside the colony for the purpose of employing experts. In relation to the female' teachers we have just the same sort of thing. If any of you gentlemen are interested in this subject, and will take up the report of the United States Institute of Workers' Conference of 1902, you will find there some very valuable papers that were read before that Institute by lady workers in America. Domestic sanitation and nursing, and so on, are all taken up. If you encouraged the girls of the colony to take up these subjects by offering them bonuses, they would be taken up by the female teachers in the same way as the male teachers would take up the subjects I have already referred to. The taking-up of domestic economy would also be of great advantage —and domestic econorm - is of immense importance —as important as rural education, or any other system of technical education. I have an extract here snowing what they are doing in Victoria in the way of extension schools. The extract is as follows: 'The Director of Agriculture (Mr. Williamson Wallace)" —who is a very useful man —" claims, and justly so, that the system of establishing classes for the instruction of farmers during the winter months, in suitable agricultural centres, has proved a thorough success." I may say that they started to have these winter classes there in a small way. Everybody prophesied they would have nobody there at all, but I am glad to any that the prognostications of the people who threw cold water on the project were not borne out. Those of you who read the Australasian will have seen there a picture of one of these classes, the attendance shown by the photograph being probably from forty to fifty people. The article (it is taken from the Australasian) goes on, " The inauguration of such a system was advocated in these columns for years, and the soundness of the views expressed is now being amply proved. The course of instruction, as formulated by Mr. Wallace, and carried out by the officers of his Department, extends over several weeks, and the popularity of the teaching is increasing in a gratifying manner, showing that the practical men to whom the instruction is given have faith in their teachers. A reproach often levelled at farmers is that they will not try to lift themselves out of old grooves, or try to keep abreast of the modern developments of agriculture. It is truy that the farmer is shy of taking advice from a theoretical faddist, but from a teacher of proved worth he is always ready to absorb ideas, and give them practical effect, as far as circumstances will permit. This year seven centres of instruction were selected by the Department —namely, Nhill, Warragul, Tatura, Benalla, Wodonga, Rushworth, and Wangaratta. Up to the present, the attendance has been remarkably good at each centre, much better than it was on previous occasions, and is expected to average fifty students per class. The forward movement is indicated by the fact that the agricultural societies enrolled the classes without any special urging on the part of the Department. It is evident that this method of instruction has come to stay, and will doubtless extend over the whole of Australia. To insure progress and continued interest it will only be necessary to adapt the lectures to local conditions, and give instruction in regard to the industries, which are most popular in and best suited to the climate and soil-conditions of each locality. Valuable as these agricultural classes are, the Director of Agriculture has, with the assistance of Dr. Howell, Victorian Government Chemist for Agriculture, matured a scheme, which will continue work throughout the year, which can now be carried out only during the winter months. The proposal is to hold evening classes of two weeks' duration at farm-houses." This new proposal is a very important advance. It is not proposed to hold the classes in centres, but to go to the farm-houses and hold them there, the classes being of two weeks' duration. " The number of farmers attending at any centre to be from ten to twelve, and the classes to be held all the year round, each district being taken in turn, except in winter, when the officers would be fully engaged at the farmers' classes held in towns as at present. As described bj' Mr. Wallace, the scheme is as follows: ' The lectures would be held in the evening, say, one and a half hours' lecture and half an hour devoted to asking and answering questions. Four lecturers would be required, one of whom would arrive on a Monday and stay three days lecturing and discussing such subjects as manuring suitable to the district, tillage, rotation of crops, and kindred subjects. On the fourth day he would leave for another centre, say, twenty miles away, and would be replaced by an officer competent to lecture on farm-stock, their breeding and management. In two days the second lecturer would leave, being replaced by a third, who might lecture upon poultry, the best breeds to be kept for export and laying purposes, the management and feeding of poultry, &c. Two days later this lecturer would be replaced by a fourth, who would lecture on other agricultural subjects. The course of instruction at this particular farm-house would then terminate after ten days' instruction. Four classes would be in progress at one time in farm-houses sufficiently far apart to prevent overlapping, and yet near enough for the officer to reach the next centre and lecture on the same day. It will be at once seen that the success of such a. scheme depends very largely on the patriotism of the leading farmers, as it is not every one who has a room that would accommodate ten or twelve farmers, and who would be willing to give that room up for two hours each evening for two weeks. As to the lecturers, they would find their way to the nearest township after the lectures were over —to cycle eight or ten miles on a summer evening would be no obstacle. I would not like the scheme to fail from any idea that it would be necessary to offer hospitality to lecturers. I should be glad to hear from farmers who are prepared to give a room for farmers' classes, and that at least ten farmers are prepared to attend for two consecutive weeks.' " You see what they are doing in Victoria. We, as I have said, are, trying, somewhat spasmodically, to make some efforts in that direction. The Government officers are always willing to come and lecture, but their time is very much occupied, and to have to travel long distances is a great trouble to them. But we must get down to the farmers. The farmers will not come at first. They are shy, and do not like to come in the evenings ; but if you once interest them, and if they once have confidence in the man who is going to lecture, you will have good attendances, and great advantage will be derived. Mr. Gilruth, however, says it is no use lecttiring to the older farmers : yo\i must teach the youths: the older farmers know too much-they are doing exactly what their fathers did, and they think they know all about it. Ido not agree with him in that. I think the farmers of New Zealand