E.—s.

58

pupils, were held during the year. A number of these classes have had small roll numbers throughout the year. The attendance has been satisfactory and the work consistently good throughout the whole district. Particular mention must be made of the work of the dressmaking classes at Gisborne. In my report for 1911 I made a suggestion that I again desire to bring under the notice of the Board —viz., the desirability of arranging for the domestic science mistresses in the service of the Board to undergo a short training under Miss Boys Smith, Professor of Domestic Science, Otago University. I would respectfully suggest that the Board approach the Department with a view of seeing if the Department could arrange with the University Council a month's course in domestic science and allied subjects during the summer vacation. I am sure that the teachers of cookery and dressmaking under the various Boards in the Dominion would welcome the opportunity for the training that such a course would give. Twenty-three classes received instruction in woodwork. The average yearly attendance for the wdiole district was 460. Speaking generally, the work is an improvement on past years, although much room still exists for better work. In most cases the drawings are not as carefully done as one expects in this class of work. In all exercises and models it should be the rule for the pupils to work from their own drawings. If these are smudged and inaccurate it can hardly be expected that the finished products will be what it should. Careful supervision on the part of the instructors will work wonders. These classes were visited twenty-eight times during the year. Instruction in agriculture was given in sixty-three schools, and a combined course of instruction in agriculture and dairying in twenty-three schools, making a total of eighty-six. The number of pupils under instruction was 1,546. Out of these, however, a number (ten) of schools did not put in sufficient time to earn capitation. As in previous years, the instruction consisted of theoretical and experimental in the class-room and practical in the school-garden. The practical garden-work included the sowing of seeds, the subsequent care and management of the crops, and simple experiments with manures. The results of the manurial experiments were of such a contradictory nature in most schools as to prevent the establishment of any general law or the drawing of any deduction from the experiments. It is only fair to the teachers to say that the failures of the experiments were due to the unfavourable climatic conditions experienced during the growing season. It seems necessary to draw attention to the fact that in certain schools no records are kept in connexion with this work. Tach pupil should be supplied with a notebook, in which should be entered a brief summary of all work done during the year. This record is essential in order that the Inspectors may see the nature of the work in which.the pupils are receiving instruction. More attention should be paid to the surroundings of the school. The trimming of trees and hedges, the weeding of paths, etc., should be a recognized part of school agriculture. Owing to the illness of the instructor in agriculture towards the end of last year, the schools did not receive the number of visits they otherwise would. In all 224 visits were paid to schools with recognized classes. Certain schools have done exceptionally good work throughout the year —they are: Otane, Clive, Tepapakuku, Makauri, Matamau, Takapau, Ormond, Te Arai, Mahora, Onga, Matahiwi, Umutaoroa, Puha, Taradale, Meeanee, Kaiti, Te Kanaka, and Waipukurau. This list is not by any means complete, but the schools that have been mentioned have specialized in certain features, and, because of this, stand out rather prominently from the schools taking this work. Keen interest is taken by parents and pupils in the classes for dairy-work. Twenty-three of the Board's schools are supplied with a complete outfit for the testing of milk. In all these schools the practical work is carried out by the pupils under the teacher's supervision. Classes in the following branches of elementary handwork were carried on during the year in connexion with seventy-seven schools : Stick-laying, paper-folding, modelling, crayon drawing, cardboard-Work, and brush drawing. All the material used by the pupils in any branch of handwork is supplied to the schools by the Board. Three schools —Napier Main, Napier South, and Port Ahuriri—had classes in physical measurements. Gisborne school conducted classes in agricultural chemistry and swimming and life-saving. The total number of pupils receiving instruction in these three subjects was 720. The special subjects included in the rural courses taken at the Hastings, Waipawa, and Woodville District High Schools are agriculture, dairying, chemistry, physical measurements, domestic science, and farm woodwork. At the beginning of the year the number of pupils taking the rural course was as follows : Hastings, 52; Waipawa, 30; Woodville, 16: total, 98. Thirtynine visits were made to each centre by the itinerant instructor. The course of work followed during the year was laid down by the Board at the introduction of the rural-science course into the district high schools. In dairying, physical measurements, and chemistry it was necessary to run first- and second-year courses. In agriculture, however, the course was so arranged that seniors and juniors were enabled to take the same work. With reference to the assistance obtained from the permanent staff of the district high schools it is interesting to quote the itinerant instructor's own words : " The teachers in charge of the secondary departments and the assistant teachers deserve more than thanks for the assistance given mc when visiting the schools. They are always ready to help with examinations, etc, and any part of the work in the course." A garden has been established at each district high school. The Hastings garden was the most successful, although it is only fair to mention that at the other centres (Woodville and Waipawa) the gardens had only been under cultivation for one year, and hence it was not to be expected that they would respond to the manures like one that had received two years' thorough tillage. The instructor attributes the non-success of the gardens at Woodville and Waipawa to the following four reasons: Unfavourable weather-conditions; destruction of seeds and crops by birds; insufficient number of boys to work the plots; previously unfilled soil. The experimental work carried out at each centre was similar. It consisted of manurial experiments with (a) cereals, and (b) root crops. Five plots were set aside for each experiment, and the