Vol. T. Xo. 1 



THE AGRICULTURAL NKWS. 



I I 



EDUCATIONAL 



Barbados. 



'J'hc Inlldwiiio' iijKirts (111 thf result (it'tlie ExMiiii- 

 iiaticnis in Natural .SciciH-c anil Agricultuiv, held in 

 ) )efi'Uilx'r last, at Harrison College have just been 

 published. The satistaetory character of these re])orts 

 is aduiitted, to lie laigely due, to the assistance given 

 by th<' liu)ierial Dejiartnient of Agricultu)-e in ])r<ivid- 

 ing .1 Lecturer in Agiiculture to the Science Dejiart- 

 nient at Hari'ison College. It is, however, vei-y 

 giatitying to leain that Profe.s.sor d'Albnquernue and 

 lii> colleagiu'.s, according to the Canilaidge E.xaniiiicr, 

 -iire now "sujiplying a traiiu'ug of the liighest value in 

 Agriciiltuial Science. ' 



V'o Hii Sr,-,-'l:irii iif flu- Lf.nil Eril)iiiii'it!i„i.i •ni,l Ln-liuvs Sitiiili- 



'■'ifi tif t}ir T^tlil'rrsiflf ttf f'ltnihriilijf. 

 SlK, 



1 lieg tci presuiit to you ;i i-uport of my recent exaiiiiuatioii 

 of tlie HaiiLson College, Barbados, in .several branches of 

 ^Tatural Science. 



A pipor on Pi-actic.il Chsuiisti-y w.is .set to eacli of two 

 <livisions. In the case of the Ujiiier Divi.sion tlie work consisted 

 of fairly advanced (.t>ualitative and Vohniietric .\nal3'.sis ; and in 

 the case of the Lower, of Kleinentary (.^lualitative .Analysis. I 

 was pleased to tilld that these suljjects had been most carefully 

 and efficiently taught. Tlie methods used, the results obtained, 

 ;ind the system and style of the written descrijition of the work, 

 were alike e.xcellent in almost every case. I am convinced tliat 

 the subject has been .so taught as not only to make the candi- 

 dates accurate aiudysts. but also to impart a sound knowledge 

 <if the scientific jirinciples underlying the methods employed in 

 the laboratjuy. 



The Theiu-etical Pajier on .Agricultural Chemistry was again 

 Hell ihine, and marks obtained were uniformly high. 



The answers to the ]iaper on .\gricultui-al Botany showed 

 that this subject had been as efficiently taught an<l as intelli- 

 gently studied as tliat of Cliemistry. -Almost all the .(Uestions 

 were well done. 



The least satisfactory wcn-k submitted to me was in 

 .Agricultural Physiology and Kntonudogy. The highest mark 

 •obtained was "il per cent., a very credital)le total t<j wdiich 

 several candidates ajiproxiniatgd. But marks as low as Hi and 

 '2~ were awarded, .uid five of the papers failed to secure 'half 

 marks." One cannot therefore bestow ujjon the work in this 

 department the same uiKiualitied praise which that in the other 

 subjects so w^ell merited. I should mention that through a 

 misunderstanding I omitted to set a pa))er of (piestions in this 

 .subject, thinking it to have iuen included amongst the more 

 technical sulijects the examination of which was entrusted to 

 another examiner. Such a pa)>er was however set in Barbados 

 by the Pi'ofessor of Chemistry, a,nd the answers were looked 

 over and marked by my.self. 



The college is certainly to Ije congratulate<l upon the 

 results of the Examination : it would seem to have been making 

 rajjid jirogress in standards and efficiency, and in sn|iplying a 

 training of tlie highest value in -\gricultural Science. 



I lia\'e the honour to be. Sir, 



Your obedient Sei vant, 

 (Signed) F. R. TENN.ANT. M.A., 

 (ionville and Caius College, Cambridge. 

 ]•-' February, UM):.'. 



(;i:xi:i!.\L report. 



•t),i E.nimniiit'.iiii :„ A'lrlriiltiirr liih/ ,it ll,i irixuu ('(,11, yr^ 

 J!((jhi(il,is, l)iriiithir I'.H)!. 



'1 he five candidates have .all jiassed, obtaining from .'■)4 to 



<)S per cent, of the total marks obtainable. K very uniform 

 standard was maintained throughout. Tlie Paper on 'Princi- 

 ]ilcs of .Agriculture' was well done, showing that the sulijecf, 

 had been carefully taught and an intelligent gras]) of the snliject 

 had lieen obtained. I was disappointed in the local and troiii- 

 cal information sent in, and think more attention should bo 

 given to troiiical conditions in studying this subject. The 

 Technical Tropical .Agriculture was fairly done, liut 1 expected 

 greater detailed knowledge. Perhajis it would be well to 

 siipiilement the text books available by a little more n|)-to-date 

 technical information. In ' Trojiical .Agriculture' the Vani and 

 Cocoa were well handled, but the information on Bananas and 

 Pines was almost valueless. I would suggest the inclusion of 

 pajiers in the .i'lrii-idtiinil .Toiinidh of the West Indies as a 

 desirable addition to the standa" r.jxt book in this subject. 

 The Practical Cheniistry w.is well d(me throughout in method. 

 Two students attained a gfiod standard of accuracy in the results. 

 On the whole, the results are very gratifying as proving the 

 possiliilities of .Agricultural Education in the AVest Indies. 



HERBERT H. COCSTNS, M..A., F.C.S., 



Rx.iniiner. 

 .lanuaiy 14 ]!)0l'. 



British Guia,na. 



Tne Inspecldr of Schools has issued in a separate 

 form an Essay written by Mr. T. Bruce James at an 

 K.\aminatinn in .Agricultural Science held at Queen's 

 College, (b'lirgetown, in January last. 



After referi-ing to the educational value of scienti- 

 fic teaching in develojiing the faculty of observation, in 

 training the reasoning faculty, in inducing the habit 

 (if attention to details, and in awakening a .spirit of 

 inipiiry the wtiter ]);xssas on to the practical otfects of 

 teaching Agricultuial Science to children as follows : -- 



.Agricultural study in school introduce.s children to the 

 cultivation of the soil in a jileasant manner, and is likely to 

 leave the two hapjiily associated when childhood has |jas.sed into 

 manhood and the stern realities of life have to l.'e faced. It is, 

 therefore, calculated to ]iroduce in the rising generation an 

 imjiroved disjiosition towa]-ds Agiicultiiral pursuits, and a wise 

 <letermination to make the fullest use of the advantages witU 

 which benign Nature surrcunuls them. .And when they have 

 turned to farming, the iirinciples they had learnt in childhood, 

 and which they w-ill now be able to apply to jiractical agricul- 

 ture, may save tliem from serious errors which those who 

 preceded them may have made in conseipieuce of lack of 

 knowledge. Knowing that in .Agriculture a.s in other branches 

 of hinirui indn.stry there is a cause for evei'ything, they will 

 probably put more brains into their work than would otherwise 

 have been given to it ; while the rich legacy of knowdcdge 

 which will be theirs to enjoy, will put them on vantage ground 

 for the iirojier treatment of the soil and of their crops, enabling 

 them not only to ameliorate present conditions, liut to hand 

 do.vn to posterity (lossibilities of wealth that may lead to such 

 an er.i of |iros]ierity as the most optimistic dreamer had nofc 

 ventiivcd to anticiiiate. 



Trinidad. 



The following interesting remarks, on the need of 

 aoricultnra! eihicatiijn, ai'e taken from l/itllr Ftill.:-i' 

 Trniidud, a short descriptivi^ historical and geographi- 

 cal account of the island cotnjiiled for use in the schools 

 of the Colony (Port-of-Spain : Davidson and Todd, 

 1901):— 



■ Since the material jirospcrity oi' 



the 



'ly 



