VcL. I. No. 18. 



THE AGrJCULTUF.AL NEWS. 



285 



EDUCATIONAL. 



School Gardens. 



School Gardens are iiuw bieoiiiing obtablislicd in 

 many islands throughout the West Indies ami will 

 doubtless, year by J'ear, accomplish increasingly useful 

 wijrk in teaching the elenrentary [jrinciples (jf agricul- 

 ture. Teachers in these colonies will doubtless be glad 

 to learn something of what is being done in other parts 

 of the world. The methods employed with success in 

 England should not, of course, be ailopted entirely, as in 

 man}" details they will be found unsuited to the condi- 

 tions of the tropics. 



Tlie following is the plan of the garden, an I soheuie of 

 instruction at a village siliool with average attendence of US, 

 and with a staff eonsisting of He^ul Certificated Teaehei', two 

 Female Assistants and one Assistant. 



This account is taken from a pamj)hlet recently 

 issued bj' the English Ixiucation department. For 

 further jjarticulars see the Wik/ 

 Vol. III., pages -211-2:30. 



Jufl! 



Ballcfin, 



Lectures to Teachers at Montserrat. 



A third course of six lectures in Agriculture was 

 delivered to the teachers of Elementary Schools at 

 Montserrat in November last by Sir. G. Whitfield 

 •Smith, the Travelling Superintendent of the Depart- 

 ment. The Lectures lasted for three houi-s each day 

 and were attended by twelve teachers. E.\periments, 

 of a siin])le nature, requiring onl^' ajiparatus to be found 

 in any household, were performed to illustrate the 

 subjects dealt with. In c;i.scs where details of plant 

 structure were explained the teachers were provided 

 with fresh specimens of seeds, stems, roots, leaves and 

 flowei's which they were retpiircd to dissect for them- 

 selves. To aid them in doing so, 

 large coloured drawings of the plants 

 discussed carefully jjrepared before- 

 liand were distributed. 



The subjects dealt with on this 

 occasion were as follows: — 



Lecture 1. Germination — The seed 

 dissected and deserihed — ^Vliat a seed 

 contains — Conditions nece.ssary for suc- 

 cessful germination — Points of difference 

 1 let ween Monocotyledonous and Dicotyle- 

 donous .seeds. Uses of the cotyledon.s — 

 Alliuniinons and E.xalhuminous seeds — 

 A\'hat becomes of the radicle — iilumule 

 — (illustrated hy germinating sjieciniens 

 of corn and bean seeds.) 



Lectin 



Structure and functions 



Gexer.il Plan of G.vriien. 



Oiierations were begun with 7 forks, 7 spades, 7 draw 

 Iioes, 2 dutch lioe.s, 6 rakes, and 2 garden lines ; the cost of 

 these was £3 Gs. (jil. The stock of tools has since been 

 augmented by the purchase of more forks, etc., a whcel- 

 liarrow, water pot, boat liaskets and garden towels. All seeds, 

 with the exeeption of [lotato seed are found l)y the managers 

 and cost about 1.5.'i each jear. Jbuuues (farm yard and 

 and chemical) co.st los aimually and the rent of the ground 

 is £1. The.se exjienses are met by the Government Grant of 

 £2 IG.s- 0(/ and an Aid Grant of £2. On the fruit plots the 

 following trees were grown : — Two pear trees, two apple 

 trees, two plum trees and one cherry tree. Some laish fnuts 

 are also grown. The boys are taught jiruniiig, grafting, an<l 

 Imdding, in addition to general fruit culture. The instruction 

 is given once a week from 2.3.5 to 4. 10 ]i.m. The boys 

 stand round one of the jilots, while the teacher demonstrates 

 how each operation is to be carried out. Afterwards they 

 ^lisjierse to their own plots and eacli does the neees.sary work 

 to the best of liis ability. On wet afternoons the boys have 

 to tidk about, and write compositions u]J0n, the work whicli 

 lias l>een done or is to be done in the gardens. The 

 instruction is eontimied througliout the year. 



of roots, stems, ]ea^■es and tlov>-ors (illu.s- 

 trated by living specimens and coloured 

 diagrams.) 



L.ecture J. The soil and atmo.spliere. 

 Their relation to plant life. 



Lecture Jf. Elements of plant food in 

 a soil — I^hysical condition of the soil 

 necessary for successful growth of good crojis. 



Lecture 5. Soil moisture. — Its source. — Movements. 

 Importance. — How conserved. — Soil and other nmlches. 

 Jlanures and their value. 



Lecture 6. How the plant lives — What becomes of the 

 foixf taken in by plants from the soil and atmosphere. (Illus- 

 tiated by simple experiments showing — transiiiration of 

 moisture from leaves —Formation of starch in lea\es depend- 

 ent on light —Evolution of o.\3gen from green leaves in sun- 

 light — liesjiiration of plants.) In addition to the above, four 

 demonstration lessons in [iruning, budding and pi-ejiaring .soil 

 for seed beds were given by ^Mr. A. .J. .Jordan, the Agrieultural 

 Instructor. 



In place of the usual examination at the close of the 

 course, those teachers who had attained first raidi in previous 

 examinations were on this occasion made each day to explain 

 to the others wliat had been described to them in the lecture 

 of the day befoie. 



Great interest was displayed thr<.ughout the course and 

 the teachers are said to have acquitted themselves in a very 

 creditable manner. 



