Vol. XVII. No. 4 IS. 



THE AGRICULTUllAL NEWS. 



143 



encouragement of agriculture. This work is classified under 

 four divisions: — 



(1) The teaching in the public schools of the first prin- 

 ciples of the sciences relating to agriculture; 



(2) The teaching of more advanced agriculture in agri- 

 cultural schools and colleges, devoting attention more 

 particularly to the training uf teacliers, investigators, and 

 community leaders: 



(3) The carrying on of extensiim work, having for its 

 object the instruction of fanners by acquainting them, 

 through demonstrations and other means, with the results of 

 scientific investigation and research; 



(4) The amelioration of the conditions of rural life, 

 particularly in so far as women and ihiklren were concerned. 



In all the provinces the developments contemplated by 

 the Act made necessary the emplnjment of an increased 

 stati' of instructors, demonstrators, and superintendents. 

 Deficiencies noted have to a great extent been remedied with 

 the funds supplied. No province can now claim, on financial 

 grounds, to be handicap[ied by inability to secure the men 

 and material equipment nece.ssary to the successful carrying 

 on of the wnrk. 



The following is a brief outline of the nature of 

 the work perfiirmcd in the difierent provinces in making 

 effective the intention of the Act. 



In Ontaria, the 1 >istrict Itepresentative system has been 

 greatly extended, building ei|uipmeiit has been provided at 

 the Ontario Agricultural College, and the teaching of agri- 

 culture in the public schools has been facilitated. 



In < iluebeo, a large sum has been allotted to the teaching 

 of approved methods of agriculture to the farming popula- 

 tion, the colleges and schools of agriculture have received 

 assistance for increased building accommodation and for the 

 maintenance of their teaching staff, and the teaching of 

 agriculture and domestic science in schools and academes has 

 been given considerable aid. 



In Manitoba, the K.^tensinn Service of the Agricultural 

 'College, embodying boys' and girls' club work, home economic 

 societies, and agricultural short courses, has been greatly 

 extended. 



In Saskatchewan, the teaching staff of the College of 

 Agriculture has been strengthened in order to enable that 

 institution to qualify men for agricultural leadership, to 

 conduct research work, and to promote college extention. 



Alberta has been assisted in the equipment and main- 

 tenance of three schools of agriculture and household science, 

 designed to supply a form of education adapted to the needs 

 of boys and girls from the farm. 



Instructional work among tlie.. farmers in British 

 Columbia has been greatly extended, and the movement to 

 establish the teaching of agricultural and domestic science 

 in schools is entirely due to the assistance given by the 

 grant. 



In the Province of Xova Scotia, about 45 per cent, of 

 all the work done under the Department of Agriculture, 

 including the Agricultural College, may be credited, in so 

 far as it is represented by moneys expended, to the Federal 

 grant. 



In new Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, there were 

 practically no facilities for agri.-ulturai instruction at the 

 time the Act went into effect. Schools of Agriculture and 

 other necessary buildings and equipment have been ]jrovided; 

 trained instructors have been secured;, the interests of farm 

 women have been promoted: while the teaching of the 

 agriculture in the public schools has been greatly advanced 

 with the funds placed at the disposal of tbe.se provinces. 



As to the etticiency with which the work has been carried 

 out, and as to the qualities of the results, it is difiicult, in so 

 wide a field, to speak except in general terms. In a number 

 of instances the work has suffered from the loss of trained 

 agriculturists due to the war, and indirectly in other ways 

 from the same cause In the main, however, the conclusions 

 are distinctly lavourable, and the results will be, it is believed, 

 still more apparent as time goes on. 



EDUCATIONAL COURSES IN BOTANIC 



GARDENS. 



In the editorial of the . l-r/a/Z/uri!/ A't'Ci, .March l'3, lOlS, 

 it was pointed out that Botanic r4ardens might perform 

 a real educational function, if the imparting of kmnAcdxc 

 and not merely dissemination of iiiformafioii was the object 

 aimed at. 



The J(<iirnal uf the yeio Yurk Botaiiical Gankii, 

 February 19 1>!, contains the outline of a scheme by which 

 the stafi'of the garden in Bronx Park are evidently endeavour- 

 ing to fulfil this educational purpose in a practical way. 

 Two courses in gardening are offered to the public. The 

 first is called 'Simple Home Garden Courses' for those 

 desiring to conduct their own gardens. It consists of 'talks' 

 on soil and its preparation; cultivation and weed control; 

 what and how to plant and transplant; food values of garden 

 crops, and the relatiem of sunlight, air, and water to the 

 garden. Along with these 'talks' garden practice and 

 observation are insisted on with regard to all the ordinary 

 operations of a garden. The course is planned for four 

 months, one day a week, from March to .June inclusive, and 

 the fee charged is ••5-5, which is to include necessary supplies 

 and materials. 



The second course is called 'Training Courses for 

 Teachers for School Gardens.' There are thirty lectures of 

 one hour each, and thirty hours of garden practice, together 

 with thirty hours of laliaratory and garden practice. The 

 course extends, on various days, from April 1 to August 1<!. 

 The fee charged is $2-5, which will include necessary 

 materials and supplies, and laboratory and garden tools are 

 also supplied without charge. 



This course will >liow the pedagogical value of the 

 school garden, and how it may fit into the curriiulum with- 

 out disturbing it. 



How, by proper planning, a teacher may take a full class 

 into the garden and do effective work in the ordinary class 

 period. 



How the garden will furnish material of educatiooal value, 

 alive with interest, which will aid and inspire the regular 

 classroom studies of reading.- writing, arithmetic, language, 

 drawing, geography, and hisiory. 



Instruction will lie given, by lectures, practice work, and 

 reading, in those sufijects needed by teachers in school garden 

 work, and connected with class-room experiments. 



The New York Botanical Gardens in Bronx Park have 

 a reputation for the researches carried out there, and this 

 educational move is likely to add to their reputation and 

 effectiveness. 



.According to the St. Thomas newspaper, Li!^lilbiM(rn'.< 

 Mail .Vo/ts, March l'>, a new industry has just been started 

 in Tortola. It is stated that an American has begun sponge 

 fishing at the North Sound of that island, and it is reported 

 that a fine lot of sponges have already been gathered and are 

 being cured. It is to be hoped that this undertaking will 

 prove a commercial success. 



