Vol. XII. No. 298. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



313 



establishment of a college is not like floating a limited 

 liability company. Dividends arc not declared. The 

 requisite funds must be in the nature of an endowment 

 and given irrespective of immediate financial considera- 

 tions. Afcerwards, Government assistance may be 

 looked for, and possibly, when the beneficial influences 

 of the institution are felt, seen and then appreciated, 

 the more materialistic capitalists interested in tropical 

 production may come forward to assist in increasing 

 numbers. 



It may be added for the information of those 

 immediately interested in the establishment of an 

 agricultural college in the Tropics, t&at the latest issue 

 of the Trnpical AcjriculturiM, the organ of the Ceylon 

 Agricultural Society, shows that definite steps are 

 being taken by the authorities there for bringing 

 about a materialization of what has so long been 

 ft mere project. 



Practical Work in Secondary Schools. 



Everybody is interested in. the education of 

 children. A particularly important aspect of the 

 subject is dealt with in the Report of the Consultative 

 Committee on Practical Work in Secondary Schools, 

 recently i.ssued by the English Board of Education. To 

 readers of the AgricidturuL A'eivs, that part of the 

 Report which concerns practical work in rural schools 

 will be more definitely appreciated. The following 

 embraces some of the Committee's recommendations. 



The environment of a rural school should be 

 utilized to the full for educational purposes. This does 

 not mean that the secondary school should be turned 

 into a farm school, but it means that a land basis should 

 be given to the general work of the school; that a rural 

 atmosphere should be created in it. The teaching of 

 English, Science, Mathematics, Handwork and Geogra- 

 phy should, as far as possible, take the surroundings of 

 the school as a basis oi- settmg. 



The question of providing a suitable curriculum 

 cannot be solved by the introduction of a definitely 

 agricultural side so far as concerns the earlier school 

 years. All the pupils, however, should reieive agricul- 

 tural instruction before they leave school; there should 

 be no distinction between 'agricultural boys' and those 

 not denominated by that term. The science teaching 

 should be made practical, frhis does not mean 

 that technical instruction h agrciulture should 

 be given. It is necessary that the teacher should be 

 interested in rural work and great importance is 

 attached to the existence of a proper correlation 

 between the study of chemistry and botany and that 

 of gardening. 



The importance of literary studies is not over- 

 looked. The tendency of pupils to be ever ready to do 

 anything with their hands and to .disregard reading 

 and solid study must be carefully borne in mind. 

 A large number of farmers engaged in agriculture 

 to-day rarely read even up-to-date information about 

 their own special work: their business has been learnt 

 by hard practice and they do not. like nor understand 

 how to apply book information. This attitude of mind 

 it must be the vital aim of the rur.vl school to eradicate. 



Branch Agricultural Societies. 



The Superintendent of Agriculture, Grenada'|,ha3 

 just sent a copy of the Bye-laws of the (ir'inada Agri- 

 cultural and Commercial Society relating to the forma- 

 tion and constitution ot Branch Societies. Any move- 

 ments in the direction of extending operations ,irid 

 influence in this way are of interest and imporrance, 

 particularly in regard to the larger colonies having out- 

 lying districts. 



In Grenada, the President and Vice-Presidents of 

 the Agricultural Society and the senior officers of the 

 Agricultural De{)artment are at liberty to attend any 

 meetings of any Branch Society, and ordinary 

 members are members of the Branch situated in the 

 district where they live. Each Branch Society selects 

 its own Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The 

 annual subscription is the same as for the head society, 

 but a Branch may be at liberty to accept a less amount) 

 than the minimum (os.). Members paying reduced 

 subscriptions have no voice in the management of the 

 Agricultural Society. Within one month after the 

 Annual General Meeting, the local Secreiaries must 

 send the Secretary at headquarters an estimate of 

 expenses for the coming year. Subscriptions are 

 collected by the local societ}- and paid int • the general 

 fund. All members of Brarch Soci-^t^- of good 

 standing are entitled to receive the pub'ii; h ions of the 

 Society free. Membership is open to anyone who is 

 willing to conform to the above rules. 



Growing Tobacco tor Insecticide Purposes. 



During the last few years considerable work has 

 been done at the Wye Agricultural College, Kent, in 

 regard to tobacco growing. It has been found that 

 under the temperate conditions of England, tobacco can 

 be grown which, although it lacks those characteristics 

 essential for cigar production, possesses the important 

 distinction of having a high nicotine content. This 

 circumstance naturally suggests the idea of grovving 

 tobacco for insecticide purposes, and there does noti 

 appear to be any practical objection to the application 

 of the idea under tropical conditions. The nicotine 

 content could no doubt be greatly increased by 

 chemical selection. 



Up to the i)resent the employment of nicotine as an 

 insecticide has been limited, owing to the circumstance 

 that this alkaloid is generally used in the spray mix- 

 tures in a pure form. Its extraction involves technique, 

 which at present is a trade secret in the hands of a few 

 manufacturers who keep the price up in consequence. 



Mr. D. R. Edwardes-Ker, of the Chemical Depart- 

 ment at Wye, has shown that nicotine can be quite 

 satisfactorily extracted from tobacco by means of water 

 — preferably w^arm water (not above 140° F.), or better 

 still, by soft soap and water. 



It was actually found that 97 per cent, of the 

 nicotine could be extracted by water at 140' F. after 

 three treatments of half an hour each during three 

 suceessive days. 



The results referred to above are summarized 

 niore fully in the Exiyriment Station Record for 

 August 1913. 



