210 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July S, 1911. 



but will have rel.ition to the features of the district in 

 which he lives and the illustrations that he can view 

 with his own eyes. These considerations are true, 

 though in a small degree, of other subjects that may 

 be taught in the school. 



Continuing, with reference to the circumstances 

 of elementary schools, all this is connected with the 

 main matter at issue, namely the pursuit of Nature 

 Study. Here, the teacher can never complain of a want 

 of variety in the circumstances and conceptions that 

 are needed for the work that is required for this topic. 

 He must beware, however, of the tendency to coiitine 

 the work of observation and experiment to what is 

 done in the class rcjom and the school garden: it is of 

 much importance that proper attention should be 

 given to the general facts of nature that have their 

 existence in the district served by the school. The 

 active work in relation to these will include the making 

 of notes, drawings and paintings by the pupil, and the 

 keeping of simple records. The scope of such work 

 will naturally vary with the knowledge of the teacher 

 and with the district in which he finds himself; the 

 fact that it is simple, if it is thorough in quality, will 

 not, however, detract from its value. 



The conditions of secondary schools must now be 

 given attention. It is interesting that attempts to teach 

 subjects coimected with agriculture and horticulture as 

 extra subjects, in schools in England, have resulted in 

 disappointment. That this might be the case was 

 already realized, in the West Indies, in planning 

 agricultural work for such schools as the Grammar 

 Schools in Antigua, St. Kitts, and St. Vincent. It is 

 of further interest that the Memorandum advocates 

 the provision of a general course of chemistry, biology 

 and physics as a preliminary to definite agricultural 

 teaching — ^a plan which has, as in the case of the 

 circumstance just mentioned, been always advised and 

 adopted by the Imperial Department of Agriculture in 

 its dealings with West Indian schools. 



Finally, as regards secondary scIidoIs, the advice 

 given for methods of teaching is similar to that for ele- 

 mentary schools, namely: ' The principles of science 

 shoultl be taught by means of experiments which make 

 their appeal to the rural- student as having a definite 

 application to his environment, and this can best be done 

 if experimental work is carried on, not only in the labora- 

 tory, but al.so in the field and garden.' The adoption 

 of this method gives the teaching the necessary agri- 

 cultural bias, and prevents it from being dissociated 

 from the useful illustrative circumstances that surround 

 ihe pupil. 



The last section in the Memorandum, possessing 

 a more direct interest for the West Indies, deals with 

 farm schools. Institutions of this nature, or those having 

 any of the more definite association with such schools, 

 are rare in the West Indies. The facts which are given 

 show that, at the present time, completely satisfiictory 

 results are by no means being obtained in England 

 with the aid of these institutions. There is the circum- 

 stance that in all cases the lines of work are too 

 specialized in nature. Further attention to this mat- 

 ter is not expedient here: it is of more use to draw 

 attention to the Cadet System and Courses of Reading 

 and Examinations in Practical Agriculture, of the 

 Imperial Department, which, like farm schools, are 

 intended to continue or supplement what is done in the 

 ordinary schools. In the first, agricultural students in 

 the secondary schools, toward the end of their period at 

 school, may be relieved from participation in the ordinary 

 subjects of the curriculum, and the time thus placed 

 at their disposal is spent at the Botanic and Experi- 

 ment Stations in the acquirement of agricultural knowl- 

 edge, under the more particular direction of the officer- 

 in-charge, while they still attend the agricultural classses 

 at the school. This is only a brief statement of the 

 scope and meaning of this system, and the same can 

 only be afforded of those possessed by the Courses of 

 Reading and Examinations in Practical Agriculture. 

 The latter are a means by which overseers on estates 

 are enabled to pursue their theoretical and practical 

 studies, under advice, according to a definite plan, and 

 to obtain certificates of progress from the Department 

 at the end of the different stages in the course. 



This is only a brief review of some of the contents 

 of the Memorandum, in the light of e.xperience and 

 conditions in regard to agricultural education, more 

 p.irticularly in the islands administered by the Depart- 

 ment. It may well be concluded with a general 

 statement of the Memorandum, with reference to the 

 work in England at large: 'Wherever such work 

 has been effectively done, farmers declare that the 

 expenditure is trifling compared with the financial 

 benefit to the agricultural community.' 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



Mr. P. T. Saunders, M.H.C.V.S., Veterinary Officer 

 on th(! Staff of the Department, left Barbados 

 by the S.S. ' Ocamo ' on the '27th ultimo, for Antigua, 

 and other islands, subsequently, where he w'ill conduct 

 ■an investigation into the veterinary conditions in the 

 colonies visited by him. 



