24 peocej:i)Ings at general imeetixgs. 



Mr Scott Dudgeon said tliat it was part of the instructions to tlie chemist to obtain 

 such information. 



Mr Lindsay said he wished to enter his dissent against the terms of the appoint- 

 ment of the chemist. 



Mr Scott Dudgeon said he wouhl he ghail to see the proposals passed by the Societj-, 

 and he wislied to inform outsiders that the Labours of the committee had been con- 

 ducted most pleasantly. They foixnd every readiness on the part of the Directors to 

 make the scheme as good as possible. As to the salary of the chemist and his duties, 

 he could saj' that the proposal was an excellent one, and that they were not giving 

 the chemist a halfpenny more than he deserved. He would like to see their chemist 

 independent of other work than their own ; but that could not be the case at present,. 

 as it would cost a thousand a year at the very least. 



Mr Lindsay said he did not insinuate anything against Dr Aitken personally, but 

 he spoke on general gi'ounds. 



The report was then agreed to. 



Technical Schools of Agriculture. — Colonel Innes of Learney moved— "(1.) 

 That there is urgent need for the establishment of central technical schools of agTi- 

 culture in the several agricultural districts of Scotland ; and (2. ) that it is the duty of 

 the Highland and Agricultural Society to promote the establishment and maintenance 

 of such schools." In supporting the motion, Colonel Innes said he could not help 

 entertaining the belief that he might safely leave the resolution without attempting 

 any advocacy of it, and thought it must commend itself generally to the assent of this 

 Society and of those present ; but his object Avas not only to obtain a general assent, 

 but such an assent as would carry along with it a practical application if they should 

 resolve that the institution of such schools was not only a good thing in the district, 

 l>ut one to which tbey should set themselves about earnestly. He might say that he 

 did not pretend himself to be in the position of enforcing this view, except that he had 

 a connection with an association established to promote a school in the north of Scot- 

 laml which had led him to take up the subject. Six years ago, having the honour of 

 being on the Board of Directors, he proposed that the Society should memorialise the 

 Committee of the Privy Council on Education on the propriety of establishing agri- 

 culture as a branch of the system of physical science taught under the superintendence 

 of the Department of Science and Art in the schools department. That memorial was 

 eventually successful, but he could assure the meeting that that success M-as not 

 attained without exertions and without difficulty. They found on applying to the 

 department that it was generally assumed that the mass of agriculturists as a class 

 Avere not, as it were, susceptible of this technical training given in other branches of 

 industry ; but he was happy to say that that view did not prevail. All honour to the 

 nobleman whom they had that day placed in the position oi President of their Society 

 — the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, who was President of the Council and the SuIj- 

 Department of Education. Thanks to the enlightened and active interest that he 

 took in the subject himself, a resolution was adopted including this amongst the 

 technical subjects of education encouraged by the Privy Council. In the report of the 

 past year he found that of agricultural students for whom grants were drawn from the 

 Education Department, in England and Wales there were 1449, and in Scotland 343. 

 As agriculturists he thought they must view that as sufficiently encouraging, because 

 a system of that sort could not spring up in a day. It must grow up like other agri- 

 cultural crops. Of the 343 agricultural students in Scotland to whom he had referred, 

 they found that 306 were from the north of Scotland ; from the south-east there were 

 none ; from the south-west, 37. This large proportion, almost exclusive distribution 

 of students in the north of Scotland, had been due to the Central Technical School of 

 Agriculture, which, by the active assistance of a well-<inalihed teacher in chemistry, 

 Mr Jamieson, who took up the matter warmly, was established in Aberdeen. It had 

 now been continued from year 1o year for four years, and he held in his hands the 

 annual reports jjresented to the association. In 1876, the first year, there were 42 

 agi'icultural students ; in 1877, 56 ; and in 1878, 63. The report for the past year was 

 not yet completed, but he had grounds for saying that tliere was a decrease in the 

 elementarj'' classes, whereas there was a great increase in the more advanced instrrtc- 

 tion. Besides the instruction given by Mr Jamieson, who was an analytical chemis-t 

 well known in connection with the exi^eriments in the north of Scotland, and who, he 

 believed, was engaged in similar experiments in the southern counties of England, 

 they last year, with great difficulty from their small funds, were enabled to institute 

 additional subjects of instruction. The subjects included veterinary surgery, breeds 

 and breeding, dairy farming, surveying, drainage, &c. Two years ago the managers of 

 the school applied to the Highland and Agricultural Society for assistance. They 

 received a sum of ,£2.5, for which they were grateful, and he thought that if they 

 placed it against the results it might be said that the money was well expended. The 

 great difficulty which they experienced in obtaining the attendance of young farmers 

 for six weeks at such a school was that they had to sacrifice time and incur expense^ 



