Vol. XVI. No. 390. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



105 



The Value of Dynamite in Agriculture. 



Trials that have been made with dymainite ia the 

 West Indies, to discover to what extent it is of \ahie 

 lor opening !ip the soil in orchard cultivations, have 

 not, on the whole, given very encouraging results. In 

 Dominica the experiments on the soil containing lime 

 trees have given entirely negative results, and the 

 Trinidad experiments on cacao and bananas have been 

 inconclusive. 



It has been suggested that perhaps these explosions 

 have been made at the time when the soil is in the 

 wrong condition. An explosion made in a wet soil, tor 

 instance, is much more likely to have a consolidating 

 effect than a loosening one; perhaps the Dominica 

 experiments were made when the soil was too wet; 

 if they were, this would acconnt for the absence of 

 any good effect as a result. 



It would be interesting to compare the effect 

 of explosions made: (a) during wet weather, (b) after 

 ■;i spell of dry weather when the soil is comparatively 

 lacking in moisture. 



In Dominica it is not easy to get a dry soil, but 

 at the present time of year a condition of dryness 

 sufficiently pronounced will occur from time to Umo 

 10 allow of the experiment being made. 



Imperial and National Organization. 



A very original series of articles on the elements 

 of national reconstruction, since published in book 

 form, appeared about the middle of last year in 

 The Junes. In these articles it was submitted that 

 the syndication of small businesses is necessary to effect 

 economic efficiency, and that in conjunction with this 

 there will follow better scientific education and research. 

 The present form of district representation in Parlia- 

 ment is disapproved of and it is believed that a proper 

 management of the country's affairs can only take 

 place under conditions of occupational representation; 

 that is to say, industries and professions should be 

 represented rather than the mixed community of any 

 one district with its divided and often conflicting 

 interests. In connexion with these sirticles, the reports 

 of the British Empire Producers' (Organization, whose 

 tifth monthly report has recently been forwarded to 

 this Office from Kingway House, London, are of consid- 

 erable interest, showing that a definite policy is on foot 

 in the direction of organizing British Industries on an 

 empire basis. The B, E, P, ( >. is not a society in the ordi- 

 nary sense of the word, since it does not enrol members 

 orfirmsexcept as representing associations or industries. 

 It is in fact, a federation of industrial associations. 

 It recognizes that existing associations which affiliate 

 must retain complete autonomy, and that those 

 representing an industry arc the right bodies to formu- 

 late a practical policy for that industry. The organiza- 

 tion is divided into sections i>f which the .sugar section 

 is of direct West Indian interest. It is important that 

 producers of raw material in the West Indies should 

 keep in touch with the Association, as it is a highly 

 influential body ami calculated to prove of great value 

 in maintaining the trade, and in developing tlie 

 resources ol the Crown Colonies. 



Primary and Secondary Education in British. 

 Gruiana. 



A striking memorandum on the subject ot primary 

 and secondary education has been submitted to the 

 Board of Education of British Guiana by the Acting 

 Governor, and published in the Denierara Dnily 

 Argosy (Mail Edition) for March 17. In this the 

 need for revision in the education codes of primary 

 and secondary schools is drawn attention to, and the 

 importance of instruction in nature knowledge is 

 emphasized. Considering first the curriculum of a 

 primary school, it is pointed out that the chief subjects 

 taught arc reading, writing and arithmetic; but 

 a course of stud}' concentrated mainly on these three 

 subjects concerns itself in the opinion of the Acting 

 (governor, rather with the implements of the mind thau 

 the subject-matter of education. Another weakness 

 in the cunnculum is the large amount of attention 

 given to religious instruction, in the course of which 

 the pupil is taught a good deal of Jewish history and 

 Syrian geography, together with a few of the broadesti- 

 and simplest principles of morality. It is submitted 

 that the methods ol' moral instruction need revision, 

 and that more attention should be given to an 

 appreciation of nature from an aesthetic as well 

 as from a scientific stand-point, and to a prac- 

 tical study ofgeograph}' beginning first with the district 

 in which the school is situated. (On the subject of 

 nature knowledge, the views expressed in the 

 memorandum .ippear to be particularly sound. It is 

 held that in a colony like British (Juiana, which is in 

 the main agricultural, the education given to the bulk 

 of the population should aim at training a class of 

 intelligent peasanr, proprietors and farmers, and for 

 this purpose there can be no better method than "to 

 lay the mind of the pupil alongside of physical facts, 

 ;ind teach the child to conquer them in the way in 

 which Nelson told his captains to master their 

 enemy's ships.' In regard to the question of classics 

 versus science, which has particular reference to 

 secondary education, the views of the writer of the 

 memorandum are as follows: While a knowl- 

 edge of Greek and Roman history and thought 

 is admitted to be important, it is held that this can 

 nowadays be obtained by means of translations, thus 

 obviating the slow process of acquiring a knowledge 

 of the dead languages. It is held that, as in 

 the case of primary schools, the stibjects embraced under 

 the head of nature knowledge should in the secondary 

 form the basis of education. 'A thorougli study of the 

 English language can be made to fulfil all the philologi- 

 cal and scientific purposes of a study ol Latin; and if a 

 second language is desired, French is of as great an 

 educational and of far more practical value to-day thau 

 Greek.' 



While the opinions put forward in this memoran- 

 dum may not seem altogether acceptable in certain 

 quarters, no one can deny the soundness of the views. 

 nor question the belief that the developments of i lie, 

 ( 'oluny would be accelerated by the introdtiction <>f 

 .1 curriculum more definitely based upon the principles! 

 submitted. 



