233 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 28, 1917. 



EDrlbRIAL 



Head Office 



NOTICES. 



— Barbados. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well as all 

 specimens ior naming, should be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 Barbados. 



All applications for copies of the 'Agricultural 

 News' and other Departmental publications, should be 

 addressed to the Agents, and not to the Department. 



The complete list of Agents, and the subscription 

 and advertisement rates, will be found on page 3 of 

 the cover. 



Imperial Commissioner of Sir Francis Watts, K.C.M.G., 



AgrictiUnre for the West Indies D.Sc, F.I.C., F.C.S. 



SCIENTIFIC STAFF. 



Scientific Assistant ami 

 Assistant Editor 



Entomologists 



■Mycologist 



W. R. Dunlop. 

 I H. A. Ballou, M.Sc. 

 \J. C. Hutson, B.A., Ph.D. 

 W. Nowell, D.I.C. 



Chief Clerk 

 Clerical Assistants 



CLERirAL STAFF. 



A. G. Howell. 

 fli. A. Corbin. 



Typist 



Asiistant Typist 

 Assistant for Publications 



■. P. Taylor. 

 Ik. R. C. Foster. 

 Miss B. Robinson. 

 Miss W. Ellis. 

 A. B. Price, Fell. Joum. Inst. 



giflriculiuntl fjciufi 



Vol. XVI. SATURDAY, JULY 28, 1917. No. 398. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this issue deals with the importance 

 of properly grading fruits exported from the ^Vest 

 Indies. 



Agricultural Instruction in Trinidad Elemen- 

 tary Schools. 



In his Annual Repo7t on Elementary Education 

 in Trinidad in 1916 the Inspector of Schools gives the 

 following particulars as to instruction in agriculture io 

 the schools belonging to his department. The Agri- 

 cultural Instructors gave instruction, as usual, 

 including remodelling of plots, mulching and practical 

 suo't'estions at some schools, while suggestions as to the 

 improvement of their gardens were given to the head 

 teachers of all schools visited. In all, there are 224 school 

 gardens in Trinidad and thirty-three in Tobago. As 

 interest in the school shows appeared to be on the wane, 

 an agricultural competition of schools was substituted. 

 Forty prizes were awarded and 181 schools competed. 

 Points were awarded for agricultural knowledge (an 

 oral examination of boys was held), the upkeep of the 

 school garden, the neatness and appearance of the school 

 grounds, nature study experiments, and the value of the 

 school museum and herbarium. The Curator of the 

 Botanic Gardens made a final inspection of the leading 

 schools and he reported he was very pleased at the high 

 standard of etliciency shown in the majority of the 

 schools visited, which were a credit to teachers and 

 pupils. 



A scheme by the Acting Director of Agriculture 

 for the reorganization of the present system of teaching 

 agriculture in the schools has been formulated in the 

 report of the Education Commission which has recently, 

 been presented. 



The school garden as an aid in the teaching of 

 agriculture, as has been wisely remarked by the Director 

 of Elementary Agricultural Education for British 

 Colombia, is as yet imperfectly understood and greatly 

 underestimated. Many teachers still think of it solely 

 as a place where pupils learn to make gardens and grow 

 plants. Parents frequently hold the same view and 

 commend or condemn according as they estimate the 

 value of these very limited services rendered in compar- 

 ison with the expense involved. On the other hand, 

 the number of teachers and others who recognize 

 the value of the school garden in its numerous 

 educational aspects is daily increasing, and the garden 

 attached to a school is not only regarded as a valuable 

 institution by itself whereby nature-study and agri- 

 culture can be taught directly and effectively, but also 

 as a means whereby the teaching of other school subjects 

 can be made more interesting and of greater value to 

 the children. 



On page 227 appears an article giving practical 

 hints for packing fruit for export. 



Insect Notes, on page 234 describes the life-history 

 of white grubs injurious to sugar- cane in Porto Rico. 



On page 2.'57 will bf- foimd an article on the 

 importance of securing a supply of pure milk and 

 giving legislative inoasnros in this connexion which 

 have recently been taken in Canada and Antigua. . 



Education in Grenada. 



The study of hygiene and sanitation in the 

 primary schouLs of Grenada has, as is stated in the 

 Annual Report for 1915-10 of the Inspector of Schools 

 of that Colony, greatly assisted the pupils in under- 

 standing the aims and immediate object of the anky- 

 lostomiasis campaign conducted by the International 

 Health Commission under Dr. A. MacDonald who, on 

 the practical side of the outdoor work, had the assistance 

 of the teachers in the several districts under operation. 



